Goodbye, Bodie

In the small mining town of Bodie, California, Kat Sturdivant lives a pretty good life. She has good friends and takes care of the small home she shares with her miner father. A mysterious and suspicious ‘accident’ occurs which changes things for Kat, forever. With a few exceptions, no one seems to believe her father’s death was anything other than the accident the mining company claims it to be. Kat however does not agree and when strange events begin to occur she realizes that if the truth is ever to surface she must be the one to uncover it. Thus Kat begins an adventure which will lead her to travel alone to new cities in search of the answers she seeks.

I liked this tale of mystery and adventure, told through the eyes of the young heroine Kat. The author craftily manages to bring to life the feel of boomtown, early America through characters and images which are easy to imagine. Although I am not at all sure that in that era any woman, yet alone one as young as the heroine, would have attempted to or even been allowed to travel or for that matter live alone. It was however intregal to this story that she be left on her own, so to speak, and once you looked beyond that aspect of the tale there was much there to enjoy. The heroine is smart, brave, and willing to take risks to seek justice for her lost loved one. Historical fiction with a dash of romance and intrigue, Goodbye, Bodie is a young adult tale that I would consider a great choice for readers around age 11 and up.

Reviewed by: Johnna