The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis

The untimely death of their aunt leaves fifteen-year-old Maude and eleven-year-old Sallie in a state of shock. The bank repossesses their house. Taken in my the preacher, Maude faces marriage to an old man and Sallie faces a life of servitude waiting on the preacher's family. Feeling they have no choice, the girls disguise themselves as boys and set out for Independence, Missouri, in hopes of locating their uncle there. Their journey isn't easy from the beginning and takes several turns for the worse. The girls eventually reach their destination, but not before Maude has acquired the reputation of a notorious outlaw. Now, the trick is to ditch the reputation before it ditches her.

What I thought: I had such fun reading this book. Sallie was a wonderful narrator. Their adventures reminded me greatly of other western books (L'Amour & Grey) and movies and I've read and watched. I was on the edge of my seat every time the girls ran into trouble. Maude's transformation into an outlaw was laughable. When they found the newspapers, I laughed so much. It goes to show that you can't believe everything you read. Marion Hardly was a quite interesting character. I can't wait to see how he develops in the next book.

I read The Misadventures of Maude March for the YA Historical Fiction Challenge.

(Random House, 2005)