Crows & Cards

by Joseph Helgerson

Book Overview

Three warnings for readers who hate surprises: 1. Beware of slivers, 2. and gamblers, 3. and aces.

Zebulon Crabtree found all that out the hard way back in 1849 when his mother and father shipped him off to St. Louis to apprentice with a tanner. Too bad he had serious allergies to fur and advice from his parents. Hearing the beat of a different drummer, Zeb takes up with a riverboat gambler who has some special plans for him, crosses paths...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0547339097
• ISBN13: 9780547339092
• Release Date: June 2010
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Huck Finn Would Like This

I mistakenly assumed that this book was going to be a sequel to Helgerson's first book, the delightful Horns and Wrinkles, purely because of the seemingly parallel title. It isn't, but then, it's a good read in its own right. There's a lot of Mark Twain in this book, along with a cheery dose of Sid Fleischman. The year is 1849, and Zebulon Crabtree is not happy about becoming an apprentice to his great-uncle, a tanner in St. Louis. Zeb is not only allergic to fur, but he seems to be allergic to work. So when he meets a card shark named Chilly Larpenteur on the riverboat, Zeb jumps at the chance to change career paths. He is also gullible, so gullible that you might find yourself rolling your eyes at the things this kid will believe. Happily fleeced, Zeb follows Chilly to his abode in an old house being used as a gambling parlor. The house is home to other colorful sorts--the Professor and his two pet hens, Goose Nedeau, and a slave named Ho-John. As Zeb settles in, he learns that he is to assist Chilly in cheating at cards. However, Chilly has convinced Zeb that he is a modern Robin Hood. But between Ho-John's dubious head shaking and a new acquaintance with an old Indian chief and his granddaughter, Zeb finally starts to question his devious master's motives. Once I got past being a little irritated with how gullible Zeb is in the first part of the book, I really enjoyed Crows and Cards. Besides telling a lively tale, author Joseph Helgerson has a way with words. He seems to relish coming up with twangy downhome metaphors. For example, when Zeb enters the Professor's room, he sees that "hanging on the wall was a heart-shaped silver locket that made you think of fancy, rhyming poetry just looking at it." In another place we read, "He wasn't the only one trapped in amber either." And this one: "Quiet as stardust and with my heart whirring as if it had wings, I tucked the pouch in a vest pocket...." A lot of the adventure books for children I've been reading lately have seemed like pallid Alex Rider imitators, so it's refreshing to come across a non-spy book that's a rollicking adventure for boys. And if Zeb is a bit of a sucker when the book begins, well, he eventually wises up--just in time for the climactic card game between Chief Standing Tenbears and Chilly Larpenteur, which shakes up the lives of just about every character in the book. You might want to sit in on that game!

In the tradition of Mark Twain...

In the tradition of Mark Twain...this fun, raucous romp travels along the Mississippi River and has our young Zeb meeting up with river gamblers, hustlers and indians. At moments hilarious and other times poignant Helgerson weaves a tale with the ease of of a snake oil salesman. Put on a boat to live with his Great-Uncle Seth as a tanner - "locked into an apprenticeship that wasn't but one step removed from slavery". An opportune (hmmm - maybe that's not the right word...) meeting with Chilly Larpenteur changes the pre-arranged course of Zeb's young life. Zeb Crabtree learns his life lessons, takes his lumps and comes up with an interesting set of rules to live by... From the back cover - Three warnings for readers who hate surprises: 1.Beware of Slivers 2.and Gamblers 3.and Aces Helgerson's style is light and quick enough to keep a young person's interest throughout.

Great, fun historical adventure

I don't usually read or review books for the 8-12 crowd, but I don't see many books in that market about ante-bellum riverboat gamblers. That being said, I really enjoyed Crows & Cards. In Zeb Crabtree, a twelve-year-old would-be tanner's apprentice, Joseph Helgerson has created a likable character through which young readers can experience the wonders of 1849 St. Louis and its environs. Sent off on the Rose Melinda, a Mississippi side-wheeler, to his great-uncle Seth in St. Louis, Zeb has $70 to cover the cost of his apprenticeship, which he's not too eager to be starting. Helgerson vividly recreates the Rose Melinda, giving the reader a glimpse into what traveling on a steamer was like. It is here that Zeb meets Chilly Larpenteur, a riverboat gambler who offers to take his $70, and Zeb as his apprentice. It's here that the adventure truly begins. Helgerson absolutely nails the antebellum riverboat gambler in the character of Chilly. Clearly he did his research well, creating a vain, conniving, and sincere-seeming foil for the naive farmboy Zeb. This is a fun adventure story that tackles some serious issues in ante-bellum America, particularly slavery and the treatment of Native Americans. It's a reminder that the period was not a time of progress for all Americans, and may inspire readers to learn more about history. As a historian who studies gambling, I give this book the highest possible recommendation. Helgerson gets his history right, and without necessarily knowing it kids will learn some valuable lessons about the ante-bellum period from reading Crows & Cards. They might not want to run off to a life of gambling, but they will certainly know a bit more about how the trade was practiced in its heyday, and may have their appetite whetted for more thorough reading, in fiction or history.

A delightfully wonderful book

This is a very funny and entertaining novel about a few months in the life of twelve year old Zebulon Crabtree, Zebulon (Zeb) is sent to St. Louis to become a tanner's apprentice. Though, as things usually happen in books like this, that is not quite what happens. Instead Zeb encounters river boat gamblers, a traveling medicine show, a real live Indian chef and his beautiful daughter, a slave and a handful of other eccentric characters. The book is set in 1849 St. Louis and the author does a wonderful job of conveying the sights and smells of the bustling frontier town. The novel is told in first person and the author's mastery of slang and historical colloquialisms is impressive. There are many laugh at loud phrases scattered throughout the book and the book will keep you very entertained. The illustrations are also nicely done and entertaining. The author does a good job of sneaking in historical lessons and includes some informative summaries at the end of the book. There is also a "Dictionarium Americannicum," a humorous dictionary that explains words and phrases that might be unfamiliar to the reader. But, enough rambling, this book is very good and you should buy it for your child to read and then read it yourself. Any story that is very entertaining and slips in history.....you can't go wrong there! Enjoy!

Both "Wimpy Kid" and Mark Twain fans will enjoy this frontier/riverboat coming of age tale

I read this book in one sitting. It has much to recommend it! The major strength of this book is the first-person narration by our 12-year old main character, Zeb. Zeb's humorous, folksy, and absolutely unique voice is fun and convincing. I also really enjoyed the illustration of the book-- although it is not heavily illustrated, some of the illustrations are very special, and all greatly contribute to the characterization. In essence, this is the story of a boy reaching the age when he was expected to begin supporting himself-- 12 years old. Zeb and his father discuss many apprenticeship options available to him on the frontier in 1849; in the end (after Zeb has rejected every other idea his father has) his father decides to apprentice him to his great-uncle who is a tanner in St. Louis. No amount of fussing helps-- after spring planting Zeb is packed off on a river boat, leaving his family for a planned 6 year apprenticeship very far from home. He feels lost and abandoned (as well as resentful and defiant about having to work as an all-but captive servant in a profession that doesn't interest him), and so is easy prey for a riverboat gambler who absconds with the $70 Zeb's father had given him to pay for the apprenticeship. The gambler, "Chilly", cons Zeb into accepting an "apprenticeship" with him. He convinces Zeb that this life's work is noble-- that they are teaching the rich about the satisfaction of giving their money to others! Eventually Zeb's conscience begins to bother him mightily, as he is forced to help Chilly cheat other gamblers. Chilly's behavior becomes increasingly brutal, and Zeb comes to realize he has made a mistake in joining forces with him. His compassion for a slave in Chilly's gambling house grows, and he begins to worry about his family and their reaction to what he is doing. In the end, Zeb balks at Chilly's scheme to cheat a blind Native American chief, and he settles on a plan to escape. The chief's wisdom and access to magical guidance are important to the resolution of the story. This book owes much to the tales of Mark Twain-- it is a coming-of-age story with humor, good character development, and lots of riverboat/frontier town color. It is also reminiscent of the story of Pinocchio being led astray/failing to listen to his conscience and being taken in, for a time, by con men. The main character's voice reminded me of the appeal of "The Great Brain" series in some ways. Surprisingly, despite the historical setting the sassy, less-than-wise (for most of the story), and extremely honest Zeb may remind young readers of the "Wimpy Kid" books, too. I do have reservations about sharing this book with kids under the recommended age range-- I think little ones might find the story confusing or scary-- but like "Treasure Island" or "Huckleberry Finn" this might be a good read-aloud adventure for parents to share with older kids. There's a lot to discuss and process, from interacting with charming