About the Author:
ADAM OSTERWEIL grew up in Plainview, NY. He graduated from Cornell University with a B.A. in Classics, and from Stony Brook University with a M.A. in Liberal Studies. He teaches junior high English at Springs School in Springs, New York. His hobbies include kayaking, historical research, and metal detecting.
Review:
"Narrated in the first person by Cooper, Osterweil's novel reveals the inner workings of a sensitive boy trying to figure out how to help his family survive...budding historians will have the opportunity to learn about an important moment in U.S. history--and may even be inspired to pick up a metal detector of their own. A poignant coming-of-age story and history lesson rolled into one." --Kirkus Reviews
"This beautifully written book is steeped in history and folklore all told through the eyes of an amazing eleven-year-old boy that only wants to have his mother act like a mother and the land to be free of hurt." --Children's Literature
"Mr. Osterweil delivers history well, with a passion for storytelling and honesty...[He] gets well inside his main character and spends some time there. [The story] comes right from Cooper's own point of view in stereophonic first-person narration that includes his secrets, his fears, and his conversations with a host of inanimate objects...[that] have internal consistency and sticking power...Cooper's point of view on things is emotional, sensitive, quirky, zany...He's at once very independent and very needy, a contradiction/combination that is certainly realistic." --East Hampton Star
Society of School Librarians International -- 2013 Honor Book, Language Arts-Grades K-6 Novels.
"Osterweil effectively captures Cooper's first-person point of view and the
fantasy world he often slips into, where he communicates with Squeaky his
bicycle, Decto his metal detector, the television, the ghost of his little
brother, and even planet Earth itself. In finding musket balls, cannon,
tomahawks, buttons, and coins, and learning the stories behind them, Cooper
helps to preserve a piece of history. As a result, readers will sense a
healthier future for Cooper and his mother...Funny how a trip to the past can
open up a new future." --The Horn Book Guide
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