From Publishers Weekly Unlike most other residents of Virginia City， Nev.， in the 1860s， feisty 12-year-old Alice Rose does not give a hoot about silver mining or striking it rich. "This is no place for a child!" she protests， and the grittiness of the opening scenes proves her point: while her father works late at the newspaper， Alice Rose sneaks off to the cemetery to protect her mother's and infant sister's fresh graves from coyotes. She sets about earning enough money to return to Boston and join her cousins at a proper ladies' seminary， but in the meantime she consorts with an eclectic collection of friends: the hurdy-gurdy girls， for whom she sews dresses; kindly Hop Sing， who lays track for the railroad; rich Miss Eilley; and the not-yet-famous Samuel Clemens， who helps Alice Rose expose the nefarious deeds of a band of Confederate vigilantes called the Society of Seven. Alice Rose's frustrations with the West contrast with Sam's recognition of its beauty ("You look down into the throat of that cactus blossom， Alice Rose， and you tell me if you have ever seen anything prettier")， but both enjoy a good yarn and are suspicious of the town's hypocritical Christians. Lasky's (True North) picturesque dialogue and precise， energetic characterizations more than make up for the book's choppy flow. A view of American history teeming with adventure and local color. Ages 8-12. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From School Library Journal Gr 4-7-Alice Rose's life is as bare as the landscape surrounding Virginia City， Nevada. Her mother has just died， her father is too busy drinking and working to pay attention to her， and she just wants out of this mining town. Then she develops a friendship with Samuel Clemens， and together they start a murder investigation and try to uncover a plot to bring the silver of Nevada to the Confederacy. Author Kathryn Lasky (Hyperion， 1998) skillfully brings a boomtown to life. Her descriptions of the Chinese workers， local townsfolk， and everyone's obsession for silver stand as a strong background to Alice Rose's adventure. Narrator Christina Moore adroitly distinguishes the different characters through her voice inflections. Her tone is perfect for the strong-willed Alice Rose. Cassettes are well marked， and directions for changing tapes are clear. This cliffhanger also stands out for its depictions of strong female characters and the treatment of immigrant Chinese labor.-Todd Dunkelberg， Deschutes Public Library System， ORCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. See all Editorial Reviews