Synopses & Reviews
It's 1886. Twelve-year-old Rose Taylor, her older brother Zane, and her widowed mother belong to a traveling Wild West show (modeled after Buffalo Bill's hugely popular show). Though Rose dreams of starring as a trick rider, females are allowed to play only bit parts. On opening night in Louisville, Kentucky, Rose fides in a stagecoach with local dignitaries for an act called "Attack on the Dry Gulch Stage." But suddenly, the fake bandit attack on the stagecoach turns into a real shooting that nearly kills the military hero seated beside Rose. The next day, her own brother Zane -- the show's star sharpshooter -- is jailed for attempted murder. Rose knows her good-hearted brother is innocent, even though his gun was used in the shooting and he has no alibi. Since the show owners don't seem to care about Zane's fate, it's up to Rose to uncover the real assassin. Only one person seems to know what actually happened -- Rose's friend, Chief White Bear, a Sioux leader who performs with the show (a character based on the Sioux warrior Sitting Bull, who performed with Buffalo Bill's Wild West). But prejudice against the Sioux is so strong that White Bear can't risk getting involved in the investigation. Instead, Rose must use the cryptic clues he leaves for her, combined with her own sharp logic, to save Zane. When her sleuthing reveals plans for a second assassination attempt, Rose makes a daring ride on her beloved horse Crow to foil the shooting -- and in the process proves her skill as a trick rider.
Synopsis
A trick rider in a Wild West show is the main character in this behind-the-scenes look at traveling performers. Includes an illustrated nonfiction essay on Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and on loss of Native American lands as a result of the disastrous Dawes Act. Illustrations.