The Longest Ride [Hardcover]

Denise Lewis Patrick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 1999 | Age Level: 9 and up

At fifteen, Midnight Son has already lived quite a courageous life. He has escaped bounty hunters intent on returning him to slavery and has survived a fierce tornado. It seems no challenge is insurmountable for this young cowboy. But when Midnight Son comes upon a vulnerable Indian village during the journey to find his separated family, he knows he must delay his search in order to help his new friends get safely through the final days of the Civil War.

In this companion to The Adventures of Midnight Son, Denise Lewis Patrick tells a powerful coming-of-age story about a young man who discovers the true meaning of responsibility, bravery, and honor in the face of adversity.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Grade 5-7-This sequel to The Adventures of Midnight Son (Holt, 1995) opens with the teenaged runaway slave from Texas working as a cowboy in Colorado, but longing to return home and rescue his family. Lost in a springtime blizzard, he is helped by a band of Arapaho Indians. In their small camp, he meets another former slave, Raven Woman, who is married to Big Running Fox, the leader of the group. Midnight Son befriends their daughter, Winter Mary, but is distrusted by Eagle Eye, their son. When their camp is destroyed by soldiers, Raven Woman and Big Running Fox are killed, and Eagle Eye is badly wounded. The siblings decide to travel with Midnight Son to find his family and then search for their mother's relatives. Meanwhile, the Civil War has ended and they find disarray in its wake. Tension builds as they follow the trail and the protagonist is eventually reunited with his mother and sisters. Issues present themselves in a fairly simplistic fashion. Midnight Son, for example, after accepting the prevailing view of Indians and of the U.S. Army, suddenly understands that government policy is designed to eliminate the Indians. The characters, while likable, sometimes seem like tools to teach about slavery and Indian relations. Midnight Son removes a bullet from Eagle Eye's chest, a procedure that is successful but highly unrealistic. Still, there is excitement, adventure, and suspense. The plot is easy to follow and solid historical information is included. The closing chapter hints strongly at another sequel.
Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In the sequel to The Adventures of Midnight Son (1997), escaped Texas slave Midnight Son has joined a long cattle drive. Haunted by dreams and thoughts of his beloved family, he yearns to return to Texas and help them start a new life. But a blinding snowstorm shuts the trail and separates Midnight from his white cowhand partner, Lou Boy. Rescued by some Arapahos, who first suspect him of working for the U.S. Cavalry, Midnight begins a long journey of trust building and then a literal journey back to Texas and then to Louisiana with tribe members Winter Mary and her brother, Eagle Eye, who are on a quest to find their dead mother's family. The traveling party--which has been reunited with Lou Boy--forms an overly politically correct team of wronged individuals seeking solace, peace, and roots. The characters are appealing nonetheless, and if Midnight is aided by amazing coincidence in easily finding his mother, two sisters, and a third sister who had been sold long ago, the reader will cheer him on. A useful historical novel focusing on slavery, as well as government versus Native American issues. Anne O'Malley

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (June 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805047158
• ISBN-13: 978-0805047158
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,657,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Longest Ride's First Reveiw, March 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Longest Ride (Hardcover)

I thought this book was very interesting, and I didn't even read the first book. This book's introduction brings you to where the first book really didn't have to happen, as if this were the first book. I had to read this book for an assignment at school and thought of reading it as more of a chore than a pleasure, but once the book gets going, it's pretty dang hard to put down. This book is about an escaped slave boy, Midnight Son, and his friend, Lou Boy, who is not colored. Midnight falls asleep in some snow after a cattle drive and is rescued by a few Arapaho Indians. They bring him to their run-down, make-shift camp, where he meets Winter Mary. Winter Mary's mother, Raven Woman, was also an escaped slave. Winter Mary also had a brother, Eagle Eye. Midnight refuses to go warn the main Indian village of an attack, so Eagle Eye goes to do it himself. After the attack, Midnight, Winter Mary, and Lou Boy find Eagle Eye, and then they carry out Raven Woman's wishes for Midnight to go find her family. Although Midnight does not find Raven Woman's family in this book, he does go on with Winter Mary, Lou Boy, and Eagle Eye to try to find his long lost sister, Lady, who had been sold to another family at an early age, his two sisters, Queen and Truth, and his mother. On his way to find them, he goes back to the place where they worked as slaves. The slaves remaining because their owner hadn't told them that the north had won the civil war and ended slavery told him that one day his father left and they never saw him again. He then continues on to try to find his family with his friends.

1.0 out of 5 stars The Longest Ride Gives me a short attention span, April 3, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Longest Ride (Hardcover)

Do you like adventure books? After the one that I just read, I never will again. The book is called The Longest Ride, and it's by Denise Lewis Patrick. I think that the book is too farfetch'd. Anyway I recommend that if you like adventure/historical fiction, don't read this book.

I dislike this book for a few reasons, and here are a few. First of all, I don't think that the weather could change in a matter of minutes. I say this because there are a few parts in this book where while the main characters are riding on their journey, the weather goes from a clear sky to a raging blizzard or from a thunderstorm to a blistering, could cook an egg on the road, hot day in record time. Another reason is because I don't think that a person could go for hours after being shot without having some sort of searing pain along with it. One more reason I don't think that you should read the book in this review is because, in all, this book doesn't is a little too imaginative.

To reitterate, you should not read this book because it's confusing, hard to understand, and a little unrealistic. So, If you were thinking about reading it, don't. It's a waste of time. Go read any book except for this one.

-Blade20

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Longest Ride Gives me a short attention span, April 3, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Longest Ride (Hardcover)

Do you like adventure books? After the one that I just read, I never will again. The book is called The Longest Ride, and it's by Denise Lewis Patrick. I think that the book is too farfetch'd. Anyway I recommend that if you like adventure/historical fiction, don't read this book.

I dislike this book for a few reasons, and here are a few. First of all, I don't think that the weather could change in a matter of minutes. I say this because there are a few parts in this book where while the main characters are riding on their journey, the weather goes from a clear sky to a raging blizzard or from a thunderstorm to a blistering, could cook an egg on the road, hot day in record time. Another reason is because I don't think that a person could go for hours after being shot without having some sort of searing pain along with it. One more reason I don't think that you should read the book in this review is because, in all, this book doesn't is a little too imaginative.

To reitterate, you should not read this book because it's confusing, hard to understand, and a little unrealistic. So, If you were thinking about reading it, don't. It's a waste of time. Go read any book except for this one.