My Never Ending List

 What great variety!  I was pleasantly surprised at the variety inside this novel, at the authors and at the subject matter.  From all fifteen stories, I only found one that didn’t thrill me but the other ones, what a ride.  From the Pulse of the Panthers where I thought Sandy was sitting right beside me as the Black Panthers rode down her lane to the Garnett Girls where Soapy got a gift that he will always remember.     

I have to tell you about the Pulse of the Panthers as that story ramped me up.  I felt as if I were with Sandy as she experienced firsthand the Black Panthers as they stayed on her farm with her father and her granny.  Her granny knew what her father was up to but Sandy didn’t realize the full extent of what being a Black Panthers meant.  Her father told her that she would be cooking for the men but as they stepped out of their vehicles she realized that some of them were just boys, boys her age and Sandy wanted to know more.  Her father wanted her to keep away from them as they talked and did their business on the farm but Sandy found her way amongst them and got an education those few days that they were there.  An education that Sandy would not get in a classroom.  I loved how the author made me feel a part of Sandy’s life and I loved how much of an education I obtained reading that short passage.    There was The Journey, another story that I enjoyed except for the ending.  The ending seemed too short and blunt.   Yakone wants to learn to hunt and deliver maktuk like his father.  Turmoil hits his village before his father can teach him and Yakone must cross the frozen tundra on his own.  I love Yakone journey, his ability to find strength within himself to face what lies ahead of him.   In the El Destino, the three sisters have a duty but just how far will they take their responsibilities?  I really enjoyed the creativity of this short story.  In The Raven Ball, a mother is looking for a suitor for her granddaughter while the granddaughter is looking for a spy.  I really loved the twists that were inside this short story.  In the Gold in the Roots, this was definitely a 5 star read as it dealt with spirits.   I let my imagination run wild with this one.  I cannot forget Bonnie and Clyde.  I love old bank robberies and this story is definitely worth mentioning.  The first robbery started at the age of 13 and they haven’t been able to catch this bank thief yet.  It’s only started because the parents didn’t have the money to pay on the loans that the bank was calling up to be paid that the idea formed.  Now, the parents just needed the money.  Why can’t they catch the thief?

I could tell you about each short story that is contained inside this novel but I think you understand now that each of these stories is unique and they each represent a specific time period.   I wanted to just read a few of the stories at a time but once I started on them, I couldn’t put the novel down.  I’ve found myself some new authors to read and I am appreciative of that and I’m got myself some new short stories to tell, and I am happy about that also.  This is definitely a great novel to look into. 
Thanks Candlewick Press for the novel.  This is my own opinion of this novel.