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book review: the case of the deadly desperados
Could there be a better opening line for a book?
Awhile ago, we received this book in the mail, and I had my oldest son read it. He blazed right through it, so I asked him to tell you all what he thought.
SRR: The Case of the Deadly Desperados by Caroline Lawrence is an intriguing page turner. It starts with P.K. Pinkerton, a 12-year-old boy, living in Temperance, Nevada in 1862. He comes home to find both his foster parents lying in blood on the floor. His foster mother’s dying words reveal they were killed by a gang of desperados looking for a medicine bag, which she had successfully concealed in the floorboards.
P.K. must hide the medicine bag, and sets off for Virginia City, otherwise known as the Devil’s Playground, but keeping it safe is a deadly endeavor.
Exciting, funny, and very energetic, I would totally recommend this to kids ages 10 to 110.
7 Responses to “book review: the case of the deadly desperados”
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I love when you write post about books. I’ve already put it on hold at the library.
I dont undertand how this book is appropriate for a 10 yr old. You know the introduction talks about PK finding his parents in a puddle of blood and you think this is okay? And you wonder why kids are growing up too fast and get the ideas about Murder. This book was in our sons elementary school library. Kids brains are like sponges. This book includes alcohol, drugs, gambling and murdering. Highly inappropriate!!!
Hi, Nicole,
Thank you for your comment. I’m really glad that you brought this up. I can tell that you are a very involved parent. It is true that some of the images in this book may be too much for sensitive readers, which is why it is so important for parents to understand and be aware of what their children are exposed to.
I am just as concerned about what my children see, hear, and read. However, I would rather instill in my children a sense of right and wrong so that when they see something (because I can’t shield them from everything) violent or drug related, they will be able to make the decisions to avoid those things themselves. When my children are exposed to bad language or other behavior I would prefer they did not adopt, I use that time as a teaching moment, and say something like “I don’t like the way that kid talked to his mother,” or “If you and your friends were ever offered a drink that you thought might have alcohol in it, what would you do?” Because of the time my oldest son and I have spent listening and talking to one another about such topics, I know he is dedicated to making good choices. Knowing that, I can trust that when he reads books like The Deadly Desperados he will filter for himself what actions are right and wrong.
Trying to censor everything in the world around us will be a losing battle. We cannot control things outside of ourselves, but we can control our own thoughts and our own actions. If, with a loving spirit, we can teach our children to make good choices despite the negative influences around them, then we will have armed them with power and peace.
Jaime
Well said, Jaime. I had a similar experience with my stepdaughter when she was reading Kristin Cashore’s Graceling. The main character chooses not to marry her love interest, and instead engage in a sexual relationship with him so she won’t be “tied down.” My daughter was furious with that decision, and lost all sympathy with the character because of it. Normally, I wouldn’t approve of the subject matter for a 12-year old, but in this case, the child had a good world view and grasp of morality. By the way, I wouldn’t have been as thrilled with her older sister reading the same book, because she is easily swayed by what she reads.
I agree that it all comes down to your child and what they can handle. It is important to monitor what they read just as, if not more than what they see on television.
My 5 yr. old loves things like monsters and spooky things that other kids wouldn’t like. I know older kids that would literally get nightmares from watching something like Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, where it’s one of my daughter’s favorite movies.
That being said it is up to parents to set limits for their kids. There are obvious limits that I think parents are CRAZY to allow — I read a blog post once by a parent advocating watching rated R horror films with their children — and I am sure there are people who think I am crazy for allowing my 5 year old to watch something like Goonies (which I don’t let her watch anymore because of all the language — the 80s were horrible for language in kid films!).
It’s being involved that’s going to make the biggest impact for you and yours.
Connie –
I am 14 years old, had exactly your stepdaughter’s experience. I, too, was furious, and stopped reading the book immediately. Now, if I had known that that sort of thing was in the book, I would never have touched it. But now that I’ve been exposed to bad content in books, I know how important it is to stay away from it if you can. You can’t always know it is coming. And I agree with you – being exposed to it teaches a sense of right and wrong, and shows you that bad stuff in books is not only ugly, but completely unnecessary.
Way to go for understanding these things, and supporting your daughter. I am sure that she appreciates it much more than you know.
We just finished reading Ender’s Game to all of our kids, and the Graveyard Book is one of our family favorites as well. We have also read them A Tale Dark and Grimm. All three of these stories are excellent stories and when we read them, we have great discussions with our kids. They also contain varying levels of violence. We skip over the gruesome parts for our youngest kids, but let our older kids read them on their own if they wanted to. I think it’s most important to understand your own children and, at the same time, to recognize that children will grow up and face the evil in the world at some point. I prefer it happens under my guidance in the safety of a story, where we can talk about choosing between right and wrong and the consequences of each choice, than have the flounder in the real world of adults without any training to help them cope with reality.