I met Jan Adkins (who is the real author of this book, sorry to disillusion you) at a local event for high school children. He was gracious, kind and inspiring. I bought his books because he had been one of the core writers for Cricket magazine, which I loved. I was not disappointed.
I enjoyed this book very much. It is exactly the kind that I wish to write. Which I probably never will due to my grammar and spelling issues. It is full of historical facts, presented in an exciting tale in such a way as to not seem to be teaching. This was great early California reading. By the way, my boys enjoyed it too. ( )