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When Kevin Mason finds
himself stuck in a foster home with a pierced
and tattooed teenager named
Ice and a mute girl named Breezy, he
takes refuge in his fantasy of
becoming Knuckles McGraw, a tough
cowboy roaming the plains on his
legendary horse, Burlington Northern.
But not even the fastest
horse in the world can stop Kevin from
wondering will happen to him if his
mother doesn’t come back.
Read the first chapter
here.
Read the NOW Newspaper article
here.
Recognition for
THE BALLAD OF KNUCKLES McGRAW
2011 Silver
Birch Express Award nominee
REVIEWS
Booklist
Readers will certainly be drawn to the plucky, appealing grade-schooler
and the terrible plight he so bravely faces.
Canadian Children's Book News
A humorous yet sensitive story…[Peterson] fills
the story with a host of characters who are unusual yet kind and as we
hear their stories we develop empathy for each of them.
CM (Canadian Materials)
Peterson’s experience is evident in her careful pacing of Kevin’s story.
She adds the right amount of colour to her secondary characters while
continuing the forward momentum of the plot. As important as her pacing,
however, is her deft handling of the climax and denouement. Happily,
Peterson is able to provide Kevin a promising conclusion while remaining
true to the realism of the story. Like any skilled author, she also
refuses to tie up all the loose threads. Children are left satisfied,
but with questions to consider.
Peterson’s fiction is a welcomed addition to an elementary school
library. Her books provide a gentle introduction to social issues that all
too many young people are grappling with daily. She incorporates
interesting characters, well-developed plots,
and sensitive handling of realistic issues written at an appropriate age
level. I
tip my cowboy hat to Peterson and the 'Orca Young Readers' series and hope
I will be reading more of her work in the future. Highly Recommended."
Resource
Links Magazine
Lois
Peterson... has written another great story for young readers.
While the story is simply crafted, her language is a delight and
readers will be kept engaged throughout the story....the book succeeds
tremendously in inspiring hope and shows that
there is more than meets the eye when it comes to the people in Knuckles
McGraw's life.
Library Media Connection
The author understands how kids think, a fact that will allow the kids
in your library to thoroughly enjoy this book...Recommended.
Elizabeth
Lyon
In The Ballad of Knuckles McGraw, Lois
Peterson writes another near-perfect story.
RESOURCES
Orca Book Publisher's Teacher's Guide to
THE
BALLAD OF KNUCKLES McGRAW
PHOTOS |
