The Dangerous Summer of Jesse Turner

by Diana C. Reep, E.A. Allen

When sixteen-year-old Jesse Turner lies about his age and joins Colonel Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders to fight the Spanish in Cuba in 1898, he expects to prove himself in battle. What he doesn’t expect is a fellow volunteer who is determined to kill him for something his outlaw father did in the past. Jesse and his new friends, New Yorker Will and Ben, a Comanche from the Indian Territories, share the frustrations and hazards of a volunteer military force unprepared for war and the reality of deadly combat. Facing dangers from all sides, the three teens depend on friendship, courage, and integrity to get them through the bloody battles of the Spanish-American War.

204 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2015

About the author

Diana Reep, writing as D. C. Reep, has been a writer since she told horror stories to classmates in elementary school. As an English professor, she taught film, popular culture, technical writing, and the Arthurian legend. No longer grading papers, she’s writing historical fiction set around 1900. In her free time, she travels to historic sites, Civil War battlefields being a special favorite. Her books focus on real events. The Dangerous Summer of Jesse Turner, follows three teens into danger with Colonel Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War of 1898. Kiss’d, a YA adventure, combines a ghost, time travel, danger, and romance in World War I. Chicago Movie Girls is a story about three sisters in the early silent movie days when Chicago was a center for movie production. Luke Under Fire begins with the first big battle of WW1 and a regiment ordered to resist to the end. She lives in the Midwest and crosses her fingers every fall that the coming winter will be mild.

Reviews

[Zanthine Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

rough riders in Cuba!

For a history buff I didn’t know much about the Spanish-American war of 1898. This short novel kept me thumbing over to google; enjoyed it very much, and definitely an eye opener. We see the war though the eyes of a young rough rider volunteer. Historical personages abound— Teddy Roosevelt of course, but who knew Clara Barton was involved?Well worth a read!

[Mark Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written story about Roosevelt's Rough Riders in Cuba and the adventures of a young boy, Jesse Turner and his 2 friends and their struggles and misery fighting through the jungles of Cuba trying to reach the top of Kettle Hill with Colonel Roosevelt. A very nice interlacing of fictional characters and real characters from American history.

[Jennifer Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dangerous Summer of Jesse Turner is a thrilling and well-researched historical adventure. Diana C. Reep and E.A. Allen bring the Spanish-American War to life through Jesse’s eyes, blending action, courage, and friendship. The story is both exciting and heartfelt, making it a captivating read for fans of young adult historical fiction.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible Story

I felt as though I had taken the journey to and through Cuba and back with Jesse Turner. The excitement & anticipation, the camaraderie & bravery, the hardship & pain of reality, the coming of age as a Rough Rider in Cuba. Well done, Diana C. Reep and E.A. Allen!

[Paul Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent telling of the Rough Riders experience from the eyes of a teen soldier. Includes all the hunger, sweat, disease and pains, both physical and emotional, they went through. Teddy Roosevelt is not a main character but he is an important part of the telling.