The narrative comes alive with colorful descriptions, such as stout timbers that groan and a “massive mountain...forever leaning in upon itself.” Beautiful textured paintings rendered in the style of 19th-century Plains Indian drawings, with acrylic on wood panels, accompany the narrative.
Toby Rajput, National Louis University, Skokie, IL
School Library Journal
STARRED REVIEW "The vivid narrative ... Read moreis valuable in helping readers understand not just the facts but also the experiences of miners in late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century America."
Carolyn Phelan
Booklist
The illustrations...are alive, historically accurate, expressive, and realistically rendered.
Marion Mueller, Library Media Consultant, Rawhide Starr Academy, New London, Wisconsin
Library Media Connection
Nelson’s acrylic-paint illustrations are gritty and realistic; more evocative still are the historical photographs that appear on nearly every page. A useful and thorough piece of work combining fiction and nonfiction, with an extensive author’s note detailing the history of coal mining.
Kirkus Reviews
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