I loved this charming adventure of the California Gold Rush through the eyes of 12 year old Jack and his butler. They travel the ocean, solve puzzles and use their wits, kindness, an intelligence to get through sticky and dangerous situations. A very fun read with lots of lively history. ( )

The year is 1849. Young Jack Flagg sets out to recoup his Aunt Arabella's fortune on a ship bound from Boston to the California gold fields. Thus begin the wild, swashbuckling adventures of a determined 12-year-old and his intrepid butler.

Month of January 2022: Young Reader’s Classics

READING LEVEL: 5.1 AR POINTS: 6.0
(8-12 years, grade 3-7)
Originally published in 1963. Gave to my Hodge grandsons.

Super cute adventure novel, especially for young boys, that takes place in 1949 during the California gold rush. Jack and his two sisters live with their Aunt Arabella on account of their parent’s dying of cholera. She’s about to lose the house, so Jack decides to help. He heads out, with the family butler, Praiseworthy, on the vessel, Lady Wilma, to San Francisco by way of the treacherous Cape Horn.

Half the book is about Jack and Praiseworthy’s adventures out at sea. The other half is on their gold digging adventures as they earn the respect of the other miners and earn the nicknames Jamoka Jack and Bullwhip.

A very nostalgic read because it reads just as if you were watching one of those great oldie, but goodie, Disney movies back in the day.

BOOK-TO-MOVIE

“The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin” (1967), an American Western comedy produced by Disney, starring Roddy McDowall, Susanne Pleshette, Hermiine Baddeley and Karl Malden ( )

By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman (1988)

children's historical fiction (gold rush adventure with some fist-fighting and pistol brandishing, boat travel). An unlikely story (butler travels with runaway boy to make fortune together to bring back to boy's financially-strained aunt) but a nice adventure with a full audio cast. ( )

I loved this book so much!!!! I'm in awe of the author's masterful skill with clever and entertaining humor; flawless, complex plot; vivid, colorful, crisp writing; lifelike setting and characters; rich, realistic and natural historical detail; hilarious action sequences; and compelling, well-developed characters. This is a tale full of engaging adventure and laugh-out-loud wit, and I felt like I was right there with the tenacious heroes through each obstacle and victory.

Jack and Praiseworthy are such an amazing duo of main characters, both individually and in their loyal partnership. Jack is such a sweet, spirited, cheerful, resourceful, brave, and relatable young boy, and I love him so much. And Praiseworthy is amazing in every way! (Except maybe the cigars, but he knows that already, and they're funny!) To name a few of the things I love about him, I love how capable, confident, courageous, caring, kind, and clever he is. (Accidental alliteration, my goodness!) And he's humble and refined and intelligent and tough and unflappable. Also, it doesn't hurt that he's tall and handsome and even more "striking" as a miner than as a butler - to describe him with the same word as a certain character uses. But good looks are nothing without good character qualities, and he has both in abundance. It was so fun to watch the gradual transformation of his appearance and lifestyle, piece by piece.

And I adore the relationship between Jack and Praiseworthy. I love how Praiseworthy looks out for and takes care of Jack. I love how Jack looks up to him and relies on him. And I love how the two of them stick together through all the ups and downs, and work together as a team to overcome every challenge and solve every problem. The progression if their relationship is wonderful - from master and devoted butler, to steadfast partners, and maybe someday to something more that Jack has always wished for. It warms my heart to see how Praiseworthy fills in for orphaned, lonely Jack's father, and how another character mistook them for father and son - to the delight of both Jack and me.

Both Jack and Praiseworthy had amazing character development and character arcs. From the first moment, they leaped off the page and seemed so real and immediate. I loved watching their transformation over the course of their adventure. And as a writer in particular, I was awed by the way the author brought them through the ups and downs of pursuing, winning, and losing the goal they aimed for above all else - and finding against their will that what they thought they wanted most wasn't what they actually wanted and needed in the end.

In addition to the characters, the plot was so well-developed and masterful as well! It was so simple yet so smoothly complex. Every thread and subplot and seemingly insignificant detail flowed together seamlessly and became essential to the main plot and the climactic end of the story. I was amazed at how each detail and character played a role, even though I would not have predicted it. And the plot was quite twisty and involved many unexpected turns that surprised me. Sometimes things happened opposite to what I would expect, but each time it was so perfect for the story!

The ending was so perfect!!!!!!! I loved it so much!!!! I won't say much more than that, except it hit on the beautiful and heartfelt theme of family, probably my very favorite thing to read about.

One of my favorite things about this book was another relationship, in addition to that of the main duo. I adored the hint of romance!!!! Subtle, gradual, restrained, understated romance is so more amazing than most more overt romance, and this author executes it so well!! I'm awed by his skill in portraying a compelling, convincing, and swoon-worthy romance without even showing one of the characters in person on the page. And I respect the couple so much for the way they handled it. The romance definitely made me squeal and fangirl visibly and audibly on several occasions, even more than the relationship of the two main guys.

I first read this book as a teenager when my mom got it for my youngest brother, and I enjoyed it highly even though I was above the target age for the book. Good children's books are good no matter one's age. Since then, I remembered it finally a very good book, and I still remembered the basics of the ending even now. Recently, one of my best friends encouraged me to try her favorite book by the same author, Jingo Django, which I'd never read before, and I loved it. I knew I had to read this one again too, and I even got my little sister to listen to the audiobook of By the Great Horn Spoon while I reread it myself! It's been such a fun experience, and while I liked it very much my first time, I absolutely loved it upon rereading it and appreciating it fully. I'm raising my rating from 4 stars to 5 stars, and By the Great Horn Spoon, is now ranked among my favorite books. Jingo Django is equally amazing and receives equal regard for me - I couldn't choose one over the other if I tried.

Content: This book is appropriate for middle grade readers (aged about 8-13) and up, and though it's written for that age, it can be enjoyed equally well by teens and adults. There's some mild, tame violence, limited to things like a bloodless and humourous stagecoach robbery, a man getting walloped in a fistfight, and someone being bucked from a mule, all of which are funny rather than scary even for a very young reader. The only true content concern I would have for a young child is that the book contains references to hanging and undertaking. It's written so subtly that if a child does not know what the term hanging means, the word and its convoluted euphemisms are guaranteed to go straight over his or her head. There's one scene in which a notorious thief and acquaintance of the main characters is just about to be hanged (a just reward for his crimes) and has a noose around his neck, but he weasels his way out of the predicament before his sentence is carried out. Even this scene is written to be humorous rather than frightening, but if a child is young enough to be scared by it but old enough to figure out what's going on, I would caution a parent to be careful. One other detail is that the adult male hero begins smoking cigars, and admits later on that it's a bad habit.

I highly, highly recommend this book to all individuals of all ages, especial those who enjoy adventure or historical fiction. The author's commitment to writing quality, engaging books for a juvenile fiction audience is on full display here, and it is just as good for older readers and adults. I first read it as a teen, and I reread it now as an adult, and I enjoyed it highly both times, as did my younger siblings in the target age group.

By the Great Horn Spoon! is a hilarious, heartwarming historical adventure for all ages. Its fabulous writing and its compelling story and characters will take the reader on an exciting and unpredictable journey through faraway times and places, bringing them to life.

( )

Original title: By the great horn spoon! ( )

This was my favorite book in elementary school (aside from Harry Potter, of course). I don't recall how many times I read it, but my paperback is so worn and tattered, I wouldn't be surprised if I read it more than ten times. Oh, the nostalgia. ( )

I had fun reading this with a 4th grade class I subbed for. The kids really liked it and it was an entertaining way for them to learn some Gold Rush history. ( )

Brimming with riveting adventure, the story is set during the Gold Rush. The fast-moving plot follows the high spirited young Jack and his aunt's faithful butler, Praiseworthy, as they set out to strike it rich in order to support the financially strapped and beloved Aunt Arabella. As Jack and the loyal butler travel by sea and land, the pair meet a series of memorable characters such as the daring, crusty sea Captain Swain and the diabolical Cut-Eye Higgins. ( )

Probably would work well for 'tween male reluctant readers. Could also be read aloud, a bit at a time, by a social studies teacher. I live near 'Hangtown' (now Placerville) and other mining towns, and still I learned a lot. I see in the search results that there are teaching guides available - if I were to include this in my curriculum I'd definitely pick up one of those, too, as there was a lot of detail in the history as for instance road agents, Long Toms, tempting people to come to an auction with free butter (to slice and eat there like popcorn on a bar), ratlines on a ship, etc. etc.

But primarily it's a truly rollicking adventure, with just enough heart to keep a reader engaged in the characters while s/he turns the pages wondering how they're going to get out of this scrape and wondering what adventure they'll experience next. ( )

Good old Sid Fleischman. I almost never like books (or movies) about the frontier, the Old West, etc. This book is so much fun though--basically a Jeeves and Wooster story for American kids, only without Wooster.

I've been reading this book aloud to my 9 yo ds. It is a rollicking good read! Two adventurers head from Boston to California to make their fortune during the Gold Rush. Their adventures start as their boat travels around the tip of South America. The excitement continues as they finally make it to California to search for gold. Tension abounds with evil characters like Cut-Eye Higgins and natural dangers in the form of grizzly bears. Each chapter is exciting, funny and clever! If you enjoy adventure, humor, historical fiction and tall tales, then this book is for you! The ultimate critic of boring books, my ds, loves it! ( )

I loved this book and the Disney movie that they made from it. I went on a whole Sid Fleischman novel binge at my local library when I was a child as a result of this book.

I loved it, it is very funny, and the movie was even funnier, but I loved all the things that happened, it was a very funny book ( )

I enjoyed the "full cast" audio book very much. I have no idea if it appeals to children, but I would think so. Fairly fast moving and funny. I was suprised it was written back in 1963 (except one of the characters takes up smoking - you wouldn't see that today!) ( )

Fast moving adventure book for children, full of historical and geographical detail. ( )

The movie version of this book is Disney's Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin, very enjoyable, as is the book! ( )

My children and I enjoyed this tale. The story of a young man in the Gold Rush era. Romanticized, but lots of fun and plenty of facts too. More interesting to us because one of our ancestors came to California around the Great Horn Spoon as well. ( )