Humbug Mountain Lib/E

by Sid Fleischman

Welcome to Humbug Mountain. Little did Wiley, the son of a traveling newspaperman, imagine that the search for his grandfather would lead him into the hands of those nasty villains of the West--Shagnasty John and the Fool Killer. Using their newspaper, "The Humbug Mountain Hoorah", Wiley and his sister and mother go about outwitting the outlaws in their scheme to ambush Grandfather's new boat and its cargo of gold. Winner of "Boston Globe-Horn Book" Award, An ALA Best Book for Young Adults, A National Book Award nominee, and A "School Library Journal" Best Book of the Year. HC: Little Brown. (Digest)

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Childrens, Humor, Westerns, Adventure, Audiobook

Audio CD

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

As a children's book author Sid Fleischman felt a special obligation to his readers. "The books we enjoy as children stay with us forever -- they have a special impact. Paragraph after paragraph and page after page, the author must deliver his or her best work." With almost 60 books to his credit, some of which have been made into motion pictures, Sid Fleischman can be assured that his work will make a special impact.

Sid Fleischman wrote his books at a huge table cluttered with projects: story ideas, library books, research, letters, notes, pens, pencils, and a computer. He lived in an old-fashioned, two-story house full of creaks and character, and enjoys hearing the sound of the nearby Pacific Ocean.

Fleischman passed away after a battle with cancer on March 17, 2010, the day after his ninetieth birthday.

He was the father of Newbery Medal winning writer and poet Paul Fleischman, author of Joyful Noise; they are the only father and son to receive Newbery awards.

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

This spoof on the Wild West is sure to keep your family entertained!

The story embraces everything we love about stories in the Wild West Days ... only they have a little twist. The outlaws are dumb of course; so out-witting them is easy (and hilarious). And you can see how a little misprint can start rumors flying ... and shovels digging every which way for gold. And how settlements came to be, and how things aren't always as they seem ... and how newspapers printed in illiterate towns just go the way of the dodo bird.

It's pretty fun and all the ends tie up nicely!

Ages: 10+

Cleanliness: people think a boat is haunted with a ghost. A petrified body is found in the ground. A brother and sister get mad at their dad for randomly leaving them for spells of time. The boy gets into an argument with his dad over this, saying he hates him. The family issue is resolved and it's not what the children thought.

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!

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[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Op de cover zien we twee boeven, Bobbie Uitzuiger en de Gekkenmepper, in een uitgedroogde bedding van een rivier en met een gestrande Mississippi-boot op de achtergrond. Dit is de setting van het tweede deel van het boek, het eerste deel legt uit hoe de hoofdpersoon Wiley Flint (met zus Glorietta, vader en moeder en enkele dieren waarbij ganzerik Mijnheer Johnson een speciale vermelding verdient) op dat schip, de Phoenix, belanden. Het blijkt van Wiley's grootvader te zijn, de man waar ze al lang naar op zoek zijn.
Het is een grappig avontuur met toch wel een flinke dosis aktie en geweld, al zal dat laatste toch telkens erger blijken te zijn in wat zou kunnen dan in hoe het echt afloopt. Moeder houdt het gezin bij mekaar, vader is de krachtige steunpilaar die telken een uitweg uit de problemen vindt. Maar soms laat hij zijn gezin voor weken in de steek en verdwijnt. Dat doet zijn kinderen veel verdriet omdat ze niet weten of wij wel zal terugkomen en wanneer dat zal gebeuren.
Het is wel prettig en grappig om lezen hoe ze met het hele gezin op heel korte tijd hun mobiele drukkerij in werking stellen en hun krant drukken. Ondanks de erg beperkte oplage brengt hen dat meestal toch in moeilijkheden en moeten ze verkassen naar weer eens een plaats waar ze nog niet bekend zijn. De kinderen passen zich aan maar vinden het vreselijk.
Het wordt pas uitzichtloos als ze zonder veel aanwijzingen op zoek gaan naar hun grootvader die met een grote radarboot op de Misssissippi vaart.
Als ze uiteindelijk op de afgesproken plaats aankomen blijkt dat een enorme teleurstelling - een stuk woestijn aan een droge rivierbedding, waar het schip van grootvader gestrand is maar van grootvader zelf geen spoor te bekennen.
Wiley en zijn zus gaan botten van bisons verzamelen om als brandhout te verkopen, vader levert strijd met enkele boeven, waar een speciale editie van de krant redding moet brengen. Goudzoekers leveren een paar moeilijkheden op door een foutje van Wiley in een kranteartikel dat hij schrijft.
Het boek leest dan ook heel erg snel en prettig, de gedachtenwereld van Wiley lijkt niet helemaal te kloppen met de volwassen werkelijkheid en de gebeurtenissen getuigen enerzijds van een tendens om moeilijheden zichzelf te laten oplossen en anderzijds om er steeds nieuwe te produceren.
De vrijheid die Wiley geniet zal zeker de meer avontuurlijke lezers aanspreken.
Tegelijk is het een coming-of-age waarbij Wiley op een bepaald moment zijn jeugdige illusies verliest en een grote stap naar volwassenheid zet. Dit is allesbehalve triest, eerder iets wat een warm gevoel geeft.
Een positief verhaal met heel wat avontuur en aktie, veel humor en algemeen een gevoel.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in an effort to determine if we should keep it on our shelf or not...other reviews I was reading were pretty mixed. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it, and it was a quick read with some fun and surprising twists in the end. It felt that we didn't really get to know the characters that deeply, but maybe that just wasn't possible with a shorter book like this.

Content concerns were minimal. Guns make an appearance, but I don't recall that they are ever actually fired (apart from hunting). A couple uses of language (one variation of d*** and one h*** if I remember correctly). Unlike many of the books about this setting, there are no negative depictions that I recall of Native Americans or other groups (as in, there weren't any depictions at all) so that was a positive, but also a missed opportunity by the author to bring in diverse perspectives.

It wasn't so outstanding that I'll recommend us keeping it, but it's worth a read if you run across it.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sid Fleischman is a solid storyteller. I also read THE WHIPPING BOY by him, which I very much enjoyed. HUMBUG MOUNTAIN, overall, kept me turning it pages due to good pacing achieved by the presence of enough suspense, conflict, and new developments. The book featured a cast of larger-than-life characters, with a good mixture of heroes and scoundrels. The plot was well constructed, with plenty of good twists and turns. The way the family used its smarts to wriggle out of trouble was also fun.

[DarBesko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is truly an adventure full of surprises and suspense. Topics include the Civil War, covered wagons, riverboats, the power of printed words, land claims, gold rushes, blueprints, and steam engines.

[Patrice Doten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I especially appreciated this light-hearted, whimsical, and highly entertaining story because I'm coming off a string of novels with fairly heavy content. Humbug Mountain was like a breath of fresh air - super fun for kids and adults alike. The audiobook narration is quite good, as well.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast, fun, and adventurous read. I enjoyed the dialect ("Their heads rattled with schemes and plans"; "Not the first time men have run gold fever on a wisp of bobtailed nothing!") and the memorable characters, as well as their cleverness and resourcefulness. This would be a great book to read aloud with a fourth or fifth grade class.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great story in the tradition of spaghetti westerns and turn of the century adventure serial novels. Ended sooner than I would have liked.

[Kristie Stauffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

In true Sid Fleischman manner, always fun to see how he wins the day against scoundrels and outlaws.

[Selena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sid Fleischman had such a gift for entertaining fiction. It's the best of wholesome family adventure!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened on a road trip with the family. It was a fun story.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Western style, gold-rush days with quirky characters and silly antics.

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was frolicsome. An entertaining yarn.

[Lana Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful story of the old west: Gold fever, steam boats, traveling newspaper man, and villians with adorably creative names. Young Wiley, his sister and Mom want to settle down, but it seems something always happens and they have to pack up the printing press and move on. They decide to go to the town that Grandfather founded, but the town isn't there, nor is Grandfather. All they find is a land-locked steamboat and two nasty villans.

Adventure, historical information, and a resolving of Wiley's anger toward his father's intermittent disappearances.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a dad who is an itinerant newspaper-man thirteen year-old Wiley, his ten year-old sister Glorietta and their parents are always on the move. Sometimes they are running from townfolk who don't appreciate the dad's brand of reporting, sometimes they are seeking Opportunity. This time there is some hope they might actually find a place to settle down, that is if they can manage to out-fox some scoundrels.

The story is full of humor and action, tall tales and tricks. A great book for kids who enjoyed Paulsen's "Harris and Me"

[Elsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, this just goes to show you that you can judge a book by its cover. I borrowed this book from the pioneer library (e-book) and the big reason was that there was an updated cover that was really cool. I saw it, I liked it, and I wanted to read it. The cover really didn't have much to do with the book, but it was cute. So was the book. Good writing, funny characters, and just an easy kids read that I liked. I hope I can get some of my grandkids to read it sometime.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical Sid Fleischman book. Almost as good as "By The Great Hornspoon." As usual, Sid's villains are pretty ornery. Definitely not a book to read to little kids. I'd wait till they're about 10. However, might be useful for teaching American history - Steamboat travel, gold rush, buffalos, etc.

[Frances Bahr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really has the flavor of Mark Twain. It is a story that will flip every twelve year old into the Wild West. I looked up Fleischman after I'd finished the book, and sure enough he won the Newberry Award in the 80's or 90's. I can see why.

[Arissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our whole family enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator was spectacular in changing voices for each character. The language was vibrant and action packed. It was the perfect road trip book. I’m didn’t want it to end!!

[Randi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had fun reading this to my kids. They enjoyed this Midwestern tale of adventure.

[Troublemaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story. Great old-west plot and really great as a story to read to the kids.

Give it a go.