Somewhere Down the Line: The Legend of Boomer Jack

by Timothy Martin

Somewhere Down the Line: The Legend of Boomer Jack is based on the true story of a dog who rode the lumber trains of Northern California in the early 1900s.

Boomer Jack is a lovable railroad dog who has ridden the rails since he was a pup. Although he belongs to the mayor’s wife, who wants him to be a house dog, Boomer can’t resist the call of a train whistle.

Boomer has many friends around the town of Willits, including a kind-hearted station master and a locomotive engineer and his trusty fireman, but no one could love him more than a ten-year-old girl named Sara Parsons. Saddened by the recent death of her father in a tragic train accident, Sara looks to Boomer to ease her loneliness. But she soon discovers that it's impossible to keep a railroad dog away from the trains for long.

Though Boomer is content to spend his days chasing adventure on the rails, trouble arises for the town when Mayor Belmont, who is also president of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, decides to route his trains around Willits to another town. Meanwhile, Boomer has problems of his own when he is wrongly accused of chasing livestock and Fisk, a boozing dog catcher, sets out to capture him.

After a narrow escape from Fisk, Boomer joins engineer Paddy and fireman Jonsey on a high-speed locomotive ride to San Francisco. The trainmen and their canine companion visit the city and return home with a second dog, Lucky, who becomes Boomer's new love.

Once back in town, troubles escalate for both Boomer and the town of Willits when an angry Fisk tries to take his revenge. In the end, it’s up to Sara to save the day, and learn a most important lesson from Boomer: True happiness is not to possess, but simply to love.

124 pages, Paperback

First published July 28, 2013

About the author

Tim Martin is the author of There's Nothing Funny About Running, Summer With Dad, Why Run If No One Is Chasing You? and Wimps Like Me. He has completed nine screenplays and is a frequent contributing author to Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Reviews

[Tima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boomer Jack would rather be riding a train than anything else. His owner can't keep him at home, despite her best efforts. The railroad employees soon adopt Boomer and allow him to ride trains and roam the depot. Boomer inspires love among the railway employees and young students. But his penchant for running away to ride a train also gets him into trouble.

The story of Boomer is fun for all ages. Young children will love the simplicity and smooth flowing language of the story. Adults will also enjoy reading the story of this adventuresome dog.
The story isn't long. But the chapters and larger print will make it perfect for young children to read.

I received this book free of charge from Direct Contact in exchange for my honest review.

[Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to my boys over break and they LOVED it. We are dog lovers in this house and reading a story about a adventuresome dog was right up our alley! It was great story to discuss with the boys and they enjoyed finding the deeper meaning within the story! 4 stars!