Taking three kids to Niagara Falls this summer, so will read many books on it in advance. This one is a rather calm one by the maker of gorgeous art in such books as Polar Express and Jumanji, wild stories, and a little on the fantastical and fearful side. This is about the first woman to go over the falls, in 1901, a former charm school teacher from Bay City, MI. (Van Allsburg was born four years before me in my hometown and his, Grand Rapids, MI!). She only wanted to do it (at age 63, in 1901!) for money, because her money was drying up, eh, but the story is illustrated beautifully and well, falls jumper stories are always pretty interesting, any way you tell them. This was pretty interesting to me, for a few reasons; I'm 61 in 2014, so imagined myself doing it this summer… nah! :) Annie Edson Taylor is just an ordinary lady. She runs her own ever-more successful charm school in Bay City, Michigan. But as years go by, she struggles to face the fact that she is watching her last student leave the school. Annie's savings are running low, and she must figure out a way to earn some money. That's when she thinks of her insane idea: to be the first one to plunge down the Niagara Falls in a barrel. I picked up this book when I saw the shiny, clean cover page. This topic was something I was really interested in. I saw a page of Niagara Falls daredevils in one of the Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Nots, but there was only a very brief information bubble about Annie Edson Taylor. I quickly scanned through the book and I saw that the illustrations were really great as well.The story, along with the illustrations, is unbelievable and jaw-dropping. Each page is more interesting than the other. It's so unimaginable to watch an old lady go down the crushing Niagara Falls in a barrel filled with pillows! Yet, she only ends up with a few bruises and one cut!I recommend this book to Victoria, who I think will be interested in this topic in this time of history. Although it may be history, this story truly stands out.
What do You think about Queen Of The Falls (2011)?
Author's note is just as fascinating as the story itself.
—hanh
Interesting story and of course amazing illustrations!
—Rachel
The ending is not what I expected it to be!
—Panda
