Some Kind of Courage

Told in Joseph's authentic voice, this is true adventure with strong underpinnings of moral courage and love.... Poignant and real. 

Gr 5-8--Joseph Johnson has had to become a man sooner than most 12-year-old boys. Following the tragic deaths of his parents and sister, Joseph finds himself the ward of an alcoholic rancher who sells Joseph's beloved horse, Sarah, to a malevolent horse trader. Joseph takes off on his own across Washington state in search of Sarah, ready to give everything he's got to get back to the last reminder of his family. Early on he is joined by Ah-Kee, an abandoned Chinese boy in similarly dire straits who doesn't speak a lick of English. Joseph and Ah-Kee are embroiled in a series of gripping dangers and narrow escapes, each more thrilling than the last. Gemeinhart's vivid language and rapid pacing capture the rugged grandeur and wild unpredictability of the largely unsettled American West of the late 1800s, though it is the fortitude and sensitivity of the main character that elevates this novel beyond a mere succession of adrenaline rushes, absorbing though they are. It is Joseph's unwavering sense of honor and duty that is propelled by love, not the familiar Wild West conception of masculinity, that makes this book truly captivating. VERDICT Gemeinhart's riveting tale of grit and grief is equally tragic and triumphant.--Anna Murphy, Berkeley Carroll School Library, Brooklyn

Gemeinhart (The Honest Truth) delivers another emotional page-turner in this gripping historical novel about 12-year-old orphan Joseph Johnson. It's 1890 in Washington State, and Joseph's beloved horse, Sarah, has been sold by the unscrupulous alcoholic who took him in after his father's death. Boy and horse have been bound together since Joseph was four, and with an unshakable moral compass instilled in him by his parents, he sets off on the horse trader's tail, soon joining up with a Chinese boy, Cheng, who has a mysterious goal of his own. While the boys cannot communicate with words, their bond grows as they struggle against relentless disasters and crises, encounter virtuous and dubious characters, and perform some good deeds. Gemeinhart gives Joseph a voice authentic to the period and his upbringing ("And it weren't just the cold making 'em shake, neither"), which initially takes some getting used to. While the heartrending ending is a little too good to be true, it's well-earned by Joseph and will satisfy readers accompanying him on his unforgiving journey. Ages 8-12. Agent: Pam Howell, D4EO Literary Agency. (Jan.)