Customer Reviews

When the Whistle Blows

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I was attracted to this book because it is a coming of age story with a teenaged boy character set around a train town in the 1940s. Both books about trains and good stories from the 1940s are not common themes for children aged 9-12. I hoped it would be a good story for my train aficionado son to enjoy reading.

The book was quite different than what I assumed, it was better than expected. But first I'll share that my almost-twelve year old son grabbed the book first and when he read the back cover he said, "This is the best idea for a story I've heard in a long time!" He put aside the book he was currently reading in order to read this one and he finished it over two days, riveted to it. He said it was a very good book with sadness in the end and he implored me to read it right away.

When I began reading it I was surprised by the format and the storytelling style. The format is telling one long story of what happens on All Hallows Eve, in seven stories total. So, the book is like a short story collection of one boy's life from ages 12-18. Author Fran Cannon Slayton weaves in details of what happened in the last year and more about the main character's life and of his family and the changing times so with each chapter we learn more and more about the family, the railroad, the times and how they are changing.

Secondly I was surprised at the voice of the character. I was reminded of the wonderful storytelling of my grandmother who passed away recently at age 98. I used to love hearing her old tales, rich in the language of days gone by, with local terms and old fashioned sayings. I love the way the author chose to tell this story! This storytelling style is not common in new published fiction for readers aged 9-12. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I wondered if today's kids would like it and specifically asked my son what he thought of that method of storytelling. He said he loved it because it was different than most books he reads and that it made him feel like he was transported back in time and really helped him feel like he was in that place and in that time. You couldn't wish for much more than that in a story! (I'll note that his favorite genre is fantasy such as ERAGON and secondarily he likes fiction such as Andrew Clements, so I was happily surprised that he enjoyed this writing style which is very different from the books he usually reads.)

Two elements that I was drawn to were the very strong family bonds especially between the brothers and the boy's father (the mother is not a strong figure in the story) and the feeling of brotherhood and camaraderie between the teenaged boys and the men. These were clear in the stories about pranks with friends and dealing with an older bully, the football championship game, the men who worked on the railroad together and the adult men in the Secret Society. This is a masculine book through and through with strong men as role models. This is a book that boys should read and is one that I hope girls will enjoy as well.

As I already said my son said the book had sadness in it, and that is true. The book is emotional and I shed tears in the scenes when characters were mourning deaths of people they loved.

The book is well written and the author is an excellent storyteller. I really enjoyed this book.

I can't say much more without spoiling the story.

I was left wishing there were more books on the market like this one...

If you have a boy in your life aged 9-12 have them read this book. Actually, any aged reader with an interest in reading good storytelling or interested in tales from the 1940s or about railroading would enjoy it. It would make a great read aloud from parent to child or even grandparent to child (the grandparent may enjoy this very much also).

I hope schools and libraries purchase this book as I feel it will appeal to some readers who have trouble finding newly published fiction that they like.

Railroad and Trolley Museums as well should offer this for sale in their gift shops. Parents of train enthusiast children are always on the lookout for good books with trains in them.

This is a window into the 1940s in a time when steam trains were on the way out and diesels were coming in, so the book can be used in classrooms as an educational book as well. I can also imagine this being a summer reading program selection.

The last thing I'll say is this book deserves to win an award. It is that good!

Every so often you pick up and read a book and know instantly you have a winner on your hands. So it was and is with this new novel by Fran Cannon Slayton. The fact is some authors have that something "special," while others simply are found lacking. This author most definitely has it. We have on our hands here a very remarkable work!

This is a coming of age book about a young man growing up in a small town in West Virginia in the early 1940s. Ms. Slayton has used a somewhat unique technique in that she tells the story of our young lad by relating incidences which happen on each Halloween (All Hallows' Eve) from 1940 through 1949. Each chapter tells us of the adventures, feelings, relationships, and essence of the young boy's life; each chapter is a story unto its own, but each story is interlocked in a way that we are allowed to view the life of not only boy growing into a man, but also that of his family, friends, town and surprisingly, the changes our entire country was going through during this period. Now this may sound like a tall order, but the author has pulled it off in spades!
There are two features in this work that tie the story together and to which the author hangs all. First, this is a deeply intimate tale of the relationship between a father and a son, and secondly there is the ever present background of the trains and the railroad. This entire community; indeed the young man `s life and the life of his family, are closely tied to the steam engine at a time when progress is changing everything with the coming of the diesel power engines and, lets face it, the death of the American Rail Road.

This story, while extremely profound and serious in many ways is actually hilarious at times. The author's sense of humor, as transmitted through the eyes of a young man, shines throughout the book. Many times I found myself chuckling and in fact, laughing. Again, it takes quite a lot of writing skill to pull this swing from sadness and pathos to hilarity and light heartedness off, but the author is well up to the task. It is quite amazing, actually.

There are several items the reader needs to note and will spot instantly from the first page. First, Ms. Clayton has nailed her characters perfectly. I grew up in a small town in the Ozark Mountains at the very time this story took place. There was not one single character in this book that was not absolutely believable. There was not one single character that I could not introduce to you their counter part in my own home town as I grew up. Secondly, this work is being marketed and targeted for youth, ages between 9 and 12. This you will quickly find is a bit misleading. While this book is certainly appropriate for that age group, it goes well and far beyond. This work is one of those cross over books which a youth can read and enjoy, but at the same time someone like me, slowly sinking into his dotage, can read and relish just as well as the young. Thirdly, I was gratified to see that the author did not make the mistake that so many authors make in that she did not use the regional dialect to any great extent. Now I am a dialect junkie...absolutely love the stuff, but I promise you that the youth of today, for the most part, are completely turned off by this and have a problem reading it. As a retired person, forced by my wife to continue work simply to get me out from under foot, I substitute teach, pretty much full time. I know the reaction of the kids when they encounter a work filled with dialog with strong regional dialect included; they simply block it out and give up their attempt to read and understand it. The author has used grammatical errors in her dialog, but these errors are universal, natural and are still with us today. They are simply how the young speak. Her use of this is workable and readable and understandable to the kids that will be reading this book.

It is also important to note that this is a tale concerning change. We live in a super fast world today where change is literally with us on a daily basis. It is somehow comforting to know that this is not the only generation faced with changes and the underlying unsaid message is "it they could do it, i.e. survive change, then so can I." I like this.

This is certainly a book about boys and written for boys but do not be thrown by this. Kids are kids, people are people and at a certain level, gender plays little role in a story well told. I do not see why kids of either sex would not enjoy this work. If you think about it, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn were books about boys and for boys and those two works seemed to have worked out quite well.

This is one work that you will want to add to your child's library, but treat yourself and read it. School teachers, school librarians and public librarians...jump on this one quick. I suspect we are going to see this one in a lot of classrooms over the next several years.

Bottom line: We have a wonderfully crafted story which is extremely readable with a delightful syntax. We have a story that in many ways is timeless, as the actions and emotions of youth really have not changed all that much over the last couple thousand years, and we have a good piece of literature that will not only entertain, but it will teach. It really does not get much better than this.

Growing up in the 1940's railroad town of Rowlesburg, West Virginia, Jimmy Cannon just wants to grow up and work on the steam engines like his family has for generations. Oh, and keep his no-nonsense father from finding out about his antics. And stick up for his friends. And win the championship football game for his high school. And grow up to become a man...maybe more like his father than he would have ever guessed.
When the Whistle Blows is an example of an excellently-written story teamed with a tangible, charming setting, a cast of believable, lovable characters and a touching plot. I could go on for a long time about everything I love about this novel, but I'll limit myself to only a few: 1) Voice. Fran Cannon Slayton uses the first person voice of her narrator with incredible skill, adroitly expressing setting and time period not so much by what is said as by how it is said...and that also serves to make this an excellent read-aloud. 2) Style. Each chapter is presented vignette-style, presenting several consecutive All Hallows' Eves, each with its own story...which leads to 3) Plot. Although each chapter is a vignette, each perfectly advances the overall plot, which is beautifully wrapped-up in the final chapter, while still leaving the reader with plenty to reflect upon.
Very highly recommended.
(You can read my full review at my blog: [...])

The cover looks like a Louis L'Amour novel, and the title hearkens to yesteryear. These are the first clues that Fran Cannon Slayton will lead us into the years around WWII as seen through the eyes of a small-town West Virginia boy. She calls this fiction, and yet "When the Whistle Blows" seems to take us down roads traveled by ghosts of the past. It works effectively, since this is the same journey taken by the young narrator.

Jimmy knows that his father is tied to the railroads, as is the town, but he wonders about the secretive group Dad and friends are involved in. The motives of this group will eventually bind Jimmy to his own heritage and to an understanding of community and unspoken love. In some ways, the story is a coming-of-age tale; in other ways, it's more a collection of short stories from Jimmy's life. Each chapter makes a year's leap forward to the next All Hallows' Eve. By skipping much of Jimmy's school or romantic involvement, the book leaves us hungry for more.

Regardless, Jimmy's graveyard hijinks and football exploits make this a story easy to relate to for any young boy, and Slayton does a remarkable job of capturing the male mindset. The writing is effortless and unaffected, holding true to its point of view, and allowing us to see Jimmy's journey from boyhood to manhood. "When the Whistle Blows" is an enjoyable book from an author with immense talent.

I picked this book up, having no idea what it was about (only that it's about West Virginia and trains) and as I made my way to page one, I kept thinking about the other books in my to-be-read pile. Shouldn't I be reading something else? This is, after, a novel for young adults.

I read the first few pages and thought, "Hm. This is good. The narrator's voice sounds authentic, it's carrying me back to another time. I like this."

Thoughts of my to-be-read pile melted away as I turned page after page, unable to stop. And, much like a freight train, the story gathered speed until the last sentence, when it dumped me back into my own world -- with a lump in my throat. And now, I can't get the characters out of my head.

Boy, would this ever make a good movie!

-Janis Jaquith, author of Birdseed Cookies: A Fractured Memoir

Reading more like a collection of short stories than a novel Slayton has created a touching and intimate look at the life of her main character Jimmy and his family. Transitioning from one year to the next using the central focus of one particular day (in this case Halloween) allows for each individual snapshot to flow together in a way that provides readers a great view of Jimmy's life and how he's lived it. The transitions are abrupt in the way that we are able to discern that a new year has come upon us but not so abrupt that the story doesn't work or that we're unable to follow along with the premise.

Where Slayton does a remarkable job is in showcasing the strong bond between Jimmy and his family. She does so delicately and in muted tones as we see festive, emotional and sometimes tragic events throughout the eyes of this boy. Slayton subtly shows his growth from a curious and precocious youngster into a thoughtful man while allowing him to maintain core values of tradition and family. Informing the story is the appearance of the local railroad through which the reader is threaded through the passage of time. Ever present in scene, dialogue or just as a thought in the mind of the reader it was this element that made the story more about home than anything else. The vivid imagery of Rowlesburg (Jimmy's hometown) and it's railroad industry allows the reader to really feel the character's physical surroundings and relate to why it is that Jimmy has such a fondness for his hometown. In the end we learn that his life isn't just all about the people he encountered but the place where he grew up and cherished. It informed his relationships and his decisions in a way any living and breathing family member would yet didn't stand out as over the top or too dramatic a character.

In my opinion this book would be a great quick read for a reluctant boy. Not only does it focus on a male protagonist the situations tend to show situations that a boy may relate well to -- pranks, sports, and general mischief. Even better, is the fact that within those elements are interwovent the more tangibly emotional aspects of family dynamics, work ethic and sence of belonging. There are some soulful and meaningful lessons to be learned.

This is not to say that the book is not appealing to girls as well as I enjoyed it a great deal. I just envision it's greatest strength (characterization and plot) appealing to boys who don't typically enjoy reading as much as playing sports or video games. Further, the fact that it is a quick read doesn't diminish it's impact on the reader. The story is in depth and emotional providing an entertaining and enjoyable journey from start to finish.

The railroads run in the Cannon family's veins. That's why Jimmy is so sure that's where he's be working when he grows up, no matter how much his father demands otherwise. Jimmy feels his future is all set, especially since his father is the foreman of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and both his older brothers have quit school to work there too. All there's left to do is wait while he grows up. But as much as Jimmy would like to think everything will stay the way it is, change is indeed coming, just as his father promised it would. Now, Jimmy just has to keep up with it or fall behind.

When the Whistle Blows is a historical novel centering on the power of the father-son relationship. Though I don't have any firsthand experience with this, being a girl, I felt this story portrayed Jimmy and his father's evolving bond beautifully. Slayton's writing encompasses all the frustration, respect, protectiveness, and love the strongest father-son bonds create in seven yearly episodes. Slayton also does a fantastic job of making the story realistic; the characters were very believable and the setting and diction made the historical context authentic. Despite the story being set over fifty years ago, its message is still meaningful: change comes no matter how much resistance. And this can be change in any form, whether it is technology or familial situations. This message is only reinforced by the evolving train technology from steam to diesel and Jimmy and his father's developing relationship. When the Whistle Blows is a solid debut novel full of hope for the future.

Fans of historical fiction, especially Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher, will enjoy When the Whistle Blows. I look forward to Slayton's writing as well.

Set in the 1940s, the reader is taken for a non-stop ride into this fabulous coming-of-age story. The book centers around the life of a young boy who lives, breaths, and eats trains. Told in form of vignettes, the reader gets a snap shot in each chapter of a day in Jimmy's life from 1943 until 1949. One interesting aspect is that they are always on a particular day -- All Hallows Eve, which also happens to be his father's birthday. This fascinating novel gives the reader a glimpse into a time and place that is much different from the world we live in now.

As an English major, I have taken plenty of children and adolescent literature classes, and this wonderful novel could have easily been used in any of these classes. This book is bound to be a favorite to many young boys (and possibly girls) who have a love for trains and adventure. I have to say that I have always been a fan of trains, so it was nice to see how well researched this novel was. Every thing for the feel of the town to the trains themselves feel authentic and well researched. I truly enjoyed this lovely story that took me back to a simpler time.

When the Whistle Blows
Jimmy Cannon lives in the little railroad town of Rowlesburg, West Virginia, and is a boy of his place and time. His world is Rail's general store, and raising mischief with his pals, and going hunting, and playing on the high school football team. He grows up surrounded by the men of the town, from his troublesome older brothers Bill and Mike, to his Uncle Clarence the biology teacher, to the machinists of the railroad yard. Yet among all these men, the one man that Jimmy can never see eye-to-eye with is his father. Jimmy's father doesn't hunt, says that the railroad isn't a worthwhile career for a man, and doesn't believe that Jimmy's football team can ever win the county championship. More alike than they know, Jimmy and his father share a orneriness that builds a wall between them. As Jimmy says, "I know I'll never understand that man. Even if I live to another hundred All Hallows' Eves."

All Hallows Eve is a significant date for Jimmy because it's the date of his father's birthday. The seven connected stories that make up When The Whistle Blows begin on All Hallows' Eve in 1943, and each takes place on All Hallow' Eve in the following year. As the years pass, we follow Jimmy through experiences that range from lighthearted to tragic as he grows up and tries to find his place in the town. There is a midnight mission to spy on a secret society of older men, a plan to take revenge on some bullies that goes wildly awry, a new principal's heretical refusal to close school on the first day of hunting season, heart-wrenching tragedies, and more. Throughout, Slayton deftly captures the experience of growing up "small town" in a bygone era without irony or judgement. When the Whistle Blows is as much Rowlesburg's story as it is Jimmy's, but at the heart of each of these tales is Jimmy's struggle to comprehend his father. Step by step, each of these stories bring Jimmy closer to the heart of who his father truly is, until the end of his father's story and the beginning of Jimmy's own.

A quiet book about fathers and sons, and the passing of a generation to the next, When the Whistle Blows is unique in its focus on the steam trains that are slowly being phased out for deisel trains in small town West Virginia. It's a perfect slice of life, a photograph taken each year on All Hallow's Eve, as Jimmy goes from pranking boy to the young man welcomed to his father's circle. Touching and beautiful