Some Kind of Courage

by Dan Gemeinhart

Overview

The acclaimed author of The Honest Truth returns with an extraordinary novel about a boy's life-defining, death-defying journey.

Joseph Johnson has lost just about everyone he's ever loved. He lost his pa in an accident. He lost his ma and his little sister to sickness. And now, he's lost his pony—fast, fierce, beautiful Sarah, taken away by a man who had no right to take her.Joseph can sure enough get her back, though. The odds are stacked against him, but he isn't about to give up. He will face down deadly animals, dangerous men, and the fury of nature itself on his quest to be reunited with the only family he has left.Because Joseph Johnson may have lost just about everything. But he hasn't lost hope. And he hasn't lost the fire in his belly that says he's getting his Sarah back—no matter what.The critically acclaimed author of The Honest Truth returns with a poignant, hopeful, and action-packed story about hearts that won't be tamed... and spirits that refuse to be broken.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545665827
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	12/27/2016
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	94,112
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	760L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Dan Gemeinhart is a teacher-librarian and father of three daughters. His debut novel, The Honest Truth, was a New York Times Editors' Choice selection, an Amazon.com Best Book of the Month, and an Indie Next List pick. His follow-up, Some Kind of Courage, was met with critical acclaim, garnering two starred reviews. Dan lives with his family in Cashmere, Washington. Visit him at dangemeinhart.com.

Editorial Reviews

11/02/2015
Gemeinhart (The Honest Truth) delivers another emotional page-turner in this gripping historical novel about 12-year-old orphan Joseph Johnson. It’s 1890 in Washington State, and Joseph’s beloved horse, Sarah, has been sold by the unscrupulous alcoholic who took him in after his father’s death. Boy and horse have been bound together since Joseph was four, and with an unshakable moral compass instilled in him by his parents, he sets off on the horse trader’s tail, soon joining up with a Chinese boy, Ah-Kee, who has a mysterious goal of his own. While the boys cannot communicate with words, their bond grows as they struggle against relentless disasters and crises, encounter virtuous and dubious characters, and perform some good deeds. Gemeinhart gives Joseph a voice authentic to the period and his upbringing (“And it weren’t just the cold making ’em shake, neither”), which initially takes some getting used to. While the heartrending ending is a little too good to be true, it’s well-earned by Joseph and will satisfy readers accompanying him on his unforgiving journey. Ages 8–12. Agent: Pam Howell, D4EO Literary Agency. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Honest Truth:An Amazon.com Best Book of the Month (February)A Kids' Indie Next Pick (Winter '14-'15)*"An emotionally hard-hitting survival story... a gripping page-turner." — Publishers Weekly, starred review"A heartbreaking, moving novel that makes you want to embrace the boy at its center and hold him close." — Holly Goldberg Sloan, New York Times bestselling author of Counting by 7s"Debut author Gemeinhart has pulled off an impressive combination of suspenseful adventure thriller and cancer narrative... Touching but unsentimental, this is a deeply moving adventure." — Booklist"Gemeinhart presents a rousingly riveting two-hanky read." — Kirkus Reviews"Writer/librarian Dan Gemeinhart has taken great care to craft a believable and poignant tale of steely resolve and undying friendship. Reluctant readers will especially enjoy the forward-moving adventure, and dog lovers will be thrilled with this truly magnificent tale of "boy loves dog" (and vice versa)... an outstanding debut novel." — Bookpage"Gemeinhart... has crafted an extraordinary story about savoring life and exploring the meanings of strength." — Alaska Airlines Magazine

From the Publisher

11/01/2015
Gr 5–8—Joseph Johnson has had to become a man sooner than most 12-year-old boys. Following the tragic deaths of his parents and sister, Joseph finds himself the ward of an alcoholic rancher who sells Joseph's beloved horse, Sarah, to a malevolent horse trader. Joseph takes off on his own across Washington state in search of Sarah, ready to give everything he's got to get back to the last reminder of his family. Early on he is joined by Ah-Kee, an abandoned Chinese boy in similarly dire straits who doesn't speak a lick of English. Joseph and Ah-Kee are embroiled in a series of gripping dangers and narrow escapes, each more thrilling than the last. Gemeinhart's vivid language and rapid pacing capture the rugged grandeur and wild unpredictability of the largely unsettled American West of the late 1800s, though it is the fortitude and sensitivity of the main character that elevates this novel beyond a mere succession of adrenaline rushes, absorbing though they are. It is Joseph's unwavering sense of honor and duty that is propelled by love, not the familiar Wild West conception of masculinity, that makes this book truly captivating. VERDICT Gemeinhart's riveting tale of grit and grief is equally tragic and triumphant.—Anna Murphy, Berkeley Carroll School Library, Brooklyn

School Library Journal

★ 2015-10-06
Twelve-year-old Joseph Johnson searches the Northwest frontier for his missing horse and a new family. When first his mother and beloved little sister die of typhoid, and then his father dies in a wagon accident, Joseph is left in the care of a drunkard, his Indian pony, Sarah, his only remaining family. When the drunkard sells Sarah to a swindler, Joseph reclaims his father's pistol, takes the money given for the horse, and sets out in pursuit, on foot, through unforgiving wilderness. He wants Sarah back more than almost anything—but he sees the stars as the campfire his family members sit around, and he plans to be the person they taught him to be. So when he finds a starving, abandoned Chinese boy, Ah-Kee, Joseph spends part of his horse money to feed him. Ah-Kee joins him on the trail, and together they battle grizzly bears, survive river rapids, cling to the outside of a steam train, and deliver a pioneer woman's baby—all without speaking a word of each other's language. Told in Joseph's authentic voice, this is true adventure with strong underpinnings of moral courage and love. Gemeinhart shines truth on difficult situations, such as Joseph's shooting an outlaw, and the ending brings Joseph home: "There was plenty of sadness in the story, I reckon, but it wasn't sad all the way through." Poignant and real. (Historical fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews