From Publishers Weekly
In this sequel to Nine for California, Levitin and Smith mine a nugget of American history and turn it into picture book gold. Young Amanda's family has survived the three-week stagecoach trip to California and now the boisterous brood is putting down roots near the gold fields, where Pa pans for a fortune. Eager to make the best of their conditions, Amanda improvises with primitive equipment to turn out pies that she can sell to the miners. When she expands and buys more pans, she recommends to the peddler that he set up a trading post, and the boom begins. Soon she's suggesting that others start a laundry, a livery and other businesses that result in a bustling town. Sparked by a historical report of a "young lady" who earned $11,000 selling pies, this spunky story makes information about westward expansion pulse with fun. Smith's rollicking, dusty-toned watercolors capture the energy of a developing town and convey the can-do spirit of adventurous settlers. Readers inspired by Amanda's success may want to try the gooseberry pie recipe on the endpapers. Ages 5-9.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4?This charming companion to Nine for California (Orchard, 1996) shows how a California gold-rush town prospered and grew, all thanks to one girl's gooseberry pies. Amanda and her family arrive when the town is just "a stage stop, a pump house, a few log cabins." As her father pans for gold each day, Amanda becomes bored. She digs up an old skillet, picks some berries, and bakes a "hard as a rock" pie in the old wood stove. A few tries later, she gets it right and things start to change. After Pa sells slices to the miners in the gold fields. Amanda gets her brothers to pitch in and expands her pie productions. The fun really starts when she convinces various travelers to stay in town and share their skills. As other craftsmen settle in, the girl's pie business blossoms in the now-thriving town. Amanda's Pa finally gives up the gold-panning life and joins his daughter in the bakery. Now she'll have time for the new school that everyone helped build. Watercolor illustrations capture the lively and humorous spirit of the story. Facial expressions are particularly well drawn, conveying the warmth of family and community amid the chaos of the boom town. Amanda's narration lends just the right touch of humor to an authentic, though exaggerated look at the development of the West. Young readers will particularly enjoy the way the girl subtly manipulates so many adults into contributing to the town's amazing growth.?Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, OR
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
