The Kid

What worked:
The plot is extremely unique for middle-grade readers. First off, there aren’t many books about Wild West gunslingers that feature young characters. The author builds the Old West climate through descriptions of the setting, actions, and the characters’ language. A thief and gunslinger named Snake-Eye Sam crosses hot, dusty plains on horseback to Destiny, Colorado, and spends nights under the stars. He makes stops along the way to rob stores and travelers, often riling himself up into a mood to kill. Surprisingly, the author never actually describes Sam shooting or murdering anyone so it’s appropriate for middle-grade readers. The scenes include tobacco spitting, drinking sarsaparilla (not Sam though!), and encountering rattlesnakes. Readers will let their finds drift back to the 1800s to immerse themselves in the Wild West.
Four different stories are told featuring four different main characters. Perhaps the most important perspective features The Kid, a young boy who’s a quick-draw gunslinger. Other chapters focus on Henry and his brothers as Henry creates stories of The Kid to keep thieves and the state away from their family farm. Another point of view features Sam who has eyes on building his reputation by killing The Kid. Finally, another narrative follows a magazine editor named Harold who’s traveling West to find out why he hasn’t been receiving more stories about The Kid. Harold is naïve about this part of the country and has a lot to learn.
The author builds the plot up to the much-anticipated climax between Snake-Eye Sam and The Kid. The Kid is a fictional character wearing an over-sized hat but readers will immediately note that Henry also wears his father’s too-large cowboy hat. Sam’s anger grows whenever he hears the magazine stories about The Kid so his fury builds to an inferno by the time he reaches Destiny. The big question for readers is how Henry, a boy with zero talent for guns, can survive a showdown with a ruthless, skilled killer. Henry’s main asset is his brain but can that defeat a six-shooter?
What didn’t work as well:
The timeline of the different points of view is a little confusing. The book opens with a tale of The Kid and later chapters describe the outlaw Snake-Eye Sam, the magazine employee Herbert, and finally Henry and his brothers. The strange thing is the introduction of Henry creating The Kid comes after the book has already shared a couple of stories about The Kid. The early sections about Herbert seem out of place but they become more significant once he arrives in Destiny.
The final verdict:
It’s challenging to find middle-grade novels that stand out from others but The Kid is successfully different. Henry’s idea to save the family farm is thoughtful and creative but once readers meet Snake-Eye Sam they’ll realize a final showdown between the two is inevitable. Overall, the plot unfolds into a tense, descriptive tale and I recommend you give it a shot!

I have a mix of feelings with this book. I picked it up because I am doing a critical analysis of this genre, particularly with comics and children’s fiction. I have a personal buy-in, as well, as my family migrated from the eastern United States to Wyoming and Montana. I have actual hand-written stories, as well as oral histories to capture past events from my family.

In this children’s fiction novel, the Upton family loses their parents. The oldest child, Henry, fights to keep his family together. Each child has a role, and Henry’s role is writing stories, which have gained nationwide attention with the main character, The Kid.

Henry’s story merges with Herbert (pronounced “air bear”). Herbert is Henry’s editor in Philadelphia. When Henry’s stories stop arriving, Herbert goes in search of Henry to find out why and encourage him to keep writing. Herbert has his own intentions, as he must save his job.

Snake-Eye Sam is the antagonist who believes his gun is faster than The Kid’s, so he sets off in search of The Kid for a showdown set to take place in Destiny, Colorado. All three stories converge at high noon for the classic story climax.

Liked
Inclusion of The Kid stories from The Gunslinger magazine.
Cover image and the fonts at the beginning of each chapter.
The story, as a whole, was engaging. It was full of adventure and was fast paced. The Kid and Herbert collaborating after they meet in person is a beautiful addition.
The acknowledgement of the unintended consequences of The Kid stories getting nationwide attention.
Mentions of the sarsaparilla are cute and act as great metaphors.
The chapters organized by character points of view is a nice touch.

Considerations
Whitewashing of history.
Ignoring native persons (except for one mention) and landscapes.
The “Old West” language of the characters outside of The Kid stories.
Too many stereotypes (particularly of women and also ignoring others).
Continued perpetuation of Whites as saviors of the west.

The story hit home as a nostalgic piece. Thinking about middle grade readers, they would like the adventures and the story telling. There are also some themes to which readers can relate, such as loss, fear of the future, and resiliency. Looking at the text critically, it perpetuates negative stereotypes with too much of a focus on binaries while ignoring other possibilities. I have already found myself talking about this book to others!

The Kid is told from four points of view: Henry, the oldest of four newly orphaned brothers left in charge of his family farm, Herbert, an editor for a magazine that publishes gunslinger stories, Snake Eye Sam, an outlaw, and the serialized stories from Herbert's magazine about a lawman known only as The Kid. Each point of view ties in with the others and converge in the end in a classic western high noon showdown. A very fun read and unique in the landscape of current middle-grade fiction. This is a great option for those who always want more adventure stories.

"The Kid" is a book that I think many will enjoy, but this wasn't something that I could personally get into.

Outlaws barely know what hit them when The Kid keeps law and order in an unexpected way, guaranteeing that those pages keep turning until the very last page.

Henry is only fourteen-years-old, but with the passing of his mother and father, is responsible to care for his three younger brothers and keep the farm going, which isn't a big deal since their father made sure they knew what they were doing. However, the State will see things differently. To keep them from learning about his father's death and taking his brothers away, Henry makes a deal with the Sheriff and writes about a gunslinger, who resides in the area and is able to bring all outlaws to justice, and outlaws will think twice before going to their town. It's a success and soon The Kid becomes a national bestselling series. While most outlaws now steer clear in case The Kid truly appears, there is one who takes it as a challenge and travels far just to get there. And that outlaw breathes to kill.

I picked this one up because it sticks out among the other middle grade reads, and I'm glad I did. I should also mention that I've never really been a huge fan of Wild West stories but was very curious how a gunslinger tale would meld with today's ideologies. This worked better than I expected and was quite the fast-paced, exciting read.

The tale is written from several points of view—Henry, the east coast editor Herbert, and Snake Eye Sam. Each person's nickname (Boy, Editor, etc) is placed at the beginning of the chapter as well as the year and month, since the story doesn't unfold in one timeline. The Kid's fictional story is also included in chapters here and there. These appear in a typewriter-like font and are a nice addition. Not only are tiny aspects from Henry's life woven into The Kid's adventures, but these side tales do add an entertaining and interesting twist while the main story plays out. As to the other perspectives (the main story line), these take place on two different timelines (Henry's tale starts a year before those of Herbert and Snake Eye Sam). While the month and year is stated at the beginning of each chapter as well, the back and forth does make things a bit confusing at first. After the reader figures it out, though, things flow very well.

A fast-paced weave makes the adventure exciting from beginning to end, and the real danger keeps the tension high. Still, the characters aren't forgotten, either. Due to the tale being told in various perspectives, the reader gets to know the main characters well, and, especially Henry, is easy to root for. Henry's character clashes against that of his fictional character, The Kid, and still holds enough small similarities to hit the heart. Henry's desire to keep his brothers safe, his cleverness, and even his mistakes make him easy to sympathize with and support. Herbert also adds an unique sub-plot as he leaves his protected life to travel out West. His journey and views are so different than those of Snake Eye Sam, that it also creates an interesting contrast. As for Snake Eye Sam, he makes a terrific bad guy.

There are a couple of triggers surrounding death of a loved one and violent deaths (thanks to evil Snake Eye Sam), but the read is appropriate for tween and teen audiences. The messages surrounding family and perseverance are inspiring, and there are lovely character arcs for both Henry and Herbert. The high-noon stand-off brings everything to a well-laid peak and closes off with a few extra surprises.

I was surprised by how much this read pulled me in and do recommend it to adventure and action fans, who would like to try something a bit different. I received a DRC through Netgalley and enjoyed this story more than I expected.

Things aren't always what they seem! In this funny middle-grade story, 14-year old Henry needs to make sure his brothers are taken care of in 19th century Colorado. He writes stories about a fictional character, The Kid, who can outwit anyone. Herbert is an editor who wants to track down the writer of the stories, and Snake-Eye Sam wants to beat The Kid in a gunfight. When the characters converge, everyone learns more about themselves while learning about each other.
This was a little hard to follow because of the timeline, but it was a fun story and I really liked Henry and Herbert. I hope they live happily as a found family and have many more fun adventures. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

"Outlaws beware!"

Henry, a resourceful fourteen-year-old, concocts a daring plan to protect his family from separation by inventing a fictional gunslinger known as The Kid. Real danger looms when a notorious outlaw takes The Kid's legend as a challenge, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown.

This middle-grade novel offers a fresh take on the Wild West genre, blending fast-paced adventure with thoughtful character development. Through multiple perspectives and clever storytelling techniques, the narrative seamlessly intertwines Henry's struggles with those of his fictional creation, creating a captivating read that deftly explores themes of family, resilience, and the power of storytelling. Despite its dark moments, the book remains suitable for middle grade audiences, delivering an inspiring tale that will appeal to fans of action-packed adventures."