Mad Libs on the Road: World's Greatest Word Game Book

Cissy Sissney have come to Oklahoma Territory for the land rush. Cissy's father has no interest in farming but he dreams of owning a general store on Main Street filled with goods offloaded from the railroad right in the town of Florence. The only problem is Florence doesn't yet exist. Cissy's mother would rather be anywhere than there and when a stranger offers the would-be settlers $50 for their land on behalf of the railroad, Mrs. Sissney would jump at the chance. However, Cissy's father, and everyone else but one, refuses the generous offer. This infuriates the owner of the Red Rock Railroad and he decrees the train shall stop in Florence no more! Cissy believes in her father's dream but her mother is furious and wants to bring Cissy back to civilization. Will Florence die before it has a chance to grow? Will Cissy, her family and new friends die too without food or supplies? There must be some way to stop that train!

This story took awhile to get interesting. I skipped ahead to read the author's note, only to discover a small paragraph explaining the history of Enid, Oklahoma as a jumping off point. The rest of the story is pure fiction. She doesn't explain exactly what the story of Enid, Oklahoma is exactly or what made a British woman want to write about Oklahoma in the first place. Once I got into the story I stopped wishing for an author's note. The adventure gets pretty exciting but I disagreed with many of the tactics used to stop the train and I didn't like how the villainous characters were so completely bad. The twist at the end was a huge surprise I didn't see coming.

None of the characters are all that appealing. I want to like Cissy but she's a bit of a dreamer like her father. She's only 10 so I guess I can forgive her for believing her father without questioning. Cissy seems intelligent and full of common sense. She loves stories but isn't too interested in learning how to read. Fortunately for the adult reader, Cissy is not pitted against a "mean girl" stereotype. There are boy bullies to contend with but the main enemy is "Red Rock" Rimm, the railroad magnate and the Florentines must use their wits and strategy to stop the train.

Habakkuk "Kookie" Warboys is Cissy's best friend. He's a know-it-all kid that the other kids look to for information and directions. He's the ringleader of all their wild games. The only reason this kid is the font of knowledge is because he listens in on adult conversation and relays that to the other kids. If the others, including Cissy, also bothered to pay attention, they'd know what was going on. The other kids act like sheep blindly following Kookie. In contrast, Fuller and Petie Monterey are the two boys everyone avoids because they are the worst bullies. Petie seems to have a conscience if not a brain but Fuller is completely beyond being a bad kid. He is a despicable human being and not even his horrible father would stoop so low as to do what Fuller did. I was appalled and don't blame the other person for wanting to kill Jack Monterey in a duel.

The main set of characters centers around Class 3 led by Mrs. Loucien Shades. "Miss Loucien" as the kids call her, is a Native American woman who comes to Oklahoma for an opportunity and loses that opportunity. She has no choice but to become the teacher and she ends up as a darn good one - EXCEPT for her lack of teaching of actual academic subjects. Yes she teaches the children life skills and makes learning fun but they're supposed to be learning how to read and write. I understood right away why she wasn't teaching what she was supposed to. I like how she teaches but unfortunately that's not how schools operate. Her students adore her for all her unconventionality. The men seem to adore her too. The best kids in the school are Tibbie Boden and Honey. I like Tibbie because she's sweet and quiet. She's a bit timid because she's being bullied. I don't believe she has a mother and her father may spoil her a bit. She is always kind and caring. Sweet little Honey is the youngest child in the school. She's cute but some of her story is rather dark. Yikes on her feelings about being bad.

The adult characters vary widely but all are quirky. I like the coffin maker's nephew, Frank Tate. A cabinet maker by trade, he comes up with the most ingenious uses for coffins. He is always kind and thoughtful. If he wasn't so shy he may be more popular. Another quirky character who is larger than life is Everett Crew. He's an actor with a traveling troupe and reminds me of someone I know. Everett is always theatrical and brings a bit of Shakespeare to Florence. Cissy's father Hulbert, is popular but I have mixed feelings about him. Like Cissy's mother, I think, he's a dreamer. I do appreciate his big dreams and his faith in Florence but he doesn't have the money to be a dreamer. I admire his principles and his practices but also think he needed to have some way of supporting his family n the meantime. Perhaps he should have gone to check things out himself without his family. Cissy's mother comes across as a nasty, bitter woman. If they're so unsuited, how did they even marry in the first place? Cissy's mother is a lot more sympathetic for the adult reader understanding her concerns over her family's well-being and their future. Hulbert is sort of a Bronson Alcott type so I really don't blame Cissy's mother for being upset. I don't know why she stayed with her husband and didn't take Cissy and leave him when he decided to go to Oklahoma. She could easily say he died in Oklahoma or he abandoned them and while that would be scandalous, it would be better than starving to death.

This story is best for readers in the 11-13 age range. It's a bit violent and intense for younger readers but less sensitive advanced 9-10 year olds would probably enjoy the story.