The Longest Ride - Hardcover

Grade 5-7-This sequel to The Adventures of Midnight Son (Holt, 1995) opens with the teenaged runaway slave from Texas working as a cowboy in Colorado, but longing to return home and rescue his family. Lost in a springtime blizzard, he is helped by a band of Arapaho Indians. In their small camp, he meets another former slave, Raven Woman, who is married to Big Running Fox, the leader of the group. Midnight Son befriends their daughter, Winter Mary, but is distrusted by Eagle Eye, their son. When their camp is destroyed by soldiers, Raven Woman and Big Running Fox are killed, and Eagle Eye is badly wounded. The siblings decide to travel with Midnight Son to find his family and then search for their mother's relatives. Meanwhile, the Civil War has ended and they find disarray in its wake. Tension builds as they follow the trail and the protagonist is eventually reunited with his mother and sisters. Issues present themselves in a fairly simplistic fashion. Midnight Son, for example, after accepting the prevailing view of Indians and of the U.S. Army, suddenly understands that government policy is designed to eliminate the Indians. The characters, while likable, sometimes seem like tools to teach about slavery and Indian relations. Midnight Son removes a bullet from Eagle Eye's chest, a procedure that is successful but highly unrealistic. Still, there is excitement, adventure, and suspense. The plot is easy to follow and solid historical information is included. The closing chapter hints strongly at another sequel.
Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
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