All Over Town

by Carol Ryrie Brink, Dorothy Bayley Morse (Illustrator)

A ten-year-old girl living in a small town at the turn of the century finds her quiet life drastically changed when the new minister's two sons begin to include her in their escapades.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Juvenile

291 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1939

About the author

Carol Ryrie Brink was an American novelist and children’s writer best known for capturing frontier life with warmth, humor, and historical detail. Raised in Idaho after a childhood marked by early family tragedy, she grew up under the care of her grandmother, whose vivid storytelling later inspired her most celebrated book, Caddie Woodlawn, winner of the 1936 Newbery Medal and a lasting classic of American juvenile literature. Educated at the University of Idaho and the University of California, Berkeley, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa before marrying mathematician Raymond W. Brink and settling in Minnesota, where she balanced family life with a prolific writing career. Over several decades she produced more than thirty books for young readers and adults, often drawing on Midwestern landscapes, pioneer history, and her own experiences. Summers spent in rural Wisconsin further enriched the authentic settings of her fiction. In later years she also pursued poetry and painting. Honored by her alma mater and commemorated in her hometown, Brink remains remembered for stories that celebrate independence, resilience, and the imaginative life of childhood.

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laughs, heartwarming, suspense, mystery... all the feels!!! GREAT book!!

Review and Cleanliness Report coming soon!

[Sarah Grace Grzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun children's read!

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
This book was fun, but there was a lot of talk about “luck” and lucky objects. The children all believed in luck and while the adults might say they didn’t believe in it, they never taught their children any better. And even the visiting missionary aunt give the children things that she says people consider good luck.
There are pets who die because someone goes around town poisoning dogs. The Chinese vegetable seller is a stereotypical oriental who is called by some people a “yellow heathen.” The minister’s two sons (both main characters) are your typical mischievous boys who get into all sorts of mischief and scrapes.
There are fun things that happen and some of the mischief was innocent and accidental.
Overall, it was fun to read, but I don’t think I’ll want to read it again.

[untothehills · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to read this because Carol Ryrie Brink based Warsaw on her hometown—where I was also raised! This was the most believable book about children that I’ve read this year, but it also has the most casual racism, which was very jarring. I was not prepared for the pet death in the story and I wish I had a warning, I have a very tender heart and got very upset by it.

[Alde16 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read about early 1900s small town life.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rounded up.

This book had some fun moments, but I didn't find it nearly as entertaining or funny as some of Brink's other works, and I was surprised by the amount of casual racism in the story, even with the forewarning I had from Goodreads reviews. In some old books, racial content is part of the author's representation of a time and place, even when they're not self-aware about it. Here, it felt jarring and completely extraneous. The racist stuff is almost never remotely relevant to the plot or characters, and it's distracting and unnecessary.

On that note, I was also surprised by how weak Brink's characters are here. The minister's two boys are completely interchangeable, and the girl character is forgettable as well, without much characterization beyond her desire to do unladylike things with her male friends. The story picked up towards the end, and the last few chapters were quite entertaining, but the book as a whole is not impressive. I can see why this is one of Brink's mostly forgotten works.

[Allison]

This 1939 book describes the adventures of three youngsters growing up in Warsaw Junction (likely a fictionalized version of Moscow, Idaho) in the time before the town had its first automobile. The last sentence of this book is, "Happy and thrilled, they were on their way into a new era."