Helen Hemphill

This is a good cowboy story. It takes place after the Civil War so the slaves have been freed but there is still a lot of injustice in the south. The African-American cousins take off after they are unjustly accused of stealing a horse.They join a cattle drive and hope to make it to Texas where they will look for Prometheus's father.. They are young, just 13 and 11 but the older, Prmetheus is a good horse wrangler and a sure shot and Homer, the younger, helps the cook. They face many challenges along the way, running rivers, ornery cattle, indians both friendly and dangerous and many situations to deal with.… (altro)

Born on the day Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Prometheus Jones is fourteen when he wins a horse in a raffle and heads west. With only his cousin and best friend, eleven year-old Omer, and a half-blind black horse named Good Eye for company, Jones means to make it to Texas where he hopes to find his father. Unfortunately, by the time he hits Kansas he's down to his last six bits, which even in those days wasn't much. Necessity demands a slightly more circuitous route, and Prometheus and Omer sign on with a cattle drover named Beck headed for Deadwood, South Dakota with a herd.

River crossings, amputations, his first kiss and a couple of jail-breaks, not to mention a stampede and a fair amount of bronc riding keep this fast-paced adventure flying right along. I wasn't sure quite what to expect, but this was quite a ride. Very little is sugar-coated here, from prejudice to pus, it's gritty and raw and very readable.… (altro)

Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com

Sassy has a crush on Boon Chisholm. Sure, Sassy's much younger than Boon, and she's a big tomboy, and this is her first crush, but Sassy is very confident. She knows Boon loves her; she just has to help him figure it out. Then they can live happily ever after together, not to mention make Sassy's older sister, Lula, jealous. Unfortunately, Sassy doesn't know much about love. In fact, she knows pretty much nothing about love. So she'll just have to find out.

Sassy's mama died when she was a baby, so that's one less person to ask. Daddy hardly talks to her at all, so that's not an option. Miss Dallas, their nanny/housekeeper, is an old maid - what can she know about love? The only good source is Lula. Lula has a bunch of boyfriends, and plenty of kissing experience. Too bad they can't seem to keep from beating on each other long enough to have a real conversation.

Sassy might just have to figure this one out on her own.

Sassy's explorations of love and self are both painful and funny to experience. These are some hard things to learn, when no one seems to want to or be able to help. Sassy learns that love comes in lots of different forms and expressions. And sometimes, more often than anyone would like, love and heartbreak come hand in hand.… (altro)

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Prometheus Jones (gotta love his name!) is a young black boy turned cowboy. After the death of his mother and the luck of winning a one-eyed horse, Prometheus heads west along with his eleven-year-old cousin named Omer. Prometheus has headed to Texas to find the father he never knew.

THE ADVENTUROUS DEEDS OF DEADWOOD JONES doesn't hesitate to describe the rough and often dangerous life of the cowboy. The two young cowboys get themselves jobs with a cattle driving company and the adventure begins. There is enough cattle roping, gun slinging, and run-ins with Indians to satisfy the wildest western lover. Readers will learn about the dangers of stampeding cattle, swimming rushing rivers, and facing the possibility of being scalped by the Sioux.

Author Helen Hemphill offers something a bit different than the usual YA material. Her description of being a black cowboy in a world of mostly white cattle-drivers provides an interesting historical perspective most books don't include. Also, the fact that the hard-working, courageous characters are quite young compared to modern-day working teens provides not only entertainment, but also a heads-up that today's kids don't have it so bad at all.… (altro)