Trying her hand at a new genre of fiction, Coloumbis (Getting Near to Baby
) offers a rip-roaring Western as full of wild escapades as the dime novels of old, which her protagonist is so fond of reading. Orphans 11-year-old Sallie (who narrates) and her older sister, Maude, live with their aunt Ruthie until the day a stray bullet strikes her dead. After a brief stay with the preacher (who is bent on marrying off Maude to a "grandfatherly sort of man"), the girls decide to head west down the Oregon Trail to find their only living relative, Uncle Arlen. It doesn't take long for the girls to meet up with Aunt Ruthie's murderer, Joe Harden, who is also a dime novel author, and who turns out to be a fairly decent fellow despite the fact he's running from the law. He manages to get the girls involved in horse thievery, a bank robbery and a shootout (in which Sallie proves herself to be handy enough with a gun). Due to a series of newspaper articles, Maude gets most of the credit and soon becomes known as Mad Maude March, "a hardened criminal." Featuring equal doses of comedy and adventure, this novel written with broad strokes and tongue-in-cheek commentary about pioneer life is sure to rustle up a new herd of fans for Couloumbis. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)
