The Secret of Ferrell Savage

Gr 3–6—Unlike everyone else in Golden Hill, Colorado, 12-year-old Ferrell Savage is thinking less about winning the Big Sled Race and more about impressing his best friend, Mary Vittles. He doesn't win, but instead becomes a local hero when his lounge-chair-turned-sled takes a death-defying tumble. Mary is not impressed, but the new kid Bruce Littledood notices and threatens to reveal a dark secret about Mary and Ferrell's families. Set in a fictional town, Gill's novel uses real events and people from Colorado history as the foundation for this modern story. In 1874, Alfred Packer was accused of murdering and eating his five traveling companions while stuck in a snowstorm. In this story, Ferrell is Packer's great-great-great-nephew, while Mary is the great-great-great-granddaughter of one of the cannibalized men. The historical connection is intriguing, but the unrealistic plot and unbelievable characters are not. Told from Ferrell's perspective, the narration and dialogue often feel forced, and the undeveloped characters lack dimension while navigating improbable situations. Littledood's sudden change of heart and the heavy-handed delivery of the moral makes for a trite ending. The back matter includes a bit of information about the historical characters, but lacks a bibliography. An additional purchase, primarily for libraries in Colorado that are looking for titles with local connections.—Amy Seto Musser, Denver Public Library