LitPick Review
"Crash!" The sound of breaking glass. "My eyes snap open...Why do I smell smoke? NO!!"
It is 1908, Emily Soper is 12 years old and still not a proper lady. In Emily's eyes she is going to be a blacksmith. But in Mrs Soper's eye, her daughter is going to be the perfect proper lady and marry a wealthy young man.
Emily's Papa is a carriage builder. He builds the fanciest carriages around and when the president wants one... You can guess the rest. But things weren't meant to be perfect. Henry, Mr. Soper's blacksmith gets sick. In order to finish the carriage, Mr Soper has to hire a different blacksmith. It turns out, the new blacksmith wasn't the best choice either. To find out more read Wheels of Change by Darlene Beck Jacobson.
Opinion:
This book was great. I loved that Emily received a response and invitation from the president after sending a letter criticizing him. It gives me hope that maybe someday I will meet the President also. I really liked that a girl my age, Emily, was the heroine in the story. She is very couragous and brave. The book brings up some issues that are difficult, but the only thing I didn't like was the nasty Mrs. Peabody character and how mean people can be to each other. I would recommend this book to 10-12 year olds, historical fiction lovers and fans of The Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes.
