Title: Light on the Golden Mountain
Author: Roseanne Jelacic
Publisher: Toplink Publishing LLC
ISBN: B079V62GL9
Pages: 134
Genre: Literary Fiction, Children fiction
Reviewed by: Jennifer Weiss
Hollywood Book Reviews
Mandy McGandy and Jebediah Wu are two young children living in Post-Civil War California. Their lives could not be more distinctly different, but despite the odds they form a strong friendship which teaches them the meaning of bravery, justice and adventure. The two children come together by the intrigue of the construction of the transcontinental railroad. Together they face a schoolyard bully, torrential floods, and a train wreck in Nevada. As young children, they watch as the world around them becomes new and the nation is reborn into something new and exciting for them. Join Mandy and Jebediah as they learn what true friendship means and see how their friendship is tested through the waters of life in Roseanne Jelacic’s young adult fiction novel Light on the Golden Mountain.
Many books aimed at children or those reaching the young adult age strive to get a message across in one way or another. Some of those books seem to fail, but Jelacic’s book provides a positive message for children just beginning to become aware of the world around them. Her book provides a correlation between a significant historical period such as the Civil War and today’s era. While the children in the book face different odds than kids do today, there is still something in the story and characters that they can relate to and associate with. It is easy for kids to see themselves as either Mandy or Jeb, or relate them to someone in their lives.
Within this 134 page book, there are a lot of details and explanations happening in which the reader will be able to learn a lot. It is meticulously written, and it shows that Jelacic took the time to research and make the time period as authentic as possible to give the best representation. There is a lot to learn about the Trans-Continental Railroad, which even adults will be able to learn something new. It will spark a new thirst for not only reading, but learning from the budding young adults who read this book. While it does address what seems to be deep themes such as bullying and the tragedy of the train wreck, but it gets kids thinking about these things. It helps teach pre-teens how to formulate their own opinions on what would be happening around them. It is a historical fiction story, but there is something every kid can relate to and enjoy.
This is a great book to read with your children and opens the door to discussion and additional learning experience; as children may come up with questions about the time period. Roseanne Jelacic presents her audience with a fantastically written story that will appeal to young children and make them aware of the things that has happened in the past and the possibilities for the future. Light on the Golden Mountain should be one book which is read at an early age and used by parents and teachers alike as an additional learning tool.