Customer Reviews

The Misadventures of Maude March

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If Louis L'Amour were still alive and if he wrote books for girls, this is perhaps what he'd come up with. It's full of authentic detail, rip-roaring action, personable young heroines, with an enduring respect for books, words, learning and reading. While not quite a Western (it's all East of Independence, MO) it has the elements western-lovers will savor: fast horses, harsh weather, snakes that won't die, sharp-shootin' gals, spunky dialogue, and a "git r done" attitude and an ethically satisfying ending. A great readaloud for middle school, and boys will love it as much as girls. It's like Lemony Snicket on horseback!

This book is a fast paced thriller set up in the old west. When I opened the book and saw the lining that looked like an old newspaper I knew it was gonna be good. Maude is the down to earth sister while all Sally wants is an adventure. This "dimer" is one book I would recommend to anyone! I'd give it 6 stars and I plan on reading it a second time!

This is such a fun book to read! Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. The story follows two girls, Sallie and Maude March, after their guardian, Aunt Ruthie, is accidentally shot and killed. With no other living kin, the girls set off to look for their long-lost Uncle Arlen, who supposedly lives in Independence, Missouri. They have to brave mountain lions, snowstorms, violent gangs of sharpshooting teenagers, nosey women and much more, all while Maude is being chased for stealing horses! This is a great action-packed adventure that both girls and boys will love!

Much like the "dimer novels" Sallie enjoys reading in this novel, "The Misadventures of Maude March" gets off to a rollicking start and continues at this fast and furious pace. Bank robberies, mountain lions, ornery mules, shooting, snake attacks, outlaw gangs--it is full of everything a reader could want. When Sallie and Maude are orphaned by the stray bullet from a dimer hero Joe Harden, they are sent to live with the preacher who sees them as potential maids. Anxious to marry off Maude, the sisters decide to escape in search of long lost Uncle Arlen. Stealing two horses and disguised as boys, they fall into one wild escapade after another. Interspersed are highly exaggerated newspaper articles about Maude's escapades. With its fast action, humor, fully developed and strong heroines, it is a perfect novel to suggest to those readers looking for more than a girl wants boy, chases boy, falls in love type novel.
A great read aloud as well, and one that has enough excitement to appeal to male listeners. A thoroughly enjoyable book, worth 5+ stars!

i couldn't put this book down! It was utterly depresing when the book ended!

Sallie March, 11 year old spunky, tomboy and her older ladylike sister Maude live with Aunt Ruthie until their Aunt has the misfortune to be accidentally shot dead by the notorious Joe Harden.

The two girls are taken in by Reverend Peasley and his wife, who immediately put the girls to work running the household while they take it easy. Maude, on whom falls the brunt of the work and being courted by an elderly gentleman, decides it is time to take her's and Sallie's fortune into their own hands and brave the wilds of the frontier in search of their last living relative, Uncle Arlen.

But Maude and Sally soon find that losing their Aunt Ruthie is only the beginning of their problems as they ride out of Cedar Rapids and into the kind of trouble Sallie has only read about in her beloved dime novels.

Told by Sallie as she tries to set the record straight and punctuated by the erroneous newspaper reports of "Mad Maude and her gang", this rollicking Wild West adventure story will leave you begging for more.

Very engaging story. Characters are likable, plot is well paced. The sequel is great, too.

If your child or student doesn't like historical fiction, try them on this one. They won't be able to put it down. The book also has enough period details to make it great supplemental reading for an American history unit.

I am a young teen who recently read this book and decided that it was pretty good. There was slight violence through out the book but especially at the beginning. It is a little boring in the beginning in my opinion with sudden violence. This adventure on the west frontier is a nice, fictional story abut two young girls on their daring adventure from their home to the other side of the frontier, meeting many different people along the way. Some of the people you find they will meet will shock you! In my opinion, this book highly lacks the heart touching feel, and to me, i did not become very attached to the Barron characters. This story is more persistence more so than unconditional love. I became somewhat attached to the characters in the middle of the book, and as the story went on, i became more interested in the book, but i shall say that when i started, it was quite boring.

You may love this book or dislike it. If you like books about persistence, survival, and the west frontier, then this shocking book may be perfect for you!

You may feel as though you've been on horseback alongside Sallie and Maude as you turn the pages of The Misadventures of Maude March and Maude March on the Run. They're stay-up-late-suspenseful. Their plots are smart and original. One notable aspect of the two books in this series about girls who are resourceful and independent and meet a range of characters is.. (Spoiler alert! Really! Do you want to keep reading this review?)

... the absence of a specific overt romantic love developing between Maude or Sallie and any of the characters they encounter. That's become rare in a young adult novel that focuses on girls, and to me, is an important distinction. The sisters are having an adventure and it is an enjoyable ride/read.