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The Misadventures of Maude March

(Maude March Misadventures #1)

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3.85  ·  Rating details ·  1,665 ratings  ·  235 reviews
Eleven-year-old Sallie March is a whip-smart tomboy and voracious reader of Western adventure novels. When she and her sister Maude escape their self-serving guardians for the wilds of the frontier, they begin an adventure the likes of which Sallie has only read about. This time however, the "wanted woman" isn't a dime-novel villian, it's Sallie's very own sister! What fol ...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published January 23rd 2007 by Yearling (first published 2005)
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Average rating 3.85  · 
Rating details
 ·  1,665 ratings  ·  235 reviews


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Melki
Sigh.

I was really looking forward to this tale of girls gone wild mild in the wild, wild west, but I was disappointed. The story, as narrated by eleven-year-old Sallie March, tells of her adventures with her big sister, Maude, as they set out alone to find a mystical place called Independence, Missouri. We are told, rather than shown, that Sallie is something of a tomboy, while Maude is a homebody, but it's kind of hard to tell as the girls speak in the same voice, and seem to share the same per
...more
Brooklyne E.
Oct 10, 2018 rated it really liked it

I listened to this book via the audio book from the library with my sister. I don't normally listen to audio books, but this one was great! I love the story of these two sisters, Sally March and Maude! I think that Maude is a very unique name! ;)

I felt like the ages of these girls were off somehow. They seemed really young... Sally was 11. But then their guardians wanted to marry Sally's older sister (Maude) off to some older man. That's why they escaped in the first place. Then they became "wan
...more
Stacy-ann
Jun 23, 2022 rated it really liked it
I listened to the audiobook and let me tell you... The narrator, Lee Adams, is a gem. This is a highly entertaining Western story told fr the POV of an 11-year-old. I do like that despite the very Western rootin tootin vibe with guns and horses and bank robberies, the main characters essentially want to be good and don't want the big notorious reputation.

It was touch and go with the story at first, but I've grown to really enjoy it and look forward to the second book. Also, it may be weird cuz o
...more
Danielle
Mar 16, 2012 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: ya-english-356, 2012
I read the back of the book, and I created a first impression. I had thought of what the book would be about and how the story would go. However, not only did the storyline not follow what I had first thought, it turned out better than the plot I outlined in my head.

I could see myself as Sallie and at times, as Maude. Two amazing characters, each having a weak moment but having the other make up for the other's weakness. It is a great story about two sisters and their adventure that seems like i
...more
David
Sep 25, 2017 rated it it was amazing
Picked this up in the National Frontier Trails Museum in Independence, Missouri, read the back cover, and had to have it. Sure, it's a kids' book, but I got a kick out of it, and want to read the sequel. Narrated by Maude's younger sister, the book is a wonderfully affectionate send-up of the "dimer" western stories the narrator loves to read.
...more
Angie Fehl
Sep 14, 2016 rated it really liked it
Sallie March, our narrator, is an 11 year old tomboy living in what we know think of as "the Old West days". Her parents are both dead, victims of yellow fever, so she and her teen sister, Maude, have since been living with their matronly aunt, Ruthie. While running errands with Ruthie one day, the girls become innocent, victimized bystanders in a shootout. Aunt Ruthie is killed instantly by a stray bullet. {I loved that on that fateful day, Aunt Ruthie, having quite the day already, speaks the ...more
Hickory Dock
Jun 27, 2022 rated it it was amazing
I loved this book in elementary, and it still holds as a fun western starring two sisters. It's a children's book, good for very casual reading, appeals to tomboys. Two sisters, recently orphaned, run away from a prospect marriage in favor of freedom. They cut their hair and everything, one of the sisters shoots the head off a rattlesnake, etc. There's like 3-4 throwaway lines about "Indians" from the characters in the entire book, the worst one is in the beginning and the rest is all uphill and ...more
Makenna Teague
The Misadventures of Maude March is a Wild West story about two orphan girls who become outlaws. Set within the historical context of prairie life, 11-year-old tomboy Sallie March
LobsterQuadrille
Unfortunately, I didn't end up enjoying this historical fiction story as much as I'd thought I would. The story started out quite well, being quickly-paced and pretty engaging. But somewhere along the line, as the two sisters traveled on and on, it all began to feel flat and dull. I had trouble visualizing the landscape as they traveled, mainly because I'm not sure what the wilderness of Missouri actually looks like. The characters were okay, but not really memorable for me. The writing style d ...more
Adrienne
Growing up, I really enjoyed the works of the Fleischmans, particularly By the Great Horn Spoon! and Humbug Mountain. Couloumbis has tapped into that same slightly goofy Wild West setting in Maude March. Sisters Maude and Sallie watched their Aunt Ruthie get shot right before their eyes in front of the Cedar Rapids Mercantile, and now find themselves to be orphans. They have an uncle in Independence, but that’s a long way away. And now a bunch of men in the town want to marry Maude. How can they ...more
Conan Tigard
Nov 13, 2015 rated it really liked it
This book wasn't what I expected. I looked at the cover and read the inside cover and expected "Mad" Maude to be one rip-snorting wild woman. She wasn't. But just because the book wasn't what I expected doesn't mean that is wasn't good. Just the contrary, actually. Sallie is the wild sister while Maude is actually the meek sister.

I highly enjoyed the story of the struggles these girls had trying to recapture the life they once had. Audrey Couloumbis has created a wonderful tale of two girls figh
...more
Lisa the Librarian
This is a fun historical fiction. Told from eleven year old Sallie's perspective the voice in this book captures the innocence a child mixed with the adventure and colloquialism of the "dimer" novels Sallie is so fond of.

It also has a bit of a "tall tale" feel to it. Fortunately the manner in which Sallie tells her story it comes across as honest and plausible even though nobody would likely have as many outrageous misadventures as the March sisters.

Sallie and her sister Maude are both very lika
...more
babyhippoface
Sallie and Maude were both memorable characters with depth. Usually, books that include a lot of wandering around in the snow get a little boring for me, but this one kept my attention.

I did wonder if Marion was really a good guy or not (he did rob a bank, after all), and if he and Maude would marry. Guess I'll have to wait for the sequel to find out, hmm?

I listened to the audiobook, and although I wasn't fond of the narrator's style (her diction was too crisp and precise for my taste, especiall
...more
Lukeb
Apr 23, 2011 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
The beginning of this book was surprisingly sad when two young girls witness her aunt Ruthie get shot down by a stray bullet and become orphans for the second time. To make it even worse they have to now live with the Peasleys and have to take care of all of their children with one on the way. Now that summer is coming to an end Sally is going back to school while Maud has to take care of all the children herself. can she manage it? or is she going on the lam?
Morgan
Jul 17, 2009 rated it really liked it
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Celeste
Mar 24, 2010 rated it it was ok
Cute, just cute is all I can say about this one. For a better story along the same lines watch The Apple Dumpling Gang or Hot Lead, Cold Feet. Both are better.
Ann Snider
Jun 30, 2011 rated it it was amazing
Would recomment this book for Middle school age youth! Newbury winner. I will retread this! Fun book!
Cheryl
So much adventure in this book!! I loved reading it! Amazing detail. This book is oh-so very interesting from the minute you pick it up. You really feel as if you're in the story itself! ...more
Stacey R
Apr 21, 2012 rated it it was amazing
Hilarious adventure! Listened to the audio book a few years ago and getting ready to listen again with my oldest daughter as she reads it for school.
Karen
Sep 16, 2019 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
This was a well written romp through the old west with a well developed plot and two strong, if young, female leads. The twice orphaned sisters choose to leave their house of indentured servitude in order to escape the dismal marriage being arranged for Maude, the older sister. Sallie, the younger sister reliably narrates their misadventures as they strike out on stolen horses across the prairies of the plains states in an effort to find their last surviving relative in Independence, MO. I enjoy ...more
Carolyn Fitzpatrick
My daughter (age 9) thoroughly enjoyed this book but was little annoyed about the bait and switch revealed at the beginning. This is not a book about an adventuresome girl riding through the Old West. Maude March is a demure and somewhat prissy 15 year old who knows next to nothing outside of her comfortable life in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and about the same time that Jesse James' gang is riding around. Circumstances (and her dime novel loving 12 year old sister) push Maude to make a midnight flight ...more
Pyrate Queen
Maude and her sister Sallie have been orphaned once again. A stray bullet kills their Aunt Ruthie suddenly as they are leaving the mercantile, leaving Maude and Sallie on their own. The preacher takes them in to start but then decides that Maude is old enough to marry off and begins to "shop" her around to the eligible men, while putting Sallie to task cleaning houses. The girls want none of this and decide that they are better off on their own. But where will they go?

While going through some of
...more
Donna
Apr 17, 2018 rated it really liked it
Fun adventure story about two girls who are orphaned twice and decide to take matters into their own hands. Told in the first person by Sallie, a smart tomboy who loves to read adventure stories called "dimers," this story has action, suspense, scary moments, and a lot of humor.
Maude and Sallie find themselves living with the preacher and his family. They end up being little more than slaves. When the preacher starts looking for a husband for Maude, she decides it is time to run away. Sallie go
...more
Sherrill Watson
Feb 17, 2020 rated it really liked it
See Angie's review for plot. A good YA novel.

Maude and Sallie are orphaned in the Wild West (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and set out to find their Uncle Arden, who is in Independence, Missouri. They meet Marion Hardly who thinks they are boys at first (they cut their hair & look messy) and he knows quite a bit about living off the land, building a snow fort, hobbling horses, etc. He also resembled the hero in the dime-novels that Maude reads, Joe Harden. Through SO many misadventures I lost count, they
...more
Gabby
Feb 04, 2022 rated it it was amazing
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Phylisha Stone
Jan 18, 2019 rated it it was amazing
Eleven year old Sallie March and her older sister Maude lose their great Aunt and are orphaned for the second time. They end up becoming at the local preachers where they become (as unpaid help responsible for the household and childcare. Maude is also pursued by a really old man. The two girls decide to leave and go find their uncle in Independence Miissouri. Lots of mishaps, danger occur(both human and animal) along the way. An awesome book on the trials that women faced.
Cheesy Mom
Aug 10, 2017 rated it it was amazing
Loved this book! Paced with adventure and many hilarious moments. At first I wondered why it was written with the 11 year old sister as the narrator, but it really works. Very clever. Borrowed it from the library and then bought my own copy. For me and my girls (when they get old enough to read it!).
Mary Ann
Jun 22, 2018 rated it it was amazing
It has been forever since reading a western novel and one where the main characters were girls. What an unusual tale that leaves you hoping for a positive outcome in their adventures in finding their uncle in such dire circumstances. Looking forward to reading the sequel. Glad someone loaned me their copy to read as I had not heard of this book.
Joyousmoi
Jun 30, 2018 rated it it was amazing
As an elementary teacher, I completely understand why this story is on alot of other teacher's recommendations for read alouds. It's entertaining! It's historical fiction which leads to so many research opportunities, it's about strong female characters, it can hook boys with all the shenanigans or western references, it's part of a series! What more could you want??? ...more
Sue
Oct 05, 2017 rated it really liked it
I am thinking of matching this book up with a few others, and encouraging some students to read the collection and compare brave heroic female characters living in the Midwest. Other titles to consider are Calpurnia Tate, Ballad of Lucy Whipple, Hattie Big Sky, Riding Freedom.
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Audrey is a recently transplanted (yet again) New Yorker (by choice), now in Bunker Hill, West Virginia (also by choice), where Civil War ghosts scare the dogs at night, where a CSX train track runs behind the house and the romantic sound of a faraway train can be heard three or four times a day, where she is starting a new garden of rambling roses and assorted deer-resistant flowering shrubs and ...more

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