Rudy Rides the Rails: A Depression Era Story (Tales of Young Americans) [Hardcover]

Dandi Daley Mackall (Author), Chris Ellison (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Tales of Young Americans

In 1932, Akron, Ohio was no better off than other parts of the country. Since Black Tuesday in 29, companies are closed, men all over the state are out of work, and families are running out of hope. Thirteen-year-old Rudy wants to help but doesnt know where to turn. His father, sullen and withdrawn, spends his time sulking on their front porch. His mother is desperate, not knowing how she will feed and care for her family. When Rudy learns of other boys leaving town and heading west to seek their fortunes, he hops a train figuring at least there will be one less mouth to feed at home.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–6—Set in 1932, this picture book tells of a teenager who leaves his home in Akron, OH, and takes to the rails to find work and hopefully a better life in California. Despite his father's advice, "look out for you and yours, and nobody else," Rudy learns that people who are down and out have to lean on others sometimes. As he travels west, stopping to take odd jobs, he meets other travelers who help him endure life on the road. They show him the signs left behind by other hoboes, warning of danger and indicating those homes where food would be offered. With their assistance, Rudy, like many other displaced persons, survives, eventually returning home to carve the "kindness here" symbol on his own front porch. Realistic, painterly illustrations depict the teen's cross-country journey, showing the many different trains he rides through the changing North American landscape. Beginning with the despair on the faces of the men waiting in line for work, the paintings clearly convey the characters' emotions. The symbols appear throughout and are defined on an appended page, along with a "Hobo Glossary." The writing is clear and vivid, and an author's note provides context for the story. A wonderful addition to the study of the Great Depression.—Anne L. Tormohlen, Deerfield Elementary School, Lawrence, KS
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Based on the experience of Ramblin' Rudy, one of more than a quarter of a million teens who left home in the 1930s, this picture book in the Tales of Young America series shows the hard times of the Depression as well as the adventure of the journey. The stirring full-page watercolor paintings capture the period with realism and a tinge of sentiment, starting with Rudy, 13, in a winding line of men and boys desperate for work. In a close-up portrait, unemployed, seething Pa tells Rudy, "You gotta look out for you and yours, and nobody else." Rudy hops the trains out West, crouched in a boxcar or on the roof, jumping off to avoid the police. He finds odd jobs, sends some money home. He does not strike it rich in California. Lots of doors slam in his face. But the hoboes and some locals help each other, and readers will be moved by Rudy's discovery that despite what Pa says, there is kindness and community. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585362867
• ISBN-13: 978-1585362868
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #788,932 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dandi won her first writing contest as a 10-year-old tomboy. Her 50 words on "Why I Want to Be Batboy for the Kansas City A's" won first place, but the team wouldn't let a girl be batboy. It was her first taste of rejection.
Since then, Dandi Daley Mackall has become an award-winning author of over 400 books for children of all ages, with sales of 4 million copies in 22 countries. Recent picture books with Sleeping Bear Press include Legend of Ohio, Rudy Rides the Rails: A Depression Era Story (Notable Book 2008 - Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People National Council of Social Studies & Children's Book Council; winner of the Angel Award, 2008; Winner of the "Award of Excellence" from Chicago Book Show 2007) and 2008 release, A Girl Named Dan (her own "batboy" story, and a lesson on Title IX), 2 Mom's Choice Awards & Amelia Bloom Award. Eva Underground, Harcourt young adult novel, nominated ALA Best Book 2007, starred Kirkus review, awarded a Top Teen Read by New York Public Library, finalist for Ohioana Award, was based on the author's experiences behind the Iron Curtain. Love Rules was awarded Romantic Times' Top Pick. Middle-grade fiction, Larger-than-Life Lara, Dutton/Penguin, which teaches how to write, while tackling the problem of bullying, is on the KY Bluegrass Award List 2007-8; William Allan White Award list, 2008-9; KS and KY Children's Choice lists. Her Winnie the Horse Gentler series has sold over half a million books and Starlight Animal Rescue is a Gold Medallion finalist. Dandi received the 2009 Helen Keating Ott Award for distinguished contribution toward promoting high moral and ethical values in children and young adult literature. She also received the Distinguished Alumna Award in 2008 from the University of Missouri. Dandi is a national speaker, keynoting at conferences and Young Author events, and has made dozens of appearances on TV, including ABC, NBC, and CBS. Visit Dandi at www.dandibooks.com, winniethehorsegentler.com, and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85oaIUbJ8j8

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, April 15, 2009

By 

Cookie's mom (Lawrenceville, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rudy Rides the Rails: A Depression Era Story (Tales of Young Americans) (Hardcover)

I read this book out loud to a group of 21 elementary students learning about the Great Depression. It summed up what I was trying to teach them about hoboes better than anything I could have said myself and left them spellbound. I highly recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, August 13, 2008

By 

Yana V. Rodgers "econkids.rutgers.edu" (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rudy Rides the Rails: A Depression Era Story (Tales of Young Americans) (Hardcover)

Rudy, a thirteen-year old boy, and his family face extreme hardship during the Great Depression. More than half of all workers in Akron, Ohio, had lost their jobs, including Rudy's father, and new paid work was difficult to find. Ma waited in relief lines for what could often be stale and moldy food, and Rudy's sisters found sustenance at the soup kitchen and local mission. Not wanting to be a burden on his struggling family, Rudy decided to take a step similar to other teenagers he had heard about: he hopped a train to go West as a hobo. Dreams of a better life in California and the chance to send money back home helped to sustain him as he experienced hunger, cold, fear, and fatigue while traveling. Along the way, Rudy learned of a hidden network of kindhearted strangers who made it a point to feed hungry hobos passing through.

While the Great Depression may seem like a distant and obscure event to young children, this exceptional book brings the topic to life with its moving text and realistic illustrations. According to the author's note, a quarter of a million teenagers turned to hobo life as a survival strategy during the Depression, facing issues similar to those that the homeless face today. As historical fiction, Rudy Rides the Rails does an excellent job in providing children with a rich context for understanding problems of unemployment, scarcity, and recession in the economic world around them.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A picturebook featuring dark, softly painted yet realistic paintings by award-winning children's book artist Chris Ellison, May 12, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rudy Rides the Rails: A Depression Era Story (Tales of Young Americans) (Hardcover)

Author and novel-writing teacher Dandi Daley Mackall presents Rudy Rides the Rails: A Depression Era Story, a picturebook featuring dark, softly painted yet realistic paintings by award-winning children's book artist Chris Ellison. Though Rudy Rides the Rails is a work of historical fiction, the story and earthy art tones are meant to capture the spirit of Americans who lived through the hard times of the Great Depression. Young Rudy leaves home in search of work, or at least hoping to give his family one fewer mouth to feed. He rides the rails as a hobo puts in backbreaking effort, and finds that the kindness of strangers goes a long way. A special glossary of Depression-era and hobo terms (such as "Hoover blanket" for newspapers used as blankets, because many blamed then-President Hoover for the bad economy) and hobo signs (such as a smiling cat to represent kindness) rounds out this fascinating and nostalgic picturebook, recommended for children who are just about ready to make the transition to chapter books due to the quantity of story text.