Chase

Chase was a really good book. From the cover you think it's about a horse when it's really not. It is about a runaway trying to make a new life for himself. ( )

An orphaned boy is accused of a crime he did not commit and he is on the run. ( )

Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com

Phin Chase has gone from being an orphan that no one really wants to being someone that a lot of dangerous people want to find.

Phin has witnessed a murder by the Sleepers, otherwise known as the Molly Maguires or the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Whatever you call them, they run most Irish immigrant towns, and you don't want to be on their bad side. In fact, most people try to avoid them all together.

Now they're looking for Phin. And the more he finds out about them, the more he realizes there is no one he can trust. He's never missed his mother so much or felt so very alone. The only logical thing Phin can think of to do is run. So run he does. But he seems to keep running directly into the hands of two men. Both men are definitely dangerous -- one wants to hurt Phin, but the other is debatable. Sometimes Phin thinks he could trust him, even be helped by him, but then there are times that Phin is sure he's at least as dangerous as the first man.

How long can one young boy hold out against an entire underground militia and a horse that can track his scent? CHASE is a great adventure story, set in the midst of real history. It's exciting and interesting and fully believable. Phin Chase is a great hero; he's unsure, he makes mistakes, he has a multitude of narrow escapes. Right up until the very end you're not sure if or how he'll escape. Page-turning, edge-of-your-seat adventure with an interesting cast of characters, set during a real time in the history of our country. Definitely a great choice for a good regular read, or a way to make a book report more interesting! ( )

A young boy is witness to the murder of the boss in the coal mines. Now he must run for his life to avoid being charged with the crime or be murdered himself. ( )