Yeah, no. Does not work for me. She's with the bandits all that time and no one catches her squatting? First failure of suspension of disbelief. Then she walks into a general store in a tiny town on the edge of the gold diggings, and they just happen to have a full set of girl's clothes, that fit her? Failure of setting as well as of situation. And then, having had demonstrated over and over throughout the story that the newspapers get things wrong, she turns him in on the basis of a newspaper report that she starts out saying got things wrong? At that point I stopped being interested in her as a character. An improbably, conveniently happy ending rounded it off. I like quite a few of Fleischman's books, but this one was a flat failure for me. ( )

This book by the funny Sid Fleishman is an action-packed adventure story, but also teaches readers a lot of California history. The heroine of this tale is the newly orphaned Annyrose. The girl's father died in the Mexican-American War and her mother died of a fever when she, Annyrose, and Annyrose's brother, Lank, were on their way to California. Misfortune drops Annyrose into the clutches of the awful O.O. Mary, who steals all of Annyrose's clothes, dresses her like a boy, and locks her in the harness shed. Annyrose's rescuer is none other than the bandit Joaquin Murieta (a true figure from the Gold Rush era). Annyrose ends up riding with Murieta's band to the gold diggins', all the while searching for her brother. Both Annyrose and the reader must debate many a moral issue on the journey: Is Murieta really a villain or is he another "Robin Hood" as many claim him to be? Were the Mexicans who were living in California wronged by the "Gringos" when California became part of the United States? Is stealing for a cause wrong? Fleishman added an author's note at the end of the book where he debates some of these issues. There are several black and white drawings by Jos. A. Smith that add visual interest to the story. ( )

This junior historical fiction book takes place in California in the mid-1800's. It's filled with adventure and excitement. The reading level is low enough to make enjoyable even for younger children, although with enough action and historical content to make it fun for all ages. It makes a great read-aloud too! ( )