justice_turtle: Image of the TARDIS in a field on a sunny day (Liz Shaw laughing)
justice_turtle ([personal profile] justice_turtle) wrote in [community profile] readallthenewberys2013-09-05 01:12 pm

Review: Little Blacknose (Hildegarde Hoyt Swift)

Summary: Tells the story of the Dewitt Clinton steam locomotive from its own point of view. Slightly fictionalized to link the original 1831 Dewitt Clinton and its 1893 full-size working replica as being the same engine.

Reaction: After a slow start, a surprisingly sweet little book, quick to read and full of memorable, likable characters. By the end of the book, I really cared quite a lot about the welfare of this train engine. ^_^ Highly recommended. WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE OUT OF PRINT. :P If I am ever a multi-millionaire, one thing I'm going to do is buy up the rights to some of these books and reprint them for modern readers.

Conclusion: Four stars. I docked it one for the slow start and for some infelicitous language choices, like the use of spelled-out "Negro dialect" in the one spot where an African-American porter appears.