I've never considered myself a big Western fan, but I loved [b:True Grit|257845|True Grit|Charles Portis|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328027080s/257845.jpg|1320617] and I sure enjoyed the heck out of this. Georgie is the kind of narrator who is amusing without being aware of it. I imagine her so serious and self-important (like Mattie Ross), but not unlikable.

Weird side note: I read [b:Navigating Early|13642663|Navigating Early|Clare Vanderpool|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340194887s/13642663.jpg|19257738] recently and I couldn't help but be struck by the similarity in the plots. Both books are about a kid going after a supposedly dead older sibling. Is this going to be a new thing? Like journey-to-find-an-older-sibling-everyone-else-thinks-is-dead is the new vampires? I digress.

Things that make this book great:

1. Georgie's voice. So formal. So authoritative. So unintentionally funny. I mean, the way she sizes up Billy McCabe? Hilarious and touching.

2. The western setting. Is Wisconsin really the West with a capital W? Clearly not today, but it sure sounds like it was in 1871.

3. Pigeon history. Who knew there were ever so many pigeons?

Recommended for ages 10 and up.
( )

Rural Wisconsin, 1871. Georgie is a 13 yr. old, outspoken, straight-shooting girl who helps run the family store, and adores her older sister Agatha. When Agatha runs away, and a body turns up wearing her special dress, the family assumes she has died. But Georgie doesn't buy it. She goes on a quest to find out what happened to Agatha, taking with her (unwillingly) her sisters former beau, Billy.

In search of Agatha, they find their share of adventure, including bad guys.

It's a lively story with millions of nesting pigeons in the mix.

I don't know how middle grade students would respond to Georgie, but to me her voice is very adult. I know people grew up a lot faster 150 years ago, but still, Georgie seems like an adult, or a much older teen.

And I was frustrated that the ending, which was positive for Georgie and her family, did not include what might have happened to the romance of Agatha and Mr. Olmstead. ( )

THAT 'S why you always leave a note! ( )

Set in Wisconsin in 1871, this mystery about life in the West follows a young, outspoken girl as she sets out across the unforgiving frontier to find her missing sister.

middlegrade/teen fiction; historic fiction/adventure/mystery. Bits of it dragged on but most parts were interesting (even pretty exciting, towards the end)--overall a very well told story. ( )