To the Frontier (The Adventures of Young Buffalo Bill) [Library Binding]

E. Cody Kimmel (Author), Scott Snow (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Series: The Adventures of Young Buffalo Bill

Buffalo Bill wasn't always a world-famous legend. Before he was everyone's favorite Pony Express rider and star of his own Wild West Show, Bill was a real pioneer: a boy who hopped on a wagon and blazed a new trail with his Ma, Pa, and sisters.

And a wild ride it is! The frontier is packed with real-life adventures more exciting than Bill had ever imagined. He learns how to break a wild pony with the help of a genuine mustanger and even builds a cabin with nothing but an ax, a hammer, and some nails. But the west is a dangerous place, and Bill has to find out the hard way just how wild it can be.

The first book in an ongoing adventure series about young Buffalo Bill, To the Frontier sweeps readers back into the exciting and troubled world of America's frontier past.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With this launch title in The Adventures of Young Buffalo Bill series, Kimmel (Ice Story: Shackleton's Lost Expedition) will hold the interest of fans of the frontier and convert newcomers to its lore and history. The author, who was brought up to believe her family had some genealogical tie to her subject, follows eight-year-old Bill from Iowa to the newly established Kansas Territory in 1854. Kimmel hints at the mounting tensions between abolitionists and those wanting slavery permitted in Kansas. The narrative smoothly sets this theme into an equally compelling story of one family's hardships and everyday joys. As the novel opens, Bill's older brother has died under the weight of a spooked horse he had been riding, and later, when the family makes a claim in the new territory, Bill must tame a wild horse in order to work the land, stirring his mother's anxieties and painful memories. Other details, such as Bill and his sister pretending to be Lewis and Clark, and neighbors joining in a house-raising, make the rendering of frontier life seem authentic yet timeless. The men who influence young Bill are drawn as well as the children, especially Bill's long-lost cousin and Bill's father. While this novel stands solidly on its own, readers will eagerly anticipate the following installments, to watch young Bill become the man of American legend. Final artwork not seen by PW. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-7-First in a series of novels based on the life of Bill Cody, this entry takes the eight-year-old and his family from Iowa to the Kansas Territory in 1854. Still trying to recover from the death of his older brother, young Bill welcomes the adventure and excitement presented by the journey. His family also unwillingly enters a lively political conflict, since the Territory's status is crucial to both sides of the slavery issue. Readers get plenty of historical background, mostly through adult conversations overheard by the boy. They are informative and interesting, but at times seem forced into the narrative. Bill begins to think more about the world around him as the story proceeds, taking on greater responsibility and slowly accepting his role as the only son without guilt. All of the events are relatively tame. There are no sensational occurrences along the way, but he gets a chance to prove himself and his father and others begin to treat him more like a young man. The only really tense moment comes when Bill stands up to a drunken Missouri man who questions the Codys' right to claim land in Kansas. Since Kimmel sticks closely to events detailed in historical documents, the lack of lively action is appropriate. Instead, readers get a feel for the time and place in which Bill grew up, and glimpses of the character traits that mark his later life.
Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Library Binding: 192 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060291184
• ISBN-13: 978-0060291181
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,675,649 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elizabeth Kimmel Willard, the pen name for Elizabeth Cody Kimmel, is a lifetime Little House enthusiast. She is the author of many books for children, including the Lily B. series. She lives in Cold Spring, New York, with her husband and their daughter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exciting Start to a Fantastic New Series, May 21, 2004

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To the Frontier (The Adventures of Young Buffalo Bill) (Paperback)

Bill Cody is only eight-years-old when his twelve-year-old brother, Sammy, is killed while riding a wild horse. He blames himself, and knows that he should have tried harder to get Sammy not to get on the horse, but why would Sammy listen to him? Sammy was a man, Bill was just a kid. So starts TO THE FRONTIER. With the tragedy a few months behind them, the Cody family packs up and decides to leave LeClaire, Iowa, as well as the bad memories that it holds, and head towards the newly established Kansas Territory, where they hope to claim a great piece of land before anyone else can. However, Bill quickly realizes that Kansas is nothing like Iowa, as there's a real city, and the people (especially the men) are rougher than he ever expected they'd be.

As a fan of historical fiction, I was ecstatic to find the new series THE ADVENTURES OF YOUNG BUFFALO BILL in the local Barnes & Noble, and just knew that I had to purchase TO THE FRONTIER, as I've always been interested in reading about Buffalo Bill. What I found was a fantastic new series, that I hope to read more from in the future. Bill is a fun character, who, at the age of eight is wise beyond his years, in both the horse business, as well as the family business. His sisters are fun characters to read about, though they don't make the greatest appearance in this book, and his parents, especially his Pa, are exciting and good-natured. What makes the series even more exciting is the fact that E. Cody Kimmel is a distant relative of Buffalo Bill, so you enjoy reading what she has to write about him. All in all this was a fabulous book, and a must have for anyone interested in cowboys, Buffalo Bill, or historical fiction.

Erika Sorocco

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When men were men, October 21, 2004

By 

Kristin J. Johnson "Three-time published author" (Hilo, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To the Frontier (The Adventures of Young Buffalo Bill) (Paperback)

If Bill had posters on the wall of his newly built frontier home, they would show Kit Carson and Jim Bridger, frontiersmen and gentlemen both, also Bill's cousin Horace Billings...and Bill's beloved father Isaac.

Like Richard Peck and Harper Lee, Kimmel provides a simple definition of manhood (and womanhood): Stand your ground, keep your cool, do what's needed. Unlike today's hair-trigger instant-microwave world, the 19th century has Horace and Isaac and even Bill talk their way out of danger, rather than reach for fists and firearms.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, January 19, 2012

By 

Kellytime - See all my reviews

This review is from: To the Frontier (The Adventures of Young Buffalo Bill) (Paperback)

This was a fantastic book. I read it aloud to my three children. It is educational, exciting, and inspiring. As another reviewer has said, it gives a great portrayal of manhood. Although Bill is only eight, he learns to work hard and be dependable. We all learned a lot and had fun along the way!