The Spirit and Gilly Bucket [Hardcover]

Maurine F. Dahlberg (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

A pre-Civil War novel featuring an indomitable heroine

Not long after her pa goes off to look for gold, Gilly Bucket is transplanted from Missouri to Virginia, to the home of her late mother's sister. Gilly is bewildered by the fancy formality of life at Glencaren, and by the use of slaves to make it possible.
She knows her uncle needs help to run the huge farm, and her aunt to manage the household, especially with cousin Sarah's wedding approaching. But Pa taught her that slavery is wrong.

Although her aunt and uncle don't seem to take to the opinionated, irrepressible Gilly, Sarah is kind, and seven-year-old cousin Neddy is delighted by Gilly's wild stories. Still, it's the slave girl Rissy who saves Gilly from loneliness. Together, the girls learn about the underground railroad, and about the mysterious person, called the Spirit, who helps operate the system that frees slaves. Together, they begin Rissy's journey
to freedom.

This second novel by Maurine F. Dahlberg is an exciting story about the time when the United States of America was hardly united, as seen by an irresistible eleven-year-old whose enthusiasm and confidence may be her greatest liability.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-This thematically rich, fully developed story deals with friendship, trust, courage, and familial love in the years just prior to the Civil War. When Gilly Bucket's pa leaves Missouri to pan for gold in Colorado, the 11-year-old is forced to stay with her late mother's sister and family in Virginia. Glencaren's fine atmosphere is at first overwhelming to her, and her uncle's use of slaves on his farm is unsettling. She soon grows weary of her aunt's oppressive, overbearing personality; and she yearns to join her father. Her comforts are her friendships with her two cousins and with Rissy, a slave who longs to be reunited with her own father. Gilly is a morally strong individual, unafraid to voice her antislavery opinions even though she is punished by her uncle. Her views are nicely juxtaposed against those of a neighbor who lacks moral integrity, and whips and beats his slaves. Secondary characters are believable, too, especially Rissy, who represents freedom and hope. Gilly's stormy relationship with Aunt Laura evolves into a loving one by novel's end when the girl discovers that her aunt is a "Spirit" who assists runaways. In a satisfying conclusion, Rissy escapes through the Underground Railroad and Gilly is on her way to meet her father.
Janet Gillen, Great Neck Public Library, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. When 11-year-old Gilly's mother dies and Pa goes out west in search of gold in 1859, Gilly ends up living with her uptight aunt and uncle on their plantation in Virginia. She makes friends with Rissy, a new, young kitchen slave. She secretly teaches Rissy to read, and together the two young girls plan their journeys to find their fathers. Then Rissy is sold to a cruel neighbor, and Gilly works with the Underground Railroad to help her friend escape. Sometimes the historical research shows; there's just too much detail about what they grew and how they cooked it and what they made from it. But as in Play to the Angel (2000), Dahlberg makes the history an integral part of the personal drama. It's always clear that something secret is going on, with mysterious ghosts and coded notes and noises in the night; but the identity of the Underground leader, the "Spirit," is a real surprise, rooted as much in character and social conditions as in plot. What's more, the revelations continue up to the book's last beautiful line. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1 edition (October 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374316775
• ISBN-13: 978-0374316778
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,512,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I don't remember a time when I didn't write! Even before I learned to write words, I drew picture stories. My sister and I read a lot and were always writing stories for each other. We also spent a lot of time playing make-believe--we were everything from horses to princesses--so I got plenty of experience "being" someone else and developing plots. When I was ten, I learned to play flute. Music, reading, and writing became my main activities outside of school.

I continued writing over the years, but I didn't sell any manuscripts until, after reading many World War II memoirs, I got the idea for Play to the Angel. I had never tried writing a book set in another time and place, and at first I was afraid to try. But as the story came together in my head, I knew I had to tell it. I loved researching and writing it. I found that writing a historical novel lets me "be" someone else in another time while still having my own life in today's world.

I was born in Fulton, Missouri, and went to college in Texas. I've lived a number of other places, including a village on a mountaintop in Germany. Now I live in Northern Virginia, with my husband, Randy, and our cat, Daphne, who's an Egyptian Mau. In addition to writing, I'm a full-time editor for a research corporation. Evenings and weekends, Randy and I are musicians. We play in a concert band and a German band, and often play in pit orchestras for local community theater groups.

Right now I'm working on an adult novel set in present-day Scotland. I have a lot more ideas for books I hope to write, both for adults and for young readers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gilly's Spirit, February 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Spirit and Gilly Bucket (Hardcover)

Although Gilly's spirit is not the one referred to in the title of this delightful young person's book; the heart and spirit of our young heroine is truly what this book is about.As knowledge comes to Gilly by snatches of overheard adult conversations, and is filtered through her eleven year old mind, Gilly becomes more and more caught up in the web of danger and intrigue taking place around her. There comes a time when Gilly can no longer sit still and do nothing, and she starts out on her own to right the wrongs she is sure are happening."Gilly" is a delightful book that takes place in the pre-civil war days of our country. She is a wonderful young heroine that will capture your heart as you find yourself rooting for her all the way to the end.Ms. Dalhberg's book is a delight to read and is very well researched. It would be a book any young lover of books would treasure.

5.0 out of 5 stars Casey's Book Review, December 14, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Spirit and Gilly Bucket (Hardcover)

The Spirit of Gilly Bucket is a really good book. If you love stories that keep you wondoring how it is going to end this is the book for you. Its about a girl, named Gillly who is a slave. She hasnt seen her dad since she was a little kid. She goes through a tough life, making friends and living the way a slave would. At the end Gilly realizes that she has some people she can truly trust. Who the Spirit really is, and to never give up when you believe in something. This was a great book, and was easy to understand. Good job Maurine F. Dahlberg!!

4.0 out of 5 stars The Unknown Spirit, March 17, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Spirit and Gilly Bucket (Hardcover)

A girl who went to live in Virginny never knew she was in the house one of the Spirits, Underground Railroad Conducters, until she had to help two slaves escape. Mary Gillian Bucket went to live with her Aunt Laura and Uncle Henry while her father went west looking for gold in the mines. She met a slave girl, Clarissa Ruth, who's father had also left her to go north to freedom. Gilly was planning to run away for she thought her Aunt Laura hated her guts. But she soon come to find out that her Aunt Laura didn't used to be a proper house wife; instead she was a rough housin adventure girl like herself. Gilly got to help her friend Rissy and another slave escape one night on the underground railroad for her Aunt Laura needed to get them to safety up north. Gilly's father's friend later came to recieve Gilly and take her up north to her daddy and his new wife, Lizzi. I recommend this book to people who love adventure stories.

Mary Gillian Bucket was a very brave young girl. Gilly wasn't afraid to speak up to the man of the house and prove him wrong, even if she got a whippin in the barn soon enough. She also wasn't afraid to sneak food and teach the alphabet and numbers to slaves, even though she could get into serious trouble for helping slaves. The bravest thing that Mary did was help two slaves escape in the woods at night when blood hounds were also out in the woods looking for runaway slaves.

Clarrisa Ruth and Mary Gillian Bucket did almost everything together as soon as they met. Every night Rissy and Gilly would wish their love to their daddies on the north star, since they couldn't give them love in person. They also did they chores together to make it seem a little fun when it really wasn't. The last thing they did together was hide in the woods to find the next conducter to the underground railroad so Rissy could get to safety, and maybe see her daddy up in Canada.

Aunt Laura was always hard on Gilly for she had her sisters Knicknack that was supposed to be hers. When Gilly recommended a type of herb recipe for a cure that her friend had taught her, Aunt Laura immedietly said hers was better and that was that. Also Aunt Laura gave Gilly a lot of chores to keep her from telling adventure stories to her son and to keep her from playing with the slaves. The meanest thing she did to Gilly was tell her she looked a hot mess, for her hair was messy and she had on a horrific rag dress.

The Spirit of Gilly Bucket is meant for people who love adventure stories with a lot of love built right along with it. Gilly was in a place she really didn't want to be, for she wanted to be with her Pa out west. Aunt Laura didn't do such a good job of making her feel right at home either, for Gilly was put straight to work in the house. But lucky for Gilly she had Rissy, her best slave friend, who was always there for her to comfort her when she misses her Pa and to have fun too.
T.Brown