Jack O'Brien (1) (1897–1938)

I have not personally read this book, but it is why we/I started looking for and collecting older vintage books for children. We started homeschooling when my 4th child, a son, was in 4th grade. He was a voracious reader and had already read or listened to his father read some common classic children's literature. I asked my father who was in his 80's if he had any recommendations of books for my son. Not being as computer savvy as most people my age, he still managed to get online and secure a copy of Silver Chief, Dog of the North for my son. That copy is his own and will be treasured for a long time!! My son wanted to read more stories about Silver Chief and that is how we started on our search for vintage children's books. It was my father and my son making a connection with this book! I now have copies of my own to share with others.… (mer)

My, that's silly. It doesn't work for me even at the level of fun fluff. The magical thinking that takes a wild animal - not even feral, he's had no real contact with humans - and within weeks at most makes him totally loyal to...well, the first white man he's encountered... The last takes it from silly to annoying, though at least it seems to be more a matter of finding his True Love than just a racial thing. Still, it was bad enough it tainted the rest of the book for me. Aside from that, it is fluff. Oh, and the language is occasionally excessively high-flown - amusing. The first chapter, in present tense, in particular, but also some later bits. Not dialog, that's fine, usually in descriptions and the like. The end is coincidentally convenient, but not beyond the bounds of the genre. Not a favorite, or even one I much want to read again.… (mer)

Good fluff. This one delves a little deeper - not a lot, but a little - into the bond between man and dog. Thorne and Silver Chief are a solid pair (this is the second book in the series), and when Thorne has to believe that the dog is stealing meat out of traps, and contemplate killing him to end the thefts, it's a real strain for him. But of course he's not actually the thief and the truth is uncovered just in time. Some racism here, but even at its worst the description is of one individual and it specifically says that "like white men, some Indians are found to be untrustworthy" and this looks like one of them. Not a blanket "Indians can't be trusted" - which puts O'Brien well into the upper reaches of comprehension, for his time. An interesting little secondary tale attached to the end, after the main arc - both Thorne's potential retirement, and the echo back to the enemy of the first book. An enjoyable story, though still not much more than fluff.… (mer)