3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Racism, June 2, 2007
Buck and Tunes have always been best friends, even though Buck is white and Tunes is black. When Tunes' mom died when she was a baby, Buck's mom treated Tunes like her own little girl. It helps that Tunes' father works on the farm of Buck's parents. All that Buck and Tunes want is to be left alone to fish and find crabs near the water. Up until the summer they turn thirteen, that has been the case.
One day while out in Buck's boat, they find a body in the water. A friend of theirs, an older man with a family who works as a laborer on the farms nearby, is dead with his skull smashed and a bullet hole in his forehead. Tunes immediately jumps out of the boat and walks away; she doesn't want to have anything to do with this dead body. Buck tows it back to shore and tells the story of finding it, saying that Tunes was not with him at the time. He isn't sure why she doesn't want to be involved, but he will do his best to protect her.
Soon a horrible rumor is spread about Tunes, possibly in an attempt to divert attention away from their friend's killer. As things get more and more dangerous for Tunes, Buck's family backs farther and farther away from her. Buck is horrified. Could they really be so blind to the truth?
I liked that this story was truthful about racism. Bad and unfair things happened to Tunes because of her skin color, and this book didn't sugarcoat that fact. I liked that Buck continued to stand up for his friend, though, despite what others said about her. I was disappointed by the ending of the book.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dangerous Skies, August 26, 2004
I enjoyed reading this book. It was somewhat like a mystery and the characters were interesting. The book deals with the subject of prejudice which is something I don't agree with. I think Tunes and Kneebone were treated very unfairly and Tunes is never fully believed. Jumbo represents evil in the story while Buck and Tunes represent goodness. I was very surprised by the ending. I would recommend this book for readers between the ages of 11-14.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dangerous Skies, March 10, 2004
A Kid's Review
The plot of the story is in the Chesapeake Bay.
It is around the 1700's at Virginia's eastern shore. The main characters are Buck and Tunes Smith. Buck's family used Tunes' dad (Kneebone) as a slave before she was born but was nice to him. Once Tunes was born Buck was born around the same time as she was. They became best friends until they found the dead body of one of theirs friends while they were out on the water some day in spring. Tunes ended up getting out of the boat since she saw the dead body. Buck pulled the body into shore and was questioned by the sheriff. Buck didn't want to get Tunes involved so he acted like she was never there when they found the dead body. Later in the story Buck told his dad the Tunes had been with him while on the water and his dad made him go back to Sheriff and tell him that Tunes was involved. They then convicted Tunes of the crime but there was a mean man that lived close to them. You will have to read the rest of the story to find out what happens next. I like this book because it was non stop action and there was a lot of friendship involved. This is one of the best books. I would give this book five out of five stars since it is fun and exciting.
By: Curtis Martin
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