Author: Betsy Byars
Recommended Age: 8-11
Date Published: 1969
Genre: Historical Fiction, Adventure
Summary: When Dewey’s parents head to town for his Ma to have her baby, Dewey and his grandmother are left alone in their cabin on Trouble River. But when an Indian tries to sneak up on the house, Dewey knows he can’t stay there any longer. Climbing aboard Dewey’s handmade raft, he and his grandmother brave rapids, wolves, and Indians as they float down Trouble River, trying to find safety.
Notes from The Radical Reader:
- Noble Characters: Dewey is scared, alone, and defenseless. But he has his raft, and the courage to try to escape down the river. Helping his argumentative grandmother produces controversy and quarrels, but the two work together to overcome the river and its dangers, eventually producing a comradeship that only trials can forge.
- Captivating Plots: Indians, settlers, rivers, rapids. Trouble River takes a harrowing journey of survival and safety and rests it on one boy’s shoulders. Can Dewey get his grandmother to safety before they are caught by the Indians?
- Elaborate Worlds: Set during the later nineteenth century in rural America, this story depicts the deadly rivalry between the settlers and the Indians as lands are claimed, enemies are created, and confusion is rampant. For readers who love adventure and survival stories, this book will captivate you instantly!
Noteworthy Elements:
- Violence: While not grotesque, Dewey remembers previous settlers being scalped by the Indians and fears for his grandmother’s safety and his own.
