One Came Home

This is the first book by the author, and she's started out flying fast when the gates were opened with a Newbery Honor award at the end of the race.

With the backdrop of the 1871 wild pigeon migration in Southern Wisconsin, the story of young Georgie Burkhardt unfolds. When Georgie's older sister Agatha runs off with a group of pigeoners, the sheriff goes to find her. Sadly, he returns with a body wearing the beautiful dress her mother sewed. The face, unrecognizable from decay, gives hope to Georgie that this is not the body of Agatha.

Tenaciously stubborn, without her mother or grandfather's blessing, she buys a mule from Billy McCabe, the man who loved Agatha. Feeling guilty because when she saw Billy kiss her sister, she went show more straight on to Mr. Olmstead, a prominent man in town who was slated to marry Agatha. It was this betrayal that set in motion Agatha's desire to leave Placid Wisconsin.

To find forgiveness and to follow her intuition, Georgie daringly, bravely sets out on a journey of discovery. With Billy McCabe in tow, they travel together in a quest to find answers.

The quick banter between the two, the struggles of traveling in dangerous territory, the soul searching that occurs along the journey, renders this a tale of part mystery, part self discovery all wrapped together in a wonderful package.

The writing is top notch. Told from the perspective of Georgie who is humorous, sharp shooting, vulnerably stubborn and defensive, the reader laughs at the quick to the draw sling-shot comments and roots for the good guy/girl in this marvelous poignant story.

Four Stars for a wonderful, magical story. show less

There is much to recommend this title: the feisty, plainspoken, 12-year-old sharpshooting protagonist, Georgie Burkhardt, who goes out on a quest to discover the true fate of her believed-to-be-dead sister, the late 19th century Wisconsin setting, the interesting background provided by the then-innumerable, now-extinct passenger pigeon. The author's notes at the end are invaluable.

The language feels, for the most part, authentic (was there such a notion as "customer service" in 1870? p.111) and is most often crisp and clear ("..."a flush-faced woman with a rooster clamped under an arm and a stride brisk as scissors--put out a hand.") The narrator's determination and humor are endearing ("I wonder how many significant decisions in the show more course of history have been made because of mosquitoes." p. 154) and "Some people think that my youthful age precludes me from responsibility. It is irksome."pp 170-171) And as I read passages like this one directly preceding, I kept thinking of this title as "True Grit Lite," even imagining that when I encountered "Mrs. Tartt" in chapter 19 that her name is in homage to Donna Tartt, author of fiction & an essay about and the audiobook narrator of Portis's "True Grit."

So, while I would, despite the profanity and violence, happily give Portis's classic to the right 7th or 8th grader, that best 7th or 8th grader might just be the one who loved "One Came Home" as a 5th or 6th grader. show less

There is much to recommend this title: the feisty, plainspoken, 12-year-old sharpshooting protagonist, Georgie Burkhardt, who goes out on a quest to discover the true fate of her believed-to-be-dead sister, the late 19th century Wisconsin setting, the interesting background provided by the then-innumerable, now-extinct passenger pigeon. The author's notes at the end are invaluable.

The language feels, for the most part, authentic (was there such a notion as "customer service" in 1870? p.111) and is most often crisp and clear ("..."a flush-faced woman with a rooster clamped under an arm and a stride brisk as scissors--put out a hand.") The narrator's determination and humor are endearing ("I wonder how many significant decisions in the show more course of history have been made because of mosquitoes." p. 154) and "Some people think that my youthful age precludes me from responsibility. It is irksome."pp 170-171) And as I read passages like this one directly preceding, I kept thinking of this title as "True Grit Lite," even imagining that when I encountered "Mrs. Tartt" in chapter 19 that her name is in homage to Donna Tartt, author of fiction & an essay about and the audiobook narrator of Portis's "True Grit."

So, while I would, despite the profanity and violence, happily give Portis's classic to the right 7th or 8th grader, that best 7th or 8th grader might just be the one who loved "One Came Home" as a 5th or 6th grader. show less

In the town of Placid, Wisconsin, in 1871, Georgie Burkhardt is known for two things: her uncanny aim with a rifle and her habit of speaking her mind plainly.

But when Georgie blurts out something she shouldn't, her older sister Agatha flees, running off with a pack of "pigeoners" trailing the passenger pigeon migration. And when the sheriff returns to town with an unidentifiable body—wearing Agatha's blue-green ball gown—everyone assumes the worst. Except Georgie. Refusing to believe the facts that are laid down (and coffined) before her, Georgie sets out on a journey to find her sister. She will track every last clue and shred of evidence to bring Agatha home. Yet even with resolute determination and her trusty Springfield show more single-shot, Georgie is not prepared for what she faces on the western frontier. show less

Georgie doesn't believe her sister Agatha is dead. Agatha ran away from home a few weeks ago, and now the sheriff has brought back a badly mutilated body found in the woods, wearing the remains of Agatha's dress and with the same auburn hair. Thirteen-year-old Georgie feels that there's more to the story of Agatha's disappearance. She rents a mule from Billy McCabe, her sister's former sweetheart, and sets out to find the truth. Of course, she doesn't plan on Billy tagging along -- and that's only the first unexpected occurrence on a journey fraught with mystery and, occasionally, danger. Will Georgie ever learn exactly what happened to Agatha? Is this trip about finding her sister, or is it about coming to terms with her sister's show more death?

This well-researched and well-written piece of historical fiction is well-deserving of the honors it has received. Set in 1871 Wisconsin, the story is told against the backdrop of the passenger pigeon migration. The characters are fully rounded and always interesting, though not always likable. Some of the events in the final chapter feel tacked on for the sake of historical interest rather than being essential to the plot, but all in all this is an impressive novel, and I hope to see more by this author in the future. show less

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 show more 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. show less

Thirteen-year-old Georgie Burkhardt can shoot better than anyone in Placid, Wisconsin. She can handle accounts and serve customers in her family’s general store. What she can’t do is accept that the unrecognizable body wearing her older sister’s blue-green gown is Agatha. Thus begins what’s a sometimes sad, occasionally scary and thoroughly engrossing story of a girl on the cusp of growing up who is riddled with guilt because she thinks her rash decision to tell on her older sister was the reason she ran off with some pigeon chasers, people following the monster flocks of passenger pigeons so they can kill and harvest them for meat and plumage. She refuses to believe the body parts retrieved by the local sheriff can be her show more beloved sister, even though the dress fragments match the one her sister was wearing when she vanished.
There are several things that make this an engrossing read. Georgie’s struggle to be a normal girl while striking out with her sister’s sort of boyfriend Billy, her having to deal with rotten pigeons and pigeon poop, her getting stuck with Billy’s mule, her coolness when she has to shoot at bad guys and mostly, her out and out pluckiness. It’s easy to see why this has already become a Newberry Honor Book. An excellent book for juvenile readers who like mysteries and/or historical fiction. show less