A Dangerous Promise (The Orphan Train Adventures) [Hardcover]

Joan Lowery Nixon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1994 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: The Orphan Train Adventures (Book 5)

In 1861, motivated by dreams of glory on the battlefield, young Mike Kelly joins the Union Army as a drummer boy, only to discover the true horrors of war during the bloody Battle of Wilson's Creek.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-The Civil War is raging and Mike Kelly, 12, who came to the Midwest on an orphan train, runs away from home with his friend Todd to join the Union Army. As musicians in the Second Kansas Infantry, they make a long and difficult march into Missouri, where they encounter General McCulloch's Missouri Guard at the arduous Battle of Wilson's Creek. Mike is wounded and left for dead; Todd is brutally killed. Mike looks on in agony while a man takes an heirloom pocket watch from his friend's body-he'd promised Todd he'd return it to his sister if anything ever happened to him. He is rescued by a Confederate soldier-someone he'd known on the orphan train-and eventually rejoins his regiment and has several adventures and close calls with Confederate sympathizers along the way. His overriding mission, however, is to retrieve Todd's watch. Nixon writes energetically and maintains an aura of adventure and danger. She clearly portrays the horrors of war, and the particular agony of this war. Her characters are finely drawn and multifaceted, the plot is lively, and the details are well chosen. This is history come to life.
Joyce Adams Burner, formerly at Spring Hill Middle School, KS
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-8. Fans of the Orphan Train Quartet will be delighted that Nixon is continuing the story of the Kelly family in a new series, the Orphan Train Adventures. In 1861, 12-year-old Mike Kelly and his friend Todd Blakely run away and join the Second Kansas Infantry. They're too young to fight, but they're old enough to be drummers and are convinced the Union forces need them. Their first engagement, the Battle of Wilson's Creek, is a bloody rout. Todd is fatally wounded, and Mike is left for dead. Rescued by a rebel soldier who's a friend from the Orphan Train, Mike is tended by a sympathetic family. Before he can rejoin his unit, however, he must make his way back through enemy territory and fulfill a promise made to Todd. Nixon's story is an action-packed, realistic adventure. Through Mike's eyes, readers view the alternating boredom and sheer terror of war, the effects of war on civilians, and the factors that divided families as well as the country. There's also a tantalizing hint about what Kelly faces in the next adventure. Chris Sherman

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 148 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385320736
• ISBN-13: 978-0385320733
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,835,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great resource!, July 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Dangerous Promise (Orphan Train Adventures) (Mass Market Paperback)

As an educator of upper elementary students, I think the whole Orphan Train Adventures series is outstanding! It tells a tale while weaving in historical events. It makes learning history more interesting because the stories are told from a young person's point of view!

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Series!, April 12, 2011

By 

T. C. "Movies, TV, Book lover" (KS, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Dangerous Promise (Orphan Train Adventures) (Mass Market Paperback)

My daughter read the first book in this series (A Family Apart: The Orphan Train Adventures) and was hooked! We read the first book in a school "chat n chew" forum and the 5th grader boys and girls both liked the book. The series has 6 books that follows the kids in one family as they leave inner city New York for the "wild west" in Missouri and Kansas. Wonderful series!

This particular book is the second about the brother named Mike.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for young and old readers alike, December 29, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A Dangerous Promise (The Orphan Train Adventures) (Hardcover)

I purchased this book for my son for a book report and decided to read it myself. It's a wonderful book for all readers and we're looking forward to purchasing the set.