Stagecoach Sal [Hardcover]

Deborah Hopkinson (Author), Carson Ellis (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Sal sure can sing. But she can also catch a fish with her bare hands, ride a wild bronco, and drive a stagecoach.  And she's nobody's fool. When Sal makes her first stagecoach journey alone to deliver the mail for her sick pa, her ma is nervous. But the wild frontier is no match for Sal, and neither is Poetic Pete, the wiliest stagecoach robber in the West.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1–3—Spunky Sal loves to ride shotgun on her father's stagecoach. Perched there, she loves to sing to her dad, the horses, and the passengers. When an unfortunate encounter with a hornet's nest sidelines him, Sal finally gets her chance to "hold the ribbons." But her first solo trip entails a mail delivery with no passengers, and Ma and Pa are worried that she might encounter that no-good bandit "Poetic Pete," whose robberies are famous for their polite and rhyming verse. Sure enough, when Sal encounters the fancy-suited outlaw she must use her talents to outsmart the smooth-tongued desperado before he has a chance to steal her cargo. This high-spirited tale of a young heroine begs for an energetic read-aloud punctuated with song (and a well-placed pioneer accent). Sal is an engaging, adventuresome character sure to delight readers with her gutsiness and determination. The text is written in an exaggerated caricature style interspersed with period songs. Ellis's ink drawings washed in sepia-toned watercolor convey a daguerreotype feel, and the depiction of pigtailed Sal is delightful. A refreshing addition to a unit on Western migration, Wells Fargo, or heroic females in history.—C. J. Connor, Campbell County Public Library, Cold Spring, KY END

About the Author

Deborah Hopkinson is the award-winning of picture books, fiction, and nonfiction for young readers. She has won the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text twice, for A Band of Angels and Apples to Oregon. Her book, Sky Boys, How They Built the Empire State Building, was a Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor awardee. Her recent works include Michelle, First Family, Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek, an ALA Notable, Keep On! The Story of Matthew Henson, Co-Discoverer of the North Pole, which won a 2009 Oregon Book Award, and Stagecoach Sal, named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2009. She serves as Vice President for Advancement at Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423111494
• ISBN-13: 978-1423111498
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 10.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,383,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Deborah Hopkinson is the award-winning of picture books, fiction, and nonfiction for young readers. She has won the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text twice, for A Band of Angels and Apples to Oregon. Her book, Sky Boys, How They Built the Empire State Building, was a Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor awardee. Her recent works include Michelle, First Family, Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek, an ALA Notable, Keep On! The Story of Matthew Henson, Co-Discoverer of the North Pole, which won a 2009 Oregon Book Award, and Stagecoach Sal, named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2009. She serves as Vice President for Advancement at Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, November 7, 2009

By 

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

This review is from: Stagecoach Sal (Hardcover)

Sal had enjoyed riding the shotgun seat of the stagecoach with her father since she was knee high to a grasshopper. As she grew older, Sal longed to take the reins herself. Her chance came sooner than anyone expected when Pa had a nasty encounter with a nest of hornets. Although Ma worried that Sal would be delivering mail that night all by herself with bandits on the loose, Sal reassured her that even the worst of the bandits, Poetic Pete, was no match for her roping, riding, and shooting skills. With all those letters filled with gold nuggets, it would take these talents, and more, for Sal to outsmart Poetic Pete and deliver the mail safely.

Based on a true story about the first and possibly only female postal carrier who rode a stagecoach in California, the light-hearted text and classic illustrations should appeal to a large range of young readers. Teachers and parents can use Stagecoach Sal to frame a discussion about important concepts in economics, including jobs and public services, in an interesting historical context.