Customer Reviews

Bringing Ezra Back

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Bringing Ezra Back is a sequel to DeFelice's Weasel (1990) and is set in 1840 on the Ohio Frontier. Twelve year old Nathan still has trouble trusting strangers since his frightening experience with a man named Weasel. When Nathan learns that his friend, Ezra, is in Pennsylvania with a traveling show of "human oddities", he knows he must find him and bring him home. As he journeys alongside a traveling peddler, he begins to watch people to learn about human nature, and discovers that not everyone is like Weasel. In the process, he also learns about his own strength.
While this book can stand alone, I would have had more insight into the characters involved if I had read Weasel first. From reviews I have read, that book seems to be much more suspenseful and mysterious than Bringing Ezra Back. However, this sequel is a good novel in its own right, and watching Nathan and other characters develop is quite interesting.

In this follow-up novel to "Weasel," Nathan is 12 and hears about a circus of human monstrosities traveling around the country. One of the oddities sounds like a man who once saved his father's life -- Ezra. Nathan teams up with a traveling saleman to search for Ezra. He gets an education on human nature (the good and bad) along the way.

The circus is a dehumanizing and corrupt venture, and Nathan goes to some trouble to rescue Ezra. As they journey back to their home, Nathan slowly brings Ezra back to mental health.

This is an interesting and well-written book. Coming of age through service and self-reliance. I like this one. The story makes sense as a stand-alone book, even if your child has never read "Weasel"... which is good, because "Weasel" is very dark and disturbing.