Danger Along the Ohio (An Avon Camelot Book) [Paperback]

Patricia Willis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 1999 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: An Avon Camelot Book

Traveling down the Ohio River in 1793, Amos, Clara, and Jonathan are separated from their father during a brutal Indian attack. The three children are swept down the river, and must make their way back through the wilderness in the direction of the Marietta settlement, hoping to find their father there. Their plight becomes still more dramatic -- and dangerous -- when Amos rescues a wounded Indian boy from the river. Though the boy mistrusts them and his condition slows them down, Amos refuses to leave him behind to die. Now more than ever, it seems they'll never make it back to their father and to safety.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7. Willis combines the suspense of a page-turner, the danger level of a thriller, the fascination of a survival story, and the ease of a hi/lo vocabulary. In 1793, three siblings (Amos, 13; Clara, 12; Jonathan, 7) are separated from their father during their immigration, via flatboat, down the Ohio River from their Pennsylvania home to a new beginning in the Ohio wilderness. After an Indian attack, the three are left with no adult support, scant supplies, no transportation, and a cow in tow to journey along the dangerous Shawnee side of the Ohio to the safety of the Marietta settlement. Readers will recognize the breathless pace they've loved in action movies, defined by the eruption of a new crisis on the heels of each crisis resolution, as the siblings struggle against the odds: scavenging food; stealing fire from the Indians; whittling tools for catching supper; rescuing a young Shawnee from drowning; and treating wounds with chickweed and birch leaves. The author's sturdy plot advances distinctly and chronologically, resulting in pure suspense. She keeps her vocabulary action-oriented and her dialogue straightforward. The young Shawnee's presence raises intriguing philosophical questions regarding the nature of communication and the components of true friendship. After all of this, who could complain about a contrived happy ending??Liza Bliss, Worcester Public Library, MA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-7. When Shawnee Indians raid the settlement where their flatboat is moored, 13-year-old Amos and his younger sister and brother free the craft and escape, not knowing whether their father has survived. Forced to land on the Shawnee side of the river after a flaming arrow sets the boat afire, they head for Marietta, Ohio, where they hope to meet their father. On the way, they save an injured Shawnee boy and are captured by warriors from his tribe. Eventually, they learn that they have less to fear from Red Moccasin and his kin than they believed, and Amos finds the courage to "plant a seed of friendship." In this fast-paced adventure, Willis successfully re-creates the anti-Indian prejudice of 1795 when white easterners fought to settle Ohio. Chris Sherman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 181 pages
• Publisher: Avon Books (March 9, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380731517
• ISBN-13: 978-0380731510
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #534,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 3 children, separated from their dad, travel the OH river., January 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Danger Along the Ohio (Hardcover)

Danger Along The Ohio by Patricia Willis is an excellent story about pioneer life in Ohio during the mid to late 1700's. This book is full of adventure that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat! It is a book you will not want to put down once you begin reading it. The language in this book is wonderful. It is full of similes, metaphors, imagery, onomatopoeia, and more. This book also provides the opportunity to discuss how the white pioneers viewed the Native Americans, and vice verse. For anyone who wants to know more about Ohio life during this time, this is a perfect book. Kids love it!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good pionear book., October 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Danger Along the Ohio (Hardcover)

This book contains a great mix of charaters and plots. Even though they could of jazzed it up a little it was stil a ture and great story for education, intrest, and fun. The book was a travel along the ohio most of the time.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great historical references and full of suspense, December 2, 2007

By 

Kristin Drach (kristinkd) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Danger Along the Ohio (Hardcover)

I just finished reading this to my three children (2nd grade twins and 4th grader). We loved the book! Each chapter left the kids begging me to read longer. It is full of suspense and adventure. The historical references are true to the times and give the reader a sense of what life was like in the late 1700's. My 4th grader is studying Ohio history. This was a wonderful novel to add to her studies. Reading level is closer to 5th grade. When we were finished, the kids each wrote an additional "chapter" of their own that answered questions they were left with or additional things that they "saw" in the story. Great fun!