Highway Robbery

Wonderful book

Richie's Picks: HIGHWAY ROBBERY by Kate Thompson, Greenwillow, June 2009, 117p., ISBN: 978-0-06-173034-4"Round the corner he came, a tall rider on a big black horse, and the pigs and chickens cleared the road in double-quick time to get out of his way. I stepped back myself, sir, even though I was already out of the road, and I squeezed myself tight against the wall. Still he came on, at full tilt, his black cloak streaming in the air behind him and now I could see his face, his cheeks red from the cold and his mustaches as black as the black horse under him."He didn't look at me at all as he came on, but I saw his eye fix on something beside me. The alleyway, I think it was. And just as he drew level, he straightened in the saddle and reined in the mare so fast she sat right down on her tail in a shower of mud. Some of it hit me in the face, sir. That's how close I was."The rider sprang off as light as a cat and pulled the reins over the horse's head. Then he marched straight over to me and put them in my hand. I gaped up at him and my mouth must have been as big as a badger hole. You can imagine, I'm sure, how astonished I was. He was very tall, that man, and his cheeks were red and he was breathing hard and there were tear tracks across his face. He looked wild and mad, sir, and I have to admit that the sight of him terrified me."But of course the way he looked was not because he was angry or excited but because he had been traveling so fast through the icy weather. And indeed, when he opened his mouth, it was not to yell at me, which is what I expected, but to say quite gently:"'Hold the mare for me, lad. And when I come back, I'll give you a golden guinea.'"And he ruffled my hair for me, sir. Look. Like this. Made it stand up like a bunch of straw. I would have done anything for him after that."So begins the engaging tale of a grand horse as told by a young barefooted beggar child to an anonymous gentleman he has accosted on a back street. It is an exceptionally fun story wrought with danger, intrigue, and double crosses. The sense of time and place evoke Dickens and the manner in which the lad conveys the story reminds one of Poe's rules for short stories (The story must be read in one sitting and there must be one effect to which all of the action in the story contributes.). This exquisitely crafted first person narrative, in which the horse-holding lad encounters a series of characters, makes for a heck of a read aloud. (I've already done one performance and it easily fits into a block period.)"'You're tempted, aren't you?' He stepped closer to me as he said it, and glanced quickly up and down the street."Watch out! You just never know who might come charging down that road next (OR suddenly reappear)!

After being pushed around by bigger street urchins, a wee lad finds a remote corner far from the city's center. On a muddy little alleyway he stands, shoeless and hungry, begging for scraps of food. His corner is mostly deserted; not even carts use the road because of its deep ruts. Then a tall rider on a big black horse thunders down the road and hurriedly dismounts his steed. Before slipping down an alley, the gentleman asks the boy to watch the horse, with a promise of a golden guinea upon his return."Covered with mud and steaming like a dragon," the horse is a majestic animal, standing 16 hands. The boy suspects it is the legendary Black Bess; he quickly grows attached to the mare, even sharing his meager food with her.The sight of the huge animal on the remote street corner draws a crowd. Most onlookers are curious, a few are kind and generous, but some are dangerous and devious. As the boy awaits the man's return, the cold day turns into an icy night. With hunger gnawing at his belly, the boy dreams of how he will spend his money.When a shifty-looking toothless man attempts to buy the mare for "thirty shillings," the boy grows suspicious. The situation becomes more dangerous after soldiers question him about the horse's owner. The soldiers, led by the captain of the King's guard, are in pursuit of the legendary highwayman, Dick Turpin, who has committed a robbery and escaped on his famous horse, Black Bess.The boy has to make a decision that could cost him his gold guinea, put him and the horse in jeopardy --- or get him into trouble with the law.HIGHWAY ROBBERY is a suspenseful tall tale told in an engaging voice. The story's message is one of responsibility, courage and doing what is right, no matter the circumstances. A magnificent horse, a notorious thief, an unlikely hero and a daring adventure --- Kate Thompson knows how to keep young readers turning the pages. --- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt

What a cool book. The illustrations are great and the story captivating. I read it to my class during a topic on Highwaymen. They would not let me stop until it was finished. You immediately build up an affection for the little character telling the story and you can almost hear his voice from the beautiful way it is written.