(4) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Lillington. Written in brisk rhyming verse with vivid imagery, this rendition of Will Cody's historic twenty-one-hour ride on the Pony Express is immersive historical fiction. Unfortunately, the strong telling isn't quite matched by the illustrations, which are often overly cartoony (especially human figures). The book includes an extensive endnote about the Pony Express and "Buffalo Bill" Cody's life and legacy.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(1) YA Fleming examines two connected myths of history: "Buffalo Bill" Cody's life story and the nineteenth-century American frontier. Each chapter begins with a scene from Cody's romanticized "Wild West" show, and multi-paged sidebars address, like a tutorial for evaluating historical sources, how Cody's stories often differ from the historical record. Frequent period photographs complete this clear and informative biography. Websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2016

(3) 4-6 This volume recounts the life of William (Billy) Cody from age seven to adulthood. Warren weaves in historical context by detailing Cody's involvement in conflicts such as the Kansas-Missouri Border War and the Civil War; she concludes with the eventual success of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. The fast-paced narrative with generous notes is accompanied by period photographs and illustrations. Reading list. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Courageous Heroes of the American West series. All originally published under different titles, the updated editions of these brief biographies, written in short, easy-to-read sentences, outline the lives of adventurous individuals who helped shape the American West during the nineteenth century. Black-and-white photographs and drawings add some interest to the text-heavy pages; the lurid cover illustrations are unappealing. There are four other fall 2012 books in this series. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Courageous Heroes of the American West titles: Bill Pickett, Buffalo Bill Cody, Calamity Jane, Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Richard King, Sacagawea, and Sam Houston.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Bill McCay. In this second adventure featuring the Raven League, assistants to Sherlock Holmes, the kids get involved in another mystery when a murder occurs during Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show performance in London. In addition to being a rousing mystery story with real historical characters, the novel includes many gritty details of Victorian London, from its poverty to its prejudices.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Adventures of Young Buffalo Bill series. Illustrated by Scott Snow. Now settled in the Kansas Territory, the Cody family meets with harassment and violence due to their abolitionist beliefs. After Pa's death, Bill joins a wagon train as an assistant and encounters Wild Bill Hickok. Each book's afterword explains which of the colorfully portrayed episodes in these old-fashioned western stories are based on fact. Occasional pencil sketches illustrate the books. [Review covers these Adventures of Young Buffalo Bill titles: In the Eye of the Storm, One Sky above Us, and West on the Wagon Train.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) 4-6 Adventures of Young Buffalo Bill series. Illustrated by Scott Snow. Now settled in the Kansas Territory, the Cody family meets with harassment and violence due to their abolitionist beliefs. After Pa's death, Bill joins a wagon train as an assistant and encounters Wild Bill Hickok. Each book's afterword explains which of the colorfully portrayed episodes in these old-fashioned western stories are based on fact. Occasional pencil sketches illustrate the books. [Review covers these Adventures of Young Buffalo Bill titles: In the Eye of the Storm, One Sky above Us, and West on the Wagon Train.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 1-3 Adventures of Young Buffalo Bill series. Illustrated by Scott Snow. In the first volume of this series, the Cody family--still grieving after the death of oldest son Sammy--leaves Iowa to homestead in Kansas Territory. Although some historical information about the era is awkwardly grafted onto the dialogue, this fictional portrait of eight-year-old Bill and his family's episodic journey across the prairie, should please fans of the Wild West. Occasional black-and-white illustrations break up the text.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(1) 4-6 This novel, narrated by thirteen-year-old Rosie Beckett, provides an animated and vivid trip back to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Rosie and her two siblings haven't traveled much beyond their rural Illinois farm, so their first trip to the big city of Chicago is as eye-opening and bewildering as the breathtaking sights of the fair. Rosie's energetic and humorous narration reflects all the wonder, optimism, and possibility the fair offered.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2001

(4) 4-6 History Mysteries series. Well-drawn historical contexts--War of 1812, Pony Express in 1860, women's suffrage movement in 1814, and World Wars I and II--combine with thin but fast-paced mysteries and courageous preteen heroines for satisfactory historical-fiction fare. The best of the group, Secrets on 26th Street, relates the predominantly middle- and upper-class suffragists' efforts to recruit working-class women. Historical notes are included.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) 4-6 Miranda and her mother join Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show to earn enough money to retire to their farm. They confront their own hatred when Sitting Bull, the Sioux chief who killed Miranda's father at Little Big Horn, joins the show. Whelan oversimplifies complex historical issues of Indian affairs and prejudices but makes a genuine attempt at evenhandedness.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam