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Dear America
Down the Rabbit Hole: The Diary of Pringle Rose, Chicago, Illinois, 1871
Newbery Honor author Susan Campbell Bartoletti brings the story of a young girl caught up in a web of murder, lies, and the Great Fire of Chicago to bold life. In the spring of 1871, fourteen-year-old Pringle Rose learns that her parents have been killed in a terrible carriage accident. After her uncle Edward and his awful wife, Adeline, move into the Pringle family's home — making life for her and her younger brother, Gideon, unbearable — Pringle runs away with Gideon to Chicago, seeking refuge from the tragedy, and hoping to start a new life. She becomes a nanny for the children of a labor activist, and quickly finds herself caught up in a web of intrigue and lies. Then, when a familiar figure from home arrives, Pringle begins to piece together the devastating mystery of what happened to her parents, and realizes just how deadly the truth might be. But soon, one of the greatest disasters this country has ever known, the Great Fire of Chicago, flares up, and Pringle is on the run for her life.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2013
51 people are currently reading
1660 people want to read
About the author
Susan Campbell Bartoletti
33 books234 followersSusan Campbell Bartoletti is an American writer of children's literature. She was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, but eventually the family ended up in a small town in northeastern Pennsylvania. Susan started as an English teacher and inspired many students before deciding to pursue writing in earnest. She sold her first short story in 1989. Three years later in 1992 she published her first picture book, Silver at Night. She held a rigid routine, awaking early in the morning in order to write before she left to teach. In 1997 she turned to writing full time. Susan has since returned to inspiring future writers. She teaches writing classes at a number of MA and MFA programs, among them Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky, and Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. Additionally she leads workshops offered through the Highlights Foundation.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
April 3, 2023
cant believe they named her after a chip
February 14, 2013
Rating is really 2.5 stars. There was WAY too much going on in this book, and while some of it was well-written, there were a lot of plot holes and loose ends that were never tied up for absolutely no reason. Like,
This author's strength is definitely nonfiction writing, not fiction.
The small romance () and a saucy joke make this a middle-grade read. It'd probably be fine if younger kids read it (stuff like that goes right over their heads), but I won't be recommending this any younger than 6th grade.
This author's strength is definitely nonfiction writing, not fiction.
The small romance () and a saucy joke make this a middle-grade read. It'd probably be fine if younger kids read it (stuff like that goes right over their heads), but I won't be recommending this any younger than 6th grade.
September 4, 2013
I was actually really disappointed with this book.
For a book it was actually okay. Some of it was frustrating, but it was an okay/easy read.
For a "Dear America" book it was awful. One of the worst I've ever read. This says a lot because I love "Dear America" almost more than life itself. I've been reading this series since I was 12/13. I have always had an easy time identifying with the main character, the authoress, no matter the age difference.
I was especially disappointed because one of my all-time favorite "Dear America" books, "A Coal Miner's Bride," was written by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. I was expecting the same brilliance. The same heartfelt struggle, the same TYPE of writing. Obviously, its a different time period, a different girl, a different critical event in America's history. Every character is different, I understand that.
What I was NOT expecting was a rather oddly put together "diary," a character that I had a really hard time connecting with and another "mystery" that wasn't all that mysterious and was barely focused on.
The last newer "Dear America" book I read, "Behind the Masks," was more the normal format, but had this silly "mystery" nonsense that makes no sense to me.
"Dear America" was never about mysteries. It was about the history. The time period. The girl growing up in that time. A girl's life.
Pringle is selfish, self-involved and overly opinionated. Opinions are good things to have, but not when you use them blindly. And though it seemed like she was learning, she didn't learn a thing.
I did love the "Alice in Wonderland" references as it is one of my favorite books. And the talk between Pringle and her "Rabbit" was beautifully put together.
This book left much to be desired, for me. I'm sad that this is what the series is offering now.
For a book it was actually okay. Some of it was frustrating, but it was an okay/easy read.
For a "Dear America" book it was awful. One of the worst I've ever read. This says a lot because I love "Dear America" almost more than life itself. I've been reading this series since I was 12/13. I have always had an easy time identifying with the main character, the authoress, no matter the age difference.
I was especially disappointed because one of my all-time favorite "Dear America" books, "A Coal Miner's Bride," was written by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. I was expecting the same brilliance. The same heartfelt struggle, the same TYPE of writing. Obviously, its a different time period, a different girl, a different critical event in America's history. Every character is different, I understand that.
What I was NOT expecting was a rather oddly put together "diary," a character that I had a really hard time connecting with and another "mystery" that wasn't all that mysterious and was barely focused on.
The last newer "Dear America" book I read, "Behind the Masks," was more the normal format, but had this silly "mystery" nonsense that makes no sense to me.
"Dear America" was never about mysteries. It was about the history. The time period. The girl growing up in that time. A girl's life.
Pringle is selfish, self-involved and overly opinionated. Opinions are good things to have, but not when you use them blindly. And though it seemed like she was learning, she didn't learn a thing.
I did love the "Alice in Wonderland" references as it is one of my favorite books. And the talk between Pringle and her "Rabbit" was beautifully put together.
This book left much to be desired, for me. I'm sad that this is what the series is offering now.
February 17, 2021
I didn't realize how much I disliked like this book until I started to review it. I wrote a long synopsis of the entire plot in order to explain why I found the main character hypocritical, ignorant, and selfish, but it turned out so negative that I didn't have the heart to post it.
I'm disappointed because I really enjoyed the other book by Bartoletti in the Dear America series, A Coal Miner's Bride. In that book, we saw the perspective of the miners and their families. In Down the Rabbit Hole, Bartoletti is bold enough to flip the coin and write from the other perspective, that of a colliery owner's daughter. This might have been intriguing if the main character, Pringle, had learned or grown from anything she experienced. However, she is a stagnant character that never confronts the sad truth that her father treated people unjustly and ultimately paid the price for it.
Other issues: this book reads like a novel, not a diary. Also, we are led to believe the focus of the diary will be the Great Chicago Fire, but it ends up being an afterthought to Pringle's personal drama. It felt like Bartoletti chose Chicago as the setting and included the fire only so she could publish under the Dear America title. The fire did nothing whatsoever to further the plot.
To conclude, I suppose this made-up diary is a realistic picture of how most people live their lives - consumed with themselves and stuck in their own shoes and ways. But it isn't one I think history would want to remember, and it definitely isn't one that I want to.
I'm disappointed because I really enjoyed the other book by Bartoletti in the Dear America series, A Coal Miner's Bride. In that book, we saw the perspective of the miners and their families. In Down the Rabbit Hole, Bartoletti is bold enough to flip the coin and write from the other perspective, that of a colliery owner's daughter. This might have been intriguing if the main character, Pringle, had learned or grown from anything she experienced. However, she is a stagnant character that never confronts the sad truth that her father treated people unjustly and ultimately paid the price for it.
Other issues: this book reads like a novel, not a diary. Also, we are led to believe the focus of the diary will be the Great Chicago Fire, but it ends up being an afterthought to Pringle's personal drama. It felt like Bartoletti chose Chicago as the setting and included the fire only so she could publish under the Dear America title. The fire did nothing whatsoever to further the plot.
To conclude, I suppose this made-up diary is a realistic picture of how most people live their lives - consumed with themselves and stuck in their own shoes and ways. But it isn't one I think history would want to remember, and it definitely isn't one that I want to.
February 9, 2013
I found this rather anti-union and very forgiving of working conditions that gave rise to unions. Having the "bad guy" be the only union worker we get to know was annoying.
December 23, 2021
Note: Read in elementary or middle school
September 28, 2013
A difficult book to review because there was much I liked and much I disliked about this book. On the plus side, all of the characters are extremely well drawn, even the minor ones. They are real, flawed, and fascinating. And I loved that Gideon, a young boy with Down's syndrome, is portrayed as a unique individual with unique abilities. Additionally, the story was engaging, in that I wanted to keep reading--the pacing was good, and I stayed interested throughout.
On the minus side, although I very much liked the idea of using references to the Alice books, the allusions and comparisons didn't add up to anything meaningful in the end. For me, this wasn't any sort of modern version, or retelling, or an interesting take on Wonderland, or even really a reflection of how the Alice books inform the main character's personality or actions--which one would expect given the title and so many direct and obvious allusions to the books. More problematically, plot and themes were not thoughtfully developed. It was difficult to take much away from reading the book; in fact, the book seemed to contradict itself over and over. To clarify: I actually appreciate authors who work in gray areas, who do not make black-and-white statements, but this book was simply muddled and confusing. For instance, Pringle tells us that some families we are born into, and some families we choose. For most of the book, it appears that Pringle has found a "chosen" family who truly loves her and that she loves in return. Yet, at the end of the book, it is blind loyalty to blood ties that lead Pringle to suddenly reject her "chosen" family and vice versa, with no explanation given of the feelings of either party afterward. Huh? The epilogue is useless in this regard. Especially considering that this is a book for young readers, I'd like to see the characters acknowledging and grappling with contradictions.
In addition, the relationship between Cager and Pringle was totally confusing. Cager's motivation in pursuing Pringle romantically makes absolutely no sense, and is never explained. And while I am pretty tolerant of coincidences in books . . . the plot machinations in this novel were almost ridiculously distracting. And the loose ends!! I don't mind some, but I really would have liked some follow-up on what happened to Beatrice Ringwald . . . putting someone in an insane asylum and never mentioning her again is very frustrating for a reader!
And there's just way too much going on. All worthy topics--Coal mining, labor unions, children with disabilities, orphans, the Great Chicago Fire, railroad safety, even animal welfare, but all in less than 250 pages!!
I am a big fan of Susan Campbell Bartoletti, but I do not think this is one of her better efforts.
On the minus side, although I very much liked the idea of using references to the Alice books, the allusions and comparisons didn't add up to anything meaningful in the end. For me, this wasn't any sort of modern version, or retelling, or an interesting take on Wonderland, or even really a reflection of how the Alice books inform the main character's personality or actions--which one would expect given the title and so many direct and obvious allusions to the books. More problematically, plot and themes were not thoughtfully developed. It was difficult to take much away from reading the book; in fact, the book seemed to contradict itself over and over. To clarify: I actually appreciate authors who work in gray areas, who do not make black-and-white statements, but this book was simply muddled and confusing. For instance, Pringle tells us that some families we are born into, and some families we choose. For most of the book, it appears that Pringle has found a "chosen" family who truly loves her and that she loves in return. Yet, at the end of the book, it is blind loyalty to blood ties that lead Pringle to suddenly reject her "chosen" family and vice versa, with no explanation given of the feelings of either party afterward. Huh? The epilogue is useless in this regard. Especially considering that this is a book for young readers, I'd like to see the characters acknowledging and grappling with contradictions.
In addition, the relationship between Cager and Pringle was totally confusing. Cager's motivation in pursuing Pringle romantically makes absolutely no sense, and is never explained. And while I am pretty tolerant of coincidences in books . . . the plot machinations in this novel were almost ridiculously distracting. And the loose ends!! I don't mind some, but I really would have liked some follow-up on what happened to Beatrice Ringwald . . . putting someone in an insane asylum and never mentioning her again is very frustrating for a reader!
And there's just way too much going on. All worthy topics--Coal mining, labor unions, children with disabilities, orphans, the Great Chicago Fire, railroad safety, even animal welfare, but all in less than 250 pages!!
I am a big fan of Susan Campbell Bartoletti, but I do not think this is one of her better efforts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2014
When I was younger, I read every Dear America book on the shelves. Even after new ones stopped appearing, I continued to keep an eye out. So when this showed up, I grabbed it.
I don't know what I would have thought of it if I'd read it alongside the others. I probably would have shut it immediately because of the kissing incident. {Young Melody did not read books with kissing.}
This was a particularly sad Dear America, though. Pringle's parents die early on in Scantron, and then
But through it all, she's a very resourceful heroine. It's actually quite commendable what Bartoletti has done; most juvenile historical fiction deals either with rich children who are extremely sympathetic to the poor {think Meet Samantha: An American Girl} or poor children who exist in a world with snooty rich children {The Little House Collection}. Pringle is a rich child with high-society manners, but she is also humble and kind and strong. Rare, and well-done. {No, this book is not a steak.}
I swooned over Rabbit, though by the end of the book, I was a bit confused.
Also, from a quick Christian standpoint, I liked the way Bartoletti wrote Pringle's view of God. He's good, and it is never His will for bad things to happen. This is not Christian fiction, but it may just be stepping into that blurry area that is neither Christian nor secular {my favorite piece of literary ground}.
I don't know what I would have thought of it if I'd read it alongside the others. I probably would have shut it immediately because of the kissing incident. {Young Melody did not read books with kissing.}
This was a particularly sad Dear America, though. Pringle's parents die early on in Scantron, and then
But through it all, she's a very resourceful heroine. It's actually quite commendable what Bartoletti has done; most juvenile historical fiction deals either with rich children who are extremely sympathetic to the poor {think Meet Samantha: An American Girl} or poor children who exist in a world with snooty rich children {The Little House Collection}. Pringle is a rich child with high-society manners, but she is also humble and kind and strong. Rare, and well-done. {No, this book is not a steak.}
I swooned over Rabbit, though by the end of the book, I was a bit confused.
Also, from a quick Christian standpoint, I liked the way Bartoletti wrote Pringle's view of God. He's good, and it is never His will for bad things to happen. This is not Christian fiction, but it may just be stepping into that blurry area that is neither Christian nor secular {my favorite piece of literary ground}.
December 11, 2024
Well, that's all folks . . . After two years, I've read every book in the Dear America series, and there have been some definite highs and lows. Down the Rabbit Hole lies somewhere in the middle of the pack. I'd been expecting more since A Coal Miner's Bride (also by Susan Campbell Bartoletti) was one of my favorites. My over-all rating is 3.5, but I'm rounding down because of the ending.
At the line level, this is a very well written book that focuses quite a bit on labor reform and workers' rights. It held my interest. In a callback to the original Dear America books, the book opens with melodrama: Pringle and her brother are orphaned when their parents' carriage wrecks. They are then "cared for" by an abusive aunt and negligent uncle before running away to Chicago. This book's cover copy made it seem like the fire would be a major event in the book, but it actually only happens in the final few pages and has little to no impact on the events of the story. It very much feels like an afterthought.
Like many of the other books in the "rebooted" series, this doesn't read like a diary at all. I was very disappointed by how quickly Pringle's relationship with the Pritchard family sours--and with truly no resolution. I found the foreshadowing of the Great fire absurdly heavy-handed, and the endless references to Alice in Wonderland became annoying. The romance subplot also made little sense, given what is revealed about "Rabbit." As a whole, it seems like once Pringle arrives in Chicago, the author didn't really know what else to do with the story, and it just kind of fell apart and wrapped up too quickly, without any real resolution.
Dead parent count (for old time's sake): 2!!!
It was interesting to revisit a beloved series in adulthood. Some books have held up remarkably well and belie strong research and writing. Others have been problematic and/or forgettable. I'm a little sad this reading "side quest" is over now, but truthfully, I'm glad to be moving on.
Dear America, thanks for being a fun distraction with pretty silk bookmarks and too many child brides. xoxo Kat
At the line level, this is a very well written book that focuses quite a bit on labor reform and workers' rights. It held my interest. In a callback to the original Dear America books, the book opens with melodrama: Pringle and her brother are orphaned when their parents' carriage wrecks. They are then "cared for" by an abusive aunt and negligent uncle before running away to Chicago. This book's cover copy made it seem like the fire would be a major event in the book, but it actually only happens in the final few pages and has little to no impact on the events of the story. It very much feels like an afterthought.
Like many of the other books in the "rebooted" series, this doesn't read like a diary at all. I was very disappointed by how quickly Pringle's relationship with the Pritchard family sours--and with truly no resolution. I found the foreshadowing of the Great fire absurdly heavy-handed, and the endless references to Alice in Wonderland became annoying. The romance subplot also made little sense, given what is revealed about "Rabbit." As a whole, it seems like once Pringle arrives in Chicago, the author didn't really know what else to do with the story, and it just kind of fell apart and wrapped up too quickly, without any real resolution.
Dead parent count (for old time's sake): 2!!!
It was interesting to revisit a beloved series in adulthood. Some books have held up remarkably well and belie strong research and writing. Others have been problematic and/or forgettable. I'm a little sad this reading "side quest" is over now, but truthfully, I'm glad to be moving on.
Dear America, thanks for being a fun distraction with pretty silk bookmarks and too many child brides. xoxo Kat
December 22, 2021
i am more than slightly 🤨
June 3, 2023
Here I am at work, minding my business, and someone has the audacity to check one of these books out. My brain exploded accordingly. I LOVED these books when I was younger and completely forgot about them!
I enjoyed reading this so much. It gave me exactly the same feels as it did 20 years ago.
I enjoyed reading this so much. It gave me exactly the same feels as it did 20 years ago.
April 21, 2023
Love stories that make your heart race to know more!
September 5, 2025
I've read this series when i was kittle so reading new books from it now feels almost like my little time Machine a breather from college stress
April 1, 2016
(Aaand I accidentally refreshed the page, erasing my entire review. Let's try again.)
So, overall, I liked the plot.
Unfortunately, it tended to jump back and forth a bit. And I don't just mean at the beginning, when Pringle is recounting why she and Gideon left home. The plot just felt a bit crowded, detail-wise; we have the circumstances surrounding the parents' deaths, the train, Miss Ringwald, The Pritchetts, Rabbit, Pringle's employment, Merricat, Gideon's issues, and then the fire- it was all just a bit much. I feel like the author tried a bit too hard to cram in a lot of things, and the book suffered for it.
Then we have the writing-style. All right, I get that the epilogue says that Pringle's diary was eventually published for public consumption, but there's no mention that she edited it- only that it was published. And it was mentioned at the very, very end of the book.
So by that point, we've been reading a book that reads less like a diary and more like a novel. There's too much detail, too much description- too much to convince me that this is the diary of a teenage girl, however educated. Like, the incident with Peter and the anti-union people? The fight is described with a sort of detail that seems entirely unrealistic from the perspective of a frightened fourteen year-old. It felt like an adult trying to write a young teenager's perspective and not doing very well- and again, we're not given much indication that Pringle supposedly edited the diary as an adult. Assuming she did? It's still jarring while you're reading, because you don't realize it until the very ending.
And then there's the ironic foreshadowing. When they're on their way to Ringwald's when they first get to Chicago, Pringle and Gideon meet a cabbie, who actually lampshades the fact that Chicago is made of wood and could very easily go up in smoke. Except... We don't need the foreshadowing. We don't. We all went into this book knowing that the historical topic was "The Great Chicago Fire". It's right on the front of the book. We don't need the wink-wink nudge-nudge. Not only is it unnecessary, but it actually takes you out of the book a bit because, yeah, we know what's coming, that's why we're reading it.
Not to mention, even if you read the book knowing that Pringle may have (and probably did) edited it later on, it still comes off as a bit melodramatic and contrived.
Her parents die,
The Chicago Fire itself ends up getting shoved to the very end of the book. Not even kidding- it's relegated to the last twelve pages. I get that setting the scene is important, but this major disaster that is meant to be the underlying subject of the book is just shoved to the last pages. We don't see Pringle and Gideon recovering from it, we don't see the effect that it had on Chicago- nothing. It's a blip on the radar at most.
Look- if you're touting the book as being about the Great Chicago Fire, then you should probably make that, at the very least, a semi-major part of the book. The historical aspects of these books are why people read them. They are supposed to be the focus of the book, with the main character's life and development as an equal part. The characters are important, of course, but the audience looks at the historical event and says, "Hmm, I don't know about that, let's have a look."
When you open the book expecting to hear about the Great Chicago Fire and said book barely even touches upon it, it's a bit of a let-down; not just for the story, but for what you were hoping to learn from it.
So, overall, I liked the plot.
Unfortunately, it tended to jump back and forth a bit. And I don't just mean at the beginning, when Pringle is recounting why she and Gideon left home. The plot just felt a bit crowded, detail-wise; we have the circumstances surrounding the parents' deaths, the train, Miss Ringwald, The Pritchetts, Rabbit, Pringle's employment, Merricat, Gideon's issues, and then the fire- it was all just a bit much. I feel like the author tried a bit too hard to cram in a lot of things, and the book suffered for it.
Then we have the writing-style. All right, I get that the epilogue says that Pringle's diary was eventually published for public consumption, but there's no mention that she edited it- only that it was published. And it was mentioned at the very, very end of the book.
So by that point, we've been reading a book that reads less like a diary and more like a novel. There's too much detail, too much description- too much to convince me that this is the diary of a teenage girl, however educated. Like, the incident with Peter and the anti-union people? The fight is described with a sort of detail that seems entirely unrealistic from the perspective of a frightened fourteen year-old. It felt like an adult trying to write a young teenager's perspective and not doing very well- and again, we're not given much indication that Pringle supposedly edited the diary as an adult. Assuming she did? It's still jarring while you're reading, because you don't realize it until the very ending.
And then there's the ironic foreshadowing. When they're on their way to Ringwald's when they first get to Chicago, Pringle and Gideon meet a cabbie, who actually lampshades the fact that Chicago is made of wood and could very easily go up in smoke. Except... We don't need the foreshadowing. We don't. We all went into this book knowing that the historical topic was "The Great Chicago Fire". It's right on the front of the book. We don't need the wink-wink nudge-nudge. Not only is it unnecessary, but it actually takes you out of the book a bit because, yeah, we know what's coming, that's why we're reading it.
Not to mention, even if you read the book knowing that Pringle may have (and probably did) edited it later on, it still comes off as a bit melodramatic and contrived.
Her parents die,
The Chicago Fire itself ends up getting shoved to the very end of the book. Not even kidding- it's relegated to the last twelve pages. I get that setting the scene is important, but this major disaster that is meant to be the underlying subject of the book is just shoved to the last pages. We don't see Pringle and Gideon recovering from it, we don't see the effect that it had on Chicago- nothing. It's a blip on the radar at most.
Look- if you're touting the book as being about the Great Chicago Fire, then you should probably make that, at the very least, a semi-major part of the book. The historical aspects of these books are why people read them. They are supposed to be the focus of the book, with the main character's life and development as an equal part. The characters are important, of course, but the audience looks at the historical event and says, "Hmm, I don't know about that, let's have a look."
When you open the book expecting to hear about the Great Chicago Fire and said book barely even touches upon it, it's a bit of a let-down; not just for the story, but for what you were hoping to learn from it.
December 27, 2017
Yeesss!!! I am finally done with the whole Dear America series! I've been reading this since 2012 or even 2011 (I was like, 13-14, now 18) and now I have finally finished the whole entire series with this horrendous book.
I flew through the first 3/4 of this book while on a long car ride to Disney World and actually enjoyed it, which for all the recent additions of the series is pretty good. But the ending, read a few days later is promptly, bull. Emotionally it feels so.
Maybe it's ridiculous to feel so strongly about a book that I usually would give a 2 or 3 stars by the end, easily forgotten. But the ending was simply horrendous. And I am so off the rocker right now... I actually felt a bit like crying at how disappointing and ridiculous the conclusion was. Which of course sounds ridiculous because it is. However, PMS is not a rational creature.
First, I knew that Gwen's brother Cager would be the mysterious Rabbit; not a new plot twist at all. However, how it happened and what happened was absolutely ridiculous. Why is Pringle not excited and shocked at all to see him? Why does Gwen out-of-nowhere turn on Pringle with no emotional or plot lead-up: the emotions seemed forced and disconnected. It's like the author was extremely rushed and created an entirely unconvincing conclusion. I don't see how Pringle couldn't see that Rabbit/Cager's involvement with her father's death was an accident and that OBVIOUSLY he felt remorse about it.... That much should be obvious. I get being upset at first, but that there's no chance for these thoughts to come after or for them to be seen in the epilogue is so..... weird. She just lives through the fire, finds Gideon, and leaves. Creates a monument to her parents. No one knows what happens to the Pritchards. Apparently the love they felt between each other wasn't real, because even despite the dispute between them, if their had been real love and caring there, they would have tried to find each other and actually worked through their problems; not simply never having anything to do with each other ever again. And in the epilogue it's like "Cager was assumed to have died in the fire"--like "oh yeah, maybe he died." No more. I literally said to the book: "F*** you!"
I'm sure that I sound ridiculous but I'm so... so.... I don't even know. I don't even know how to feel.
Later in January 2017
This book has been elected worst-book-of-the-year in 2016. I gave three other books 1 star, two Once Upon a Time books: Water Song and Violet Eyes (god, even the names sound horrid), and the other was The Selection. But these were just disgustingly badly-written and really cringy. However, this one has to be rated as the absolute worst because the ending was so rushed and inconclusive. And unsatisfying. And without explanation. And I just remember feeling infuriated. That is a real cause for a 1 star.
I flew through the first 3/4 of this book while on a long car ride to Disney World and actually enjoyed it, which for all the recent additions of the series is pretty good. But the ending, read a few days later is promptly, bull. Emotionally it feels so.
Maybe it's ridiculous to feel so strongly about a book that I usually would give a 2 or 3 stars by the end, easily forgotten. But the ending was simply horrendous. And I am so off the rocker right now... I actually felt a bit like crying at how disappointing and ridiculous the conclusion was. Which of course sounds ridiculous because it is. However, PMS is not a rational creature.
First, I knew that Gwen's brother Cager would be the mysterious Rabbit; not a new plot twist at all. However, how it happened and what happened was absolutely ridiculous. Why is Pringle not excited and shocked at all to see him? Why does Gwen out-of-nowhere turn on Pringle with no emotional or plot lead-up: the emotions seemed forced and disconnected. It's like the author was extremely rushed and created an entirely unconvincing conclusion. I don't see how Pringle couldn't see that Rabbit/Cager's involvement with her father's death was an accident and that OBVIOUSLY he felt remorse about it.... That much should be obvious. I get being upset at first, but that there's no chance for these thoughts to come after or for them to be seen in the epilogue is so..... weird. She just lives through the fire, finds Gideon, and leaves. Creates a monument to her parents. No one knows what happens to the Pritchards. Apparently the love they felt between each other wasn't real, because even despite the dispute between them, if their had been real love and caring there, they would have tried to find each other and actually worked through their problems; not simply never having anything to do with each other ever again. And in the epilogue it's like "Cager was assumed to have died in the fire"--like "oh yeah, maybe he died." No more. I literally said to the book: "F*** you!"
I'm sure that I sound ridiculous but I'm so... so.... I don't even know. I don't even know how to feel.
Later in January 2017
This book has been elected worst-book-of-the-year in 2016. I gave three other books 1 star, two Once Upon a Time books: Water Song and Violet Eyes (god, even the names sound horrid), and the other was The Selection. But these were just disgustingly badly-written and really cringy. However, this one has to be rated as the absolute worst because the ending was so rushed and inconclusive. And unsatisfying. And without explanation. And I just remember feeling infuriated. That is a real cause for a 1 star.
April 7, 2021
Down the Rabbit Hole was quite good, except for the end, which was abysmal. The ending was really, really bad, and I did not care for it at all.
Dear America books frequently do a less-than-ideal job of telling a story with a plot. Frequently, they are rambley. I don't even like plot very much, but it gets a bit tiring. This installment was not rambley at all. It had a plot. The plot was fun. It had a beginning, middle, and end. There was a lot going on, and it was great. I liked Pringle, I liked Gideon, I liked Rabbit, and I liked the family they lived with in Chicago. I enjoyed the Alice in Wonderland references. I was also fond of the pro-organized-labor sentiments in this book. Pringle is not strictly in favor of organized labor, but the reader is clearly supposed to be.
Now I will list grievances. First, I am disappointed that Pringle's real name is Priscilla (this was compounded with my disappointment that Hummy is not short for Hummingbird) (I'm telling you, Dear America is too much of a scaredy-cat to name its characters Pringle or Hummingbird. You hate to see it). I don't know how you get Pringle from Priscilla. Where did the n come from? Where did the g come from? Where did the s go? So many unanswered questions.
Speaking of unanswered questions This was only one of two loose ends that weren't tied up.
On the one hand, this book helped me not pay attention in physics. On the other hand, the ending was abysmal and now I don't understand electromagnets.
Dear America books frequently do a less-than-ideal job of telling a story with a plot. Frequently, they are rambley. I don't even like plot very much, but it gets a bit tiring. This installment was not rambley at all. It had a plot. The plot was fun. It had a beginning, middle, and end. There was a lot going on, and it was great. I liked Pringle, I liked Gideon, I liked Rabbit, and I liked the family they lived with in Chicago. I enjoyed the Alice in Wonderland references. I was also fond of the pro-organized-labor sentiments in this book. Pringle is not strictly in favor of organized labor, but the reader is clearly supposed to be.
Now I will list grievances. First, I am disappointed that Pringle's real name is Priscilla (this was compounded with my disappointment that Hummy is not short for Hummingbird) (I'm telling you, Dear America is too much of a scaredy-cat to name its characters Pringle or Hummingbird. You hate to see it). I don't know how you get Pringle from Priscilla. Where did the n come from? Where did the g come from? Where did the s go? So many unanswered questions.
Speaking of unanswered questions This was only one of two loose ends that weren't tied up.
On the one hand, this book helped me not pay attention in physics. On the other hand, the ending was abysmal and now I don't understand electromagnets.
April 14, 2022
For a book about the Chicago Fire, there was very (very) little fire in it.
There's going to be some spoilers in this one, as well as a review that is far too long for a book in this series, but here we are.
What is with these newer Dear America books? It's like it's trying to be a CW teen drama and it does not work at all. Remember when this series was just one regular girl caught up in a historical event? What happened to that? Now there's murder mysteries, about five different overly dramatic events that could be their own book (and don't tie together), and twists that would be cliché in a Shyamalan movie. It's also very boring for the first part of the book and the jumping back an forth timeline wise made it feel nothing like a diary. Is this them trying to be 'hip' or something?
Secondly, why did they use the fire here, since it basically has nothing to do with it. You can't even call it a backdrop. I don't know why they didn't just call it the diary of a girl during the labour strikes. It seems like that's what the author wanted to be.
The way unions are portrayed here is just...weird? The girl's father being someone who exploited workers in ways that led to their deaths made me not care about his death from the get go, so fail. Her continuing spoiled, rich girl anti-worker perspective was annoying, but at least she was starting to get it...until it turned out that the only union people in the story turn out to be either murderers or hateful jerks that would blame a girl for what her father did and throw her on the street. Just...what message am I supposed to be getting here? I know the writer isn't actually anti-union because of the historical note, but it was jarring.
The characters in general weren't well written. Pringle was annoying and didn't change at all by the end. Her aunt was a walking cliche of the evil stepmother from a fairy tale, but why did she hate her uncle too? He did nothing to her. The only character who had a personality was Gideon, so go I guess.
She's also REALLY bad at using foreshadowing. It felt like I was being bludgeoned over the head instead of being given clues. There are also a lot of dropped plot points and the ending is so rushed it gives you whiplash.
This is also a nitpick, but damn is that girl's name distracting.
There's going to be some spoilers in this one, as well as a review that is far too long for a book in this series, but here we are.
What is with these newer Dear America books? It's like it's trying to be a CW teen drama and it does not work at all. Remember when this series was just one regular girl caught up in a historical event? What happened to that? Now there's murder mysteries, about five different overly dramatic events that could be their own book (and don't tie together), and twists that would be cliché in a Shyamalan movie. It's also very boring for the first part of the book and the jumping back an forth timeline wise made it feel nothing like a diary. Is this them trying to be 'hip' or something?
Secondly, why did they use the fire here, since it basically has nothing to do with it. You can't even call it a backdrop. I don't know why they didn't just call it the diary of a girl during the labour strikes. It seems like that's what the author wanted to be.
The way unions are portrayed here is just...weird? The girl's father being someone who exploited workers in ways that led to their deaths made me not care about his death from the get go, so fail. Her continuing spoiled, rich girl anti-worker perspective was annoying, but at least she was starting to get it...until it turned out that the only union people in the story turn out to be either murderers or hateful jerks that would blame a girl for what her father did and throw her on the street. Just...what message am I supposed to be getting here? I know the writer isn't actually anti-union because of the historical note, but it was jarring.
The characters in general weren't well written. Pringle was annoying and didn't change at all by the end. Her aunt was a walking cliche of the evil stepmother from a fairy tale, but why did she hate her uncle too? He did nothing to her. The only character who had a personality was Gideon, so go I guess.
She's also REALLY bad at using foreshadowing. It felt like I was being bludgeoned over the head instead of being given clues. There are also a lot of dropped plot points and the ending is so rushed it gives you whiplash.
This is also a nitpick, but damn is that girl's name distracting.
September 27, 2018
Title: Dear America: Down the Rabbit Hole: The Diary of Pringle Rose, Chicago Illinois, 1871
Author: Susan, Campbell Bartoletti
Published: 2013
Genre: Historical Fiction
Summary: When Pringle’s parents are killed in a carriage accident caused by workers of her father's coal mine, 14 year old Pringle Rose finds it hard to deal with the loss and her newfound responsibility for her younger brother who has Downs Syndrome. On top of all of this her uncle comes to live with the two children to manage their affairs, and brings Pringle's annoying Aunt and spoiled little cousin with him. The diary goes back and forth between present day (for Pringle) during which she and her brother have left their old home and are heading for Chicago to hopefully stay with a friend of their mother's, and memories of the days and months after her parents died up until it catches back up with Pringle on her cross country journey.
What I liked about it: I love the Dear America books because they give you a first person perspective of the time each of the girls is writing in. With Pringle I was drawn into the story of her life and its sadness but also encouraged by her want to do what is best for her and her brother despite all their hardships. The book was both entertaining and educational and made me want to read more of the other books to learn more about other times in American history. One of the other things I like about it is while Pringle is not a real girl, there is a non-fiction section in the back of the book talking about what life was like with pictures and illustrations from the time.
Language: None
Romance: Pringle strikes up a friendship with a boy a few years older then herself that she meets one day while visiting her mother and father’s graves and becomes a bit infatuated with him and there is one brief kiss but it never goes anywhere after that as she soon leaves him and the city behind.
Violence: Each of the Dear America diaries are written to help kids learn more about a particular time and/or place in American history. The Diary of Pringle Rose takes place in 1871 and mainly in Chicago during the time of the great Chicago fire of 1871. As such, Pringle witnesses the fire and its destruction but it is never overly graphic.
Magic: None
Recommended Age: Pringle is 14 and I would say 12-13 is a good age to read this and any of the other Dear America Diaries.
There are quite a few Dear America Diaries, some of which are no longer published as well as several newer ones written around the time of Down the Rabbit Hole. The currently published books cover times from the pilgrims to the civil rights movement and are:
The First Pilgrims: Dear America: A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple, Mayflower, 1620
The Salem Witch Trials: Dear America, I Walk in Dread: The Diary of Deliverance Trembly, Witness to the Salem Witch Trials, Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1691 (this one is a bit more mature)
The life of a Quaker girl taken captive by Lenape Indians: Dear America: Standing in the Light, The Captive Diary Of Catharine Carey Logan, Delaware Vally Pennsylvania, 1763
America during the revolutionary war: Dear America: The Winter of Red Snow, The Revolutionary War Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 1777
Dear America: Cannons at Dawn, The Second Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 1779
The Organ Trail: Dear America: Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie, The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell, The Oregon Trail 1847
Pre-American Civil War slave life: Dear America: A Picture of Freedom, The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl, Belmont Plantation, Virginia, 1859
The American civil war in both the north: Dear America: A Light in the Storm, The Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin, Fenwick Island, Delaware, 1861
And South: Dear America: When Will This Cruel War Be Over, The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, 1864
The Life of a former slave post American Civil War: Dear America: I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly, The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl, Mars Bluff, South Carolina, 1865
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871: Dear America: Down the Rabbit Hole, The Diary of Pringle Rose, Chicago, Illinois, 1871
A Gold Mining town California in the 1880s: Dear America: Behind the Masks, The Diary of Angeline Reddy, Bodie, California, 1880
The great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906: Dear America: A City Tossed and Broken, The Diary of Minnie Bonner, San Francisco California, 1906
The Beginning of the Labor Union Movement: Dear America: Hear My Sorrow, The Diary of Angela Denoto, a Shirtwaist Worker, New York City, 1909
The Voyage of Titanic: Dear America: Voyage on the Great Titanic, The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic, 1912
The Spanish flu epidemic of 1918: Dear America: Like the Willow Tree, The Diary of Lydia Amelia Pierce, Portland, Maine, 1918
Christmas during the Great Depression: Dear America: Christmas After All, The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1932
World War II in the North West USA: Dear America: The Fences Between Us, The Diary of Piper Davis: Seattle, Washington, 1941
The Civil Rights Movement in the 50s and the desegregation of schools: Dear America: With the Might of Angels, The Diary of Dawnie Ray Johnson, Hadley, Virginia, 1954
Besides these recent publications many libraries still have some copies of the out of print diaries which are also very good.
If you finish these and want more there are the Royal Diaries which are fictitious diaries of famous woman rulers over history, and My Name is America which are about both boys throughout American history, and My America which is for younger children (1st-4th grade as opposed to Dear America which is more 5th grade +)
For those Living outside the USA there are also over 30 Dear Canada Diaries, which are set throughout Canadian History as well as over a dozen I am Canada books which are about Canadian boys living in Canada and helping around the world in events concerning their country.
For the UK their is both My Story: Girls and My Story: Boys which are about Children both in England and a few across the world throughout history.
For Australia there are over 25 books in the My Australian Story Series. Which are books about both boys and girls during important events in Australian history.
There is also My New Zealand Story for those living in New Zealand which like the other series has fictional diaries of boys and girls set during important events in New Zealand’s history. There are also over 25 of these.
I can’t speak for the ones set in other countries but I will say this the original Dear America books are really good and a fun way to introduce kids to American History so if the ones for the other countries are even just half as good as them they will also be amazing books for kids anywhere to read to become more knowledgeable about their country's history.
Author: Susan, Campbell Bartoletti
Published: 2013
Genre: Historical Fiction
Summary: When Pringle’s parents are killed in a carriage accident caused by workers of her father's coal mine, 14 year old Pringle Rose finds it hard to deal with the loss and her newfound responsibility for her younger brother who has Downs Syndrome. On top of all of this her uncle comes to live with the two children to manage their affairs, and brings Pringle's annoying Aunt and spoiled little cousin with him. The diary goes back and forth between present day (for Pringle) during which she and her brother have left their old home and are heading for Chicago to hopefully stay with a friend of their mother's, and memories of the days and months after her parents died up until it catches back up with Pringle on her cross country journey.
What I liked about it: I love the Dear America books because they give you a first person perspective of the time each of the girls is writing in. With Pringle I was drawn into the story of her life and its sadness but also encouraged by her want to do what is best for her and her brother despite all their hardships. The book was both entertaining and educational and made me want to read more of the other books to learn more about other times in American history. One of the other things I like about it is while Pringle is not a real girl, there is a non-fiction section in the back of the book talking about what life was like with pictures and illustrations from the time.
Language: None
Romance: Pringle strikes up a friendship with a boy a few years older then herself that she meets one day while visiting her mother and father’s graves and becomes a bit infatuated with him and there is one brief kiss but it never goes anywhere after that as she soon leaves him and the city behind.
Violence: Each of the Dear America diaries are written to help kids learn more about a particular time and/or place in American history. The Diary of Pringle Rose takes place in 1871 and mainly in Chicago during the time of the great Chicago fire of 1871. As such, Pringle witnesses the fire and its destruction but it is never overly graphic.
Magic: None
Recommended Age: Pringle is 14 and I would say 12-13 is a good age to read this and any of the other Dear America Diaries.
There are quite a few Dear America Diaries, some of which are no longer published as well as several newer ones written around the time of Down the Rabbit Hole. The currently published books cover times from the pilgrims to the civil rights movement and are:
The First Pilgrims: Dear America: A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple, Mayflower, 1620
The Salem Witch Trials: Dear America, I Walk in Dread: The Diary of Deliverance Trembly, Witness to the Salem Witch Trials, Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1691 (this one is a bit more mature)
The life of a Quaker girl taken captive by Lenape Indians: Dear America: Standing in the Light, The Captive Diary Of Catharine Carey Logan, Delaware Vally Pennsylvania, 1763
America during the revolutionary war: Dear America: The Winter of Red Snow, The Revolutionary War Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 1777
Dear America: Cannons at Dawn, The Second Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 1779
The Organ Trail: Dear America: Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie, The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell, The Oregon Trail 1847
Pre-American Civil War slave life: Dear America: A Picture of Freedom, The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl, Belmont Plantation, Virginia, 1859
The American civil war in both the north: Dear America: A Light in the Storm, The Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin, Fenwick Island, Delaware, 1861
And South: Dear America: When Will This Cruel War Be Over, The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, 1864
The Life of a former slave post American Civil War: Dear America: I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly, The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl, Mars Bluff, South Carolina, 1865
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871: Dear America: Down the Rabbit Hole, The Diary of Pringle Rose, Chicago, Illinois, 1871
A Gold Mining town California in the 1880s: Dear America: Behind the Masks, The Diary of Angeline Reddy, Bodie, California, 1880
The great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906: Dear America: A City Tossed and Broken, The Diary of Minnie Bonner, San Francisco California, 1906
The Beginning of the Labor Union Movement: Dear America: Hear My Sorrow, The Diary of Angela Denoto, a Shirtwaist Worker, New York City, 1909
The Voyage of Titanic: Dear America: Voyage on the Great Titanic, The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic, 1912
The Spanish flu epidemic of 1918: Dear America: Like the Willow Tree, The Diary of Lydia Amelia Pierce, Portland, Maine, 1918
Christmas during the Great Depression: Dear America: Christmas After All, The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1932
World War II in the North West USA: Dear America: The Fences Between Us, The Diary of Piper Davis: Seattle, Washington, 1941
The Civil Rights Movement in the 50s and the desegregation of schools: Dear America: With the Might of Angels, The Diary of Dawnie Ray Johnson, Hadley, Virginia, 1954
Besides these recent publications many libraries still have some copies of the out of print diaries which are also very good.
If you finish these and want more there are the Royal Diaries which are fictitious diaries of famous woman rulers over history, and My Name is America which are about both boys throughout American history, and My America which is for younger children (1st-4th grade as opposed to Dear America which is more 5th grade +)
For those Living outside the USA there are also over 30 Dear Canada Diaries, which are set throughout Canadian History as well as over a dozen I am Canada books which are about Canadian boys living in Canada and helping around the world in events concerning their country.
For the UK their is both My Story: Girls and My Story: Boys which are about Children both in England and a few across the world throughout history.
For Australia there are over 25 books in the My Australian Story Series. Which are books about both boys and girls during important events in Australian history.
There is also My New Zealand Story for those living in New Zealand which like the other series has fictional diaries of boys and girls set during important events in New Zealand’s history. There are also over 25 of these.
I can’t speak for the ones set in other countries but I will say this the original Dear America books are really good and a fun way to introduce kids to American History so if the ones for the other countries are even just half as good as them they will also be amazing books for kids anywhere to read to become more knowledgeable about their country's history.
July 17, 2014
This is probably my one of my least favorite Dear America books. I was okay with it until the last few entries, when the plot got too ridiculous and there was absolutely no resolution.
The epilogue was also unsatisfying, and as much as I wanted to empathize with Pringle and her loss, to be honest, I felt more for the man who turns out to be the "villain" in her personal tragedy. I thought for sure the diary would end with her realizing that people make tragic mistakes sometimes and that familial loyalty can be conflicted (seriously, why WOULDN'T your friend Gwen comfort her brother instead of a girl she's known for a few months? And it's not like your dad didn't do his share of bad things). At least in the epilogue, I expected the acknowledgment of these things, but there was nothing.
The other books in the series usually exhibit more understanding of the gray areas in morality, but this book just disappointed me. Plus the book is supposed to take place during the Great Chicago Fire, and it barely covers it at all (only at the end, when there's so much else going on that it's more of a background event than anything else).
The characters I wanted to learn more about in the epilogue were barely mentioned, if at all, or were only mentioned long enough to acknowledge their early deaths, while Pringle's friend Merricat, who doesn't even do anything in the main story and never actually appears in person, seems to be one of the main focuses. I'm very confused by this.
The constant references to Alice in Wonderland were kind of ridiculous, as well, but that's a minor issue in a book with far worse problems.
Basically, this particular entry in the Dear America series was a complete disappointment to me.
The epilogue was also unsatisfying, and as much as I wanted to empathize with Pringle and her loss, to be honest, I felt more for the man who turns out to be the "villain" in her personal tragedy. I thought for sure the diary would end with her realizing that people make tragic mistakes sometimes and that familial loyalty can be conflicted (seriously, why WOULDN'T your friend Gwen comfort her brother instead of a girl she's known for a few months? And it's not like your dad didn't do his share of bad things). At least in the epilogue, I expected the acknowledgment of these things, but there was nothing.
The other books in the series usually exhibit more understanding of the gray areas in morality, but this book just disappointed me. Plus the book is supposed to take place during the Great Chicago Fire, and it barely covers it at all (only at the end, when there's so much else going on that it's more of a background event than anything else).
The characters I wanted to learn more about in the epilogue were barely mentioned, if at all, or were only mentioned long enough to acknowledge their early deaths, while Pringle's friend Merricat, who doesn't even do anything in the main story and never actually appears in person, seems to be one of the main focuses. I'm very confused by this.
The constant references to Alice in Wonderland were kind of ridiculous, as well, but that's a minor issue in a book with far worse problems.
Basically, this particular entry in the Dear America series was a complete disappointment to me.
January 21, 2013
Ok, so, I really did enjoy this one. That being said, could they have crammed any more "issues" into one book?
1. The Great Chicago Fire (which I thought was supposed to be the main focus of the book, which doesn't really come into play until about the last 25% of the book)
2. Down Syndrome and the treatment of children with disabilities
3. Animal cruelty and the rise of the anti-cruelty movement
4. Rise of labor unions and the anti-union movement
5. Working conditions in coal mining
6. Women's issues related to property ownership and the tendency to institutionalize women to gain control of them or marginalize them--we never do find out what happens to someone important to the story in this regard.
7. minimally, the character of education given to women in boarding schools at this time.
8. Whatever weirdness was in the paper packet that made Aunt Adelaide turn into a psycho--so this probably roundaboutly connects back to #6, and the effects of unregulated medications and their use by women....
Sheesh.
Felt like a bit of an overload, truthfully. Thankfully, the heroine was likable, even if the ending did go a bit sideways.
Overall, it's a pretty decent installment in the series. After reading most of the Dear Canada series, I've found a number of the Dear America series to be a little lackluster in comparison. This latest addition to the DA series seems to be leaning in a better direction.
1. The Great Chicago Fire (which I thought was supposed to be the main focus of the book, which doesn't really come into play until about the last 25% of the book)
2. Down Syndrome and the treatment of children with disabilities
3. Animal cruelty and the rise of the anti-cruelty movement
4. Rise of labor unions and the anti-union movement
5. Working conditions in coal mining
6. Women's issues related to property ownership and the tendency to institutionalize women to gain control of them or marginalize them--we never do find out what happens to someone important to the story in this regard.
7. minimally, the character of education given to women in boarding schools at this time.
8. Whatever weirdness was in the paper packet that made Aunt Adelaide turn into a psycho--so this probably roundaboutly connects back to #6, and the effects of unregulated medications and their use by women....
Sheesh.
Felt like a bit of an overload, truthfully. Thankfully, the heroine was likable, even if the ending did go a bit sideways.
Overall, it's a pretty decent installment in the series. After reading most of the Dear Canada series, I've found a number of the Dear America series to be a little lackluster in comparison. This latest addition to the DA series seems to be leaning in a better direction.
February 10, 2019
I really wanted to like this book as it was the first in the series that I read. But the completely convoluted and unrealistic plot just disappointed me. I understand that it's about a great tragedy, but could this girl get ONE redeeming thing in her life? They keep bringing in characters that you think are going to be the redemption and then bam, gone. The suddenly turning on her from the Pritchards was ridiculous. This family had practically taken her in as a daughter and then they scream at her that they never want to see her again... and don't? There's absolutely no lesson or moral or redemptive arc after the fallout? Isn't that a hallmark of coming of age stories?
As a young teen I would have hated this book because nothing positive happens at all. Even the sweet brother that she gives up everything for dies young. Also, the "throwaway" cats throughout the book just pissed me off. Don't build them up and make them central to plotlines (looking at Mozie on the train here especially) for them to just oops, ran away. Oh well I'm sure he'll have a great life chasing field mice. ..... what?
And then there's the fact the central purpose of the book, the Chicago fire, is crammed into the ending like an afterthought.
Overall, very not impressed. But in reading the reviews, I'm glad to see this seems to be the exception to this series instead of the rule.
As a young teen I would have hated this book because nothing positive happens at all. Even the sweet brother that she gives up everything for dies young. Also, the "throwaway" cats throughout the book just pissed me off. Don't build them up and make them central to plotlines (looking at Mozie on the train here especially) for them to just oops, ran away. Oh well I'm sure he'll have a great life chasing field mice. ..... what?
And then there's the fact the central purpose of the book, the Chicago fire, is crammed into the ending like an afterthought.
Overall, very not impressed. But in reading the reviews, I'm glad to see this seems to be the exception to this series instead of the rule.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2021
This Dear America felt like it had a pretty cool concept and target and then just fell short. It had a different structure to it that I couldn’t get used to, of huge retrospective chapters telling us why she chose to run away from home rather than showing us and giving us reason to support her choice from the start. It worked in the end sort of, but it’s just not what I have grown to expect from the series. Also, this one more than the average Dear America, felt like a sampler of subjects the author wanted to touch on that got shoved together and ended up feeling like a lot without giving enough time to each one. We covered cruelty to animals and children, the violence of striking, the ethics of labor unrest, the Great Chicago Fire and how fires were fought... And for a diary about the Great Chicago Fire, according to the title, it only got the last ten pages or so and then the narrator was already on another train out of the city. I liked the characters for the most part, especially Gideon, but it just felt like it could have been longer and better. If this was supposed to be about Pringle getting everything she wanted in a way she didn’t expect, why did she only get those things in the Epilogue and the last entry was “we survived the fire but lost an adoptive family I loved but anyway on to San Francisco for no reason I guess”? Just feeling let down.
September 9, 2018
Given that the cover art alludes to the Great Chicago Fire in the background and says "Chicago, Illinois, 1871", I expected it to be about the Great Chicago Fire. Hmpf! It doesn't even get the fire until around page 198 of 215 (including the epilogue!). The book was rather disappointing, had loose-ends that were never finished (What happened to the lady that was committed?!?), Pringle was kind of a brat, the book had unrealistic portions (Really? The cat rode the train contentedly for days in a carpetbag, hopping in and out at will, and never scratching the crap out of anyone and disappearing to go somewhere and in search of a litter box!) and the train ride to Chicago took almost as long to read as to travel! Definitely not the book I was hoping for.
November 13, 2024
Reading all the Dear Americas and Royal Diaries (37/63)
Booooo this isn't a journal, it's a novel they shoehorned into the format. There were literally passages where Pringle talks about what she wrote in her diary - excuse me, the diary we are supposed to be reading?? Let me read your frustrations with your family, don't just tell me you have them!
The Alice references felt forced, and the Great Chicago Fire feels like an afterthought. No real character growth, and very anti-union. (Appreciated the Down Syndrome rep, though!)
Booooo this isn't a journal, it's a novel they shoehorned into the format. There were literally passages where Pringle talks about what she wrote in her diary - excuse me, the diary we are supposed to be reading?? Let me read your frustrations with your family, don't just tell me you have them!
The Alice references felt forced, and the Great Chicago Fire feels like an afterthought. No real character growth, and very anti-union. (Appreciated the Down Syndrome rep, though!)
February 11, 2013
Alot going on in this book.
I thought it was going to be focused more on the Chicago Fire.
It addressed many issues of the time period.
-Diary Keeping
-Boarding Schools
-Labor Unrest in America
-Children with Disabilities
-ASPCA
-Railroad Travel
-Great Chicago Fire of 1871
It was written well, and kept my interest in what was happening/going to happen to Pringle Rose.
Will add more from the book, things that really stood out to me, once it is published.
I thought it was going to be focused more on the Chicago Fire.
It addressed many issues of the time period.
-Diary Keeping
-Boarding Schools
-Labor Unrest in America
-Children with Disabilities
-ASPCA
-Railroad Travel
-Great Chicago Fire of 1871
It was written well, and kept my interest in what was happening/going to happen to Pringle Rose.
Will add more from the book, things that really stood out to me, once it is published.
July 29, 2013
Eh. It was okay. Not the greatest of them. The way it was told was back and forth from past to present, and it was a little awkward. There were decent plot twists, but they were just average. The twist at the end...ugh. I felt cheated as a reader. The characters were well done, however. I loved how Pringle (and that's quite the name, I might add!) stood up for her brother. So overall, it was a decent book. I don't think I'd read it again, but I'm not sorry I read it.
November 24, 2021
An okay story that has no place in the Dear America series.
July 23, 2025
Initially I thought Down the Rabbit Hole was a just a little odd and unsuited to the diary format. There is a lot of timeline jumping, the forced Alice in Wonderland parallels, a fictional train accident that has no plot relevance, and a random supernatural occurrence that was quickly forgotten. Outside of these oddities, I was enjoying the writing and some of the characters. It was an interesting change to see a disabled character featured prominently. And I like the idea of a perspective swap from writing about a working class immigrant girl(A Coal Miner's Bride, which is an excellent book) to this one from the viewpoint of a rich businessman's daughter. Bartoletti did a decent job at first of showing some of Pringle's(yes, I will get to that name soon) thoughts on the Union strikes changing, but this was let down horribly by the ending and the epilogue gives no hint of her making any meaningful progress on it.
Onto the specifics:
-I'm not opposed to oddball character names, but this one was distracting. With a simple swap, she could have just been called Rose Pringle. It would still evoke images of saddle-shaped potato chips, but it would be more believable than using it as a nickname for Priscilla.
-The villainous aunt was too over-the-top nasty to work well in this book. Rather than creating a dimensional heroine readers would root for, it seemed like there was so little to Priscilla's personality that the author felt she had to have a cartoonishly mean antagonist to compensate.
-I easily guessed that , but the other twist at the end knocked me for a loop. Not because it tied everything together, but because it was so bizarre and unnecessary.
When I started this book I thought maybe the negative ratings were blowing things out of proportion, but by the end I could see why so many readers disliked this one. The writing is engaging for the most part, but the ending fails to bring everything together meaningfully. Just read A Coal Miner's Bride instead.
Onto the specifics:
-I'm not opposed to oddball character names, but this one was distracting. With a simple swap, she could have just been called Rose Pringle. It would still evoke images of saddle-shaped potato chips, but it would be more believable than using it as a nickname for Priscilla.
-The villainous aunt was too over-the-top nasty to work well in this book. Rather than creating a dimensional heroine readers would root for, it seemed like there was so little to Priscilla's personality that the author felt she had to have a cartoonishly mean antagonist to compensate.
-I easily guessed that , but the other twist at the end knocked me for a loop. Not because it tied everything together, but because it was so bizarre and unnecessary.
When I started this book I thought maybe the negative ratings were blowing things out of proportion, but by the end I could see why so many readers disliked this one. The writing is engaging for the most part, but the ending fails to bring everything together meaningfully. Just read A Coal Miner's Bride instead.
October 28, 2021
The Dear America series has, alas, only been around since 1996, which is a pity because I would have adored these books as a child. Heck, I enjoy them now.
Down the Rabbit Hole is a fictional diary that takes place in 1871, the year of the great Chicago fire, but most of the story and action takes place before. Pringle is the daughter of a wealthy mine owner who was orphaned when both parents died in a carriage accident. Her younger brother, Gideon, has Down’s Syndrome. When her uncle and aunt become their guardians, things are initially unpleasant, but her aunt becomes abusive and when they decide to send Gideon away to a boarding school (which she learns is basically an asylum for mentally challenged people), she runs away.
Surprisingly, the fire itself is not the primary focus. The book seems more of a once wealthy young woman who has her eyes opened to the changes happening. The changing attitudes in America include the unions, the treatment of laborers, and the treatment of animals.
Pringle herself doesn’t undergo much of an attitude change, though she is anti-union at first, she is dismayed to learn her father and his ilk were more concerned with profit than safety, but the actions of those trying to start a union offend her just as much.
Pringle is admirable in that she takes risks to ensure her brother remains with her and is safe as opposed to running off alone. She is dismayed when her plans don’t work out, but she carries on and learns to work hard to support herself and her brother.
I don’t think a young girl would be as enthralled with this book though. The romantic interest is thwarted and at the end, the fire and discovery of the truth behind her parents’ deaths have her heading further west, to begin again.
Down the Rabbit Hole is a fictional diary that takes place in 1871, the year of the great Chicago fire, but most of the story and action takes place before. Pringle is the daughter of a wealthy mine owner who was orphaned when both parents died in a carriage accident. Her younger brother, Gideon, has Down’s Syndrome. When her uncle and aunt become their guardians, things are initially unpleasant, but her aunt becomes abusive and when they decide to send Gideon away to a boarding school (which she learns is basically an asylum for mentally challenged people), she runs away.
Surprisingly, the fire itself is not the primary focus. The book seems more of a once wealthy young woman who has her eyes opened to the changes happening. The changing attitudes in America include the unions, the treatment of laborers, and the treatment of animals.
Pringle herself doesn’t undergo much of an attitude change, though she is anti-union at first, she is dismayed to learn her father and his ilk were more concerned with profit than safety, but the actions of those trying to start a union offend her just as much.
Pringle is admirable in that she takes risks to ensure her brother remains with her and is safe as opposed to running off alone. She is dismayed when her plans don’t work out, but she carries on and learns to work hard to support herself and her brother.
I don’t think a young girl would be as enthralled with this book though. The romantic interest is thwarted and at the end, the fire and discovery of the truth behind her parents’ deaths have her heading further west, to begin again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2017
Overall this was a decent entry in the Dear America series. I liked the inclusion of a Down syndrome character, as a late cousin of mine had it and I thought of him when reading about Gideon. I also enjoyed reading about Pringle's budding romance with the mysterious boy she knew only as "Rabbit", bonded by their love of Alice in Wonderland. But then it's brought to a sudden and unbelievable halt by the astonishing revelation that he was responsible (albeit kind of accidentally) for her parents' deaths. This to me ruined the ending of what otherwise was a good book. The twist didn't need to happen and ultimately served no purpose as nothing came of it. "Rabbit" a.k.a. Cager neither paid for his crimes nor received forgiveness from Pringle. According to the epilogue, it is assumed he died in the Chicago fire. What was the point?
Everything about Cager comes to light in the space of a few pages, Pringle becomes furious and falls out with he and his sister, and that's it. Basically you could sum it up with her saying "Wait - you killed my parents? I hate you! I never want to see you again!" It might have worked if, like I mentioned before, something happened as a result, but it comes off like an excuse to add drama for no reason. Since he died anyway, it would have been more merciful if Pringle just never knew the truth and he was always "Rabbit" to her. It's even mentioned that afterward she never ate licorice (a treat he'd give her) again. I came away from this book feeling depressed at how it ended.
Everything about Cager comes to light in the space of a few pages, Pringle becomes furious and falls out with he and his sister, and that's it. Basically you could sum it up with her saying "Wait - you killed my parents? I hate you! I never want to see you again!" It might have worked if, like I mentioned before, something happened as a result, but it comes off like an excuse to add drama for no reason. Since he died anyway, it would have been more merciful if Pringle just never knew the truth and he was always "Rabbit" to her. It's even mentioned that afterward she never ate licorice (a treat he'd give her) again. I came away from this book feeling depressed at how it ended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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