Odds Bodkin's story, based on folklore that Irish railroad workers brought to America, and Ted Rose's shimmering watercolors evoke the suspense and mystery of this otherworldly chase through the high Rocky Mountains. On a foggy night, spring floods swell the Colorado River. John Mercer, engineer of Train Number 1, and Mr. O'Reilly, his fireman, worry about crossing Gore Canyon where, twenty years before, the trestle washed out and an unlucky engineer drove his train over the edge. Is Gore Canyon Trestle still there? And can they-should they-try to outrun the Banshee?
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Eeriness and danger permeate the watercolors illustrating this spectral tale by professional storyteller Bodkin. Sparse, unfussy language quickly creates an air of scary credibility, but it is Rose who brings the nuances?silent, snowy landscapes; menacing skies?that richly compensate for the loss of a performer's voice and for the occasional gaps in the narrative. Traveling through a heavy Colorado rainstorm in the spring of 1929, the engineer and fireman of Train No. 1 see a train barreling behind them. When they try to speed to safety, their train is inexplicably shut down. The other train zooms right through them, carrying ghostly passengers and a banshee?a supernatural presence whose shriek foretells death. But this particular banshee has prevented the deaths of everyone aboard Train No. 1. She has halted the train's approach to a collapsed bridge, washed out by the storm?just as it had been 20 years ago when another train plunged catastrophically into the river below. Spooky in content and presentation, this story should send a few shivers down little spines. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3?A lively picture book set in 1929. While heading through Colorado on a foggy night, the engineer and fireman of Train Number 1 notice some unusual occurrences. First, the throttle swings off all by itself. After the engine resumes speed, a mysterious locomotive appears on the tracks behind them, and they must travel at full speed to avoid a collision. Just before they reach Gore Canyon Trestle, Number 1 comes to a sudden halt. Then the men hear "...an unearthly shriek" and see the ghostly head of a banshee rising from the train behind them, which disappears. The men discover that Gore Canyon Trestle is completely gone; the banshee saved them from certain death. The story is well paced, leading up to its dramatic climax smoothly and surely. Railroad terms are nicely interwoven throughout, and dialogue and description move the tale along briskly. Double-page watercolors capture the motion and color of the trains and the mountainous terrain. They don't show much of the two men, but the narrative conveys their emotions and excitement. An author's note briefly explains the background of the banshee and the role of Irish immigrants in working on American railroads. More suspenseful than scary, this title should appeal to kids who enjoy stories about trains and ghosts.?Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, OR
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Scary, terrifying story for a young child.,
By
This review is from: The Banshee Train (Hardcover)
The story still gives me chills after reading it a few times. After I explained to him what it was about, my 6 year old asked me to read it to him anyway, and he was so scared he couldn't go to sleep afterward. It is well written, with quality artwork, but I would recommend it for older kids who enjoy ghost stories, rather than young pre-readers. Even with a happy ending, the Banshee legend is a scary, creepy image. A full passenger train being chased to certain death by a reckless runaway passenger train behind it is terrifying beyond words, even if (or especially if) the pursuer turns out to be a spector.
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's great,
This review is from: The Banshee Train (Hardcover)
I remember reading this when I was young, and have regularly rediscovered it. It's a great story, well written and beautifully illustrated.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A hair-raising tale,
This review is from: The Banshee Train (Hardcover)
My daughter says that this book "absolutely creeped me out" when she was young. Which is saying something, because she read a lot of scary books as a child. And it still makes my scalp crawl just thinking about it sometimes.
The late Ted Rose was one of the country's great railroad artists. I originally bought this book for the illustrations, and I was not disappointed. The story itself is good, even though Odds Bodkin's narrative style seems somewhat pedestrian when written down. But Ted Rose's illustrations are superb, even if he had some trouble rendering people. P.S.: I think the red-bearded fireman in the pictures is supposed to be Bodkin himself.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
