Searching for Silverheels

Gr 6 Up--Pearl Barnell and her small town of Como, Colorado are in for a change. The shift begins when Josie, a local suffragette, challenges the legend of Silverheels that Pearl shares with some tourists who enter her family's cafe. Readers follow Pearl in her quest to learn the truth about the dancer nicknamed Silverheels, and they see her shed her complacence for a determination to do right, no matter the cost. Mobley uses the microcosm of Como to echo the broader issues of the day--women's suffrage, the Great War, prejudice, and class divisions--yet she doesn't overwhelm readers or the town with these themes. Humorous occasions, particularly a camping trip to see the ghost of Silverheels and some of Pearl's interactions with Josie, temper the more serious elements. A few flat characters, like the matronly Mrs. Crawford, Pearl's friend Imogene, and Pearl's well-grounded mother, seem mere foils for the protagonist. Between the search for the real Silverheels, Pearl's transformation and romantic decisions, and the tension between Josie and the townspeople, there is enough to keep readers interested in the story.--Hilary Writt, Sullivan University, Lexington, KY