One day in a house at the end of Lucifer Street, on the Mississippi River side of Cairo, Illinois, eleven-year-old Oscar Ogilvie’s life is changed forever. The Crash of 1929 has rippled across the country, and Oscar’s dad must sell their home—with all their cherished model trains—and head west in search of work. Forced to move in with his humorless aunt, Carmen and his teasing cousin, Willa Sue, Oscar is lonely and miserable—until he meets a mysterious drifter and witnesses a crime so stunning it catapults Oscar on an incredible train journey from coast to coast, from one decade to another.I really loved this book. I recommend it to those who like time travel, and trains. I really loved this book! I think it is one of those books that will be more enjoyed by parents than children, although the right child would love it too. Who is the best child for this book? A 10-14 year old boy, preferably a strong Catholic, that loves train sets. (I'm just not sure how many boys love trains today.) Another reason I think parents would enjoy it more is the multiple references to famous characters of another day and age. There are references to the stock market crash of 1929 and Herbert Hoover! then references to actors in 1941, such as Dutch (Ronald Reagan) and Joan Crawford, then in the mid 1920's to Mr. Merrill, Mr. Lynch, Mr. JP Morgan, and Mr. Joe Kennedy with his 10 year old son. It's a fun, exciting book to read, about time travel and trying to get back to your family. The young hero meets many wonderful characters along the way. Overall, I highly recommend this book, but it would be best for a parent to read aloud to a child. It would bring lots of pleasure to the parent and the parent could explain to the child the significance of the characters they meet in the book. Just a side note...I think a girl, especially a tomboy, would enjoy this book too. As for content, there is a very small amount of violence when a bank robbery happens, but nothing else inappropriate at all. A good, clean, fun and very well-written book!
What do You think about On The Blue Comet (2010)?
Great book for grades 4-6 set in the Depression Era with time travel aboard a train.
—alex
I enjoyed it. Nice work. Interesting and enjoyable.
—steff001
i don't know right no Because i just started it.
—lyin
