Skip to main content

ARC Book Review: Jasper and the Riddle of Riley's Mine by Caroline Starr Rose

Jasper, water, wool (keep reading to see how they relate!)

Awhile back, one of my favorite Young Adult and children's authors, Caroline Starr Rose, told her blog readers that her newest book, Jasper and the Riddle of Riley's Mine, was going to be coming out soon, and did anyone want to volunteer to read and review it?! Um, yes please**. I've been a fan of her writing since her first book, May B. came out, and then loved her sophomore book, Bluebirds, so I knew this third youth novel would be strong, even though it would be written in prose and not poetry like the first two. 

The story of Jasper, the young boy on the front cover, and his brother, Mel, starts in a sad, dilapidated home devoid of a mother and a father who is emotionally unavailable due to grief and alcoholism. The two young boys struggle to stay out of their father's way, and hear about the Klondike gold rush. With fool's luck, street smarts, and the brotherly relationship, together these boys go through a lot of trials for kids their age including being robbed, nearly frozen to death, often hungry, and in the middle of the Alaskan and British Columbia wilderness in wintertime. 

Jasper has heard of a few riddles where One-Eyed Riley has left a claim chock full of gold-enough to last someone a lifetime of riches-and he's desperate enough to go searching for it. The story has plenty of action and adventure, and is plot-driven and fast paced. It's about a time in history I knew very little about, and so it was interesting to read about, especially because now I'm geographically near a lot of those places! This book is young adult (YA) historical fiction at it's finest. 

I read this book in a few days over the Christmas break and I've decided to donate this book to my local homeschooling group's library. It'll come in handy to any of the families who want to read historical fiction to study BC history, and it fits right in with other great titles we have available. You can even enter a giveaway HERE to receive a journal if you pre-order Jasper by the release date (while supplies last). 

Do you (and/or your kids) like historical fiction? Do you think historical fiction has merit within an educational setting? 

**Please note that I received this book for a review, but all opinions are my own. 

Comments

I love hearing that readers have connected with my books. Thank you so much for passing on Jasper's story to young Canadian readers!

Popular posts from this blog

Home School Activities: Board Games We Love

My children have recently become enthralled in the world of board games. I was never a board game player. Sure, I remember long summer hours (days? it seemed like it..) spent around a Monopoly board, but I was never one to suggest to get out the cards, or a game. As my children have grown and they are now able to do activities with me, I started noticing that they really took to puzzles (when done all together) and the one or two board games I happened to have kept in the storage room. They were always asking to play Candy Land and so I figured I should branch off a bit. Over the course of the last year, I have found GREAT games, even ones that I love to play alongside them. The amount of 'teaching' they have gotten through games is jaw-dropping. Counting, team-playing, math related patterning, are just some of the skills I've watched develop. I asked before Christmas on facebook what my friends and their own kids loved and I was thrilled with the response. We have found ov

July Reads

Birch Bay Sunset, rainbow hues July has been hot out here. When you live in the top story of an apartment building, and there's no air conditioning, it can feel just over the needle of uncomfortably warm when the day is above 76 degrees. We've kept blinds shut, windows open, and a fan continually blowing as it's perched in our living room window well. Just about the only thing I feel like doing after a long day is laying on the couch straight in the fan's air circulation path, and read a good book. I had some unique picks this month. * #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso  This book was just plain fun to read. Amoruso developed the iconic ebay store NastyGal way back when vintage selling on ebay was a thing. Now she's a millionaire with a kicking website that she started from scratch and didn't owe a dime to anyone else for. It's a great 200 pager with stories on dumpster diving for daily food, entrepreneurship tips, and being the backwards kid that no one t

Top 10 Books of 2017

early sunset in Ft Langley  I love reading all these "Top 10" lists of favorite books read throughout the year, so I'm adding my two cents.  I'm involved in a Book Club that I love with women from our church, a small group that meets every week and goes through a book every few months, my own list, books I'm reading aloud to the kids and  books I'm reading for educational purposes (think professional development). I took a look at all of those combined and this is what I got, in no particular order:  *  The Problem of God  by Mark Clark - I loved going through this academic apologetic book with my friends from church. It led us to great discussion, and good food for thought. I listen to Clark's sermons every week and so knew I'd probably love his writing style, too. If you have objections to Christianity, or are feeling confused about what to believe, this is a great primer.  * You're Smarter Than You Think  by Dr. Thomas Armstron