Kidnapped by River Rats: William and Catherine Booth

Trailblazer Books #1

by Dave Jackson, Neta Jackson, Julian Jackson (Illustrator)

It is sometime during the 1880s, and Jack and Amy have come to London searching for their uncle. On their own without money, food, or shelter, they have nowhere else to turn. But what is the chance of finding him when they don't even know where he lives?

For the two youngsters, attempting to live on the streets is frightening, dangerous, and an opportunity for the worst elements of the city to take advantage of them. London society has become uncaring, even cruel, to the needy. Where can they find safety?

When those strange Salvation Army people approach them on the street, should Jack and Amy run away? Can the General and Catherine Booth be trusted?

What hope do Jack and Amy have when ruthless men come after them?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Childrens, Christian Fiction, Middle Grade, Juvenile

110 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1991

About the author

Dave and Neta Jackson are a full-time husband/wife writing team who have authored and co-authored many books on marriage and family, the church, relationships, and other subjects. Their books for children include the TRAILBLAZER series and Hero Tales, volumes I,II, III, and IV. The Jacksons make their home in Evanston, Illinois.

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have fond memories of my mom reading these books to us over lunch. And we’d beg her to keep going when lunch was over too, because we just had to know what happened! Well told, engaging, adventuresome and you learn about a famous Christian in history.

Ages: 7+

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[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book aloud to my 12 year old sons as part of our homeschooling lessons. They both rated it with 4 stars. I, too, enjoyed it as I learned to beginnings of The Salvation Army.

The story provides mild action and suspense as the children navigate through London homeless and orphaned.

[Catherine Gillespie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kidnapped by River Rats is a fictional book about two orphaned kids in London who are rescued by the Salvation Army. It’s the sort of book that aims at a little bit of history while telling a story, which I normally like, but there were some flaws. First, the dialog is dreadful for reading aloud. It’s anachronistic and clumsy. I found myself changing it every time there was a direct quote. If you’re ok with in-process editing as you read, that might be ok, but although I can change wording as I read aloud, I found it annoying that I had to do that throughout the book. Also the illustrations are really third-rate. I didn’t bother mentioning to the kids that there were illustrations, because they were really that bad. The kids didn’t strongly dislike the story, and we did pick up some information about the Salvation Army that we used in a later history discussion. To warn you, the book does deal with human trafficking and child prostitution–it’s glossed but be aware that you’ll probably need to have a discussion about it if your kids notice.

Get more recommendations for great kids chapter book read alouds on A Spirited Mind

[Jessica Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this series when I was a kid and absolutely loved it. I'm so excited to be able to share these books with my own kids now! They are such a great way to introduce kids to the heroes of our faith. This first book is about William & Catherine Booth of the Salvation Army. My two daughters (ages 6 & 7) loved it and begged me to read more to them every night. We've already purchased the next book and started reading it last night!

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story takes place in England in the 1800's of the struggles of a brother and sister in their search for their uncle.

[Myra Benedict · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack and his older sister are homeless they have no place to call there mother dies and they are trying to find their uncle when something horrible happens Amy is kidnapped by some people....a good story and a sad one too

[Esther Filbrun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soon after I discovered the magic of reading books, I got into the Trailblazer series. Every time we went to a new library, I would eagerly scour their shelves to see if they had any ones I hadn’t read yet, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know historical figures through the different books I read.

Recently, Mom got all 50(ish) books on CD, and I decided it would be fun to read through them all again. Somehow, I managed to forget about this project until recently, but I did enjoy reading Kidnapped by River Rats. While some books in this series can tend to feel formulaic, this book doesn’t—perhaps because it’s one of the earlier ones? Either way, I’ve always enjoyed the story. I feel like it’s a good way to get a feel for old London, and definitely a good story to get an idea of the hope people felt when William and Catherine Booth started up their ministry.

Children in the 8-12 age bracket would really enjoy this story. There is a bit of danger at different points, but not enough that I would consider it to be a problem. I thoroughly enjoyed this story when I was younger, and liked the reminder of how God can work through us if we allow Him to use us.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is part of a wonderful series I discovered last fall. Each Trailblazer Book introduces the ministry of a hero of the Christian faith. The Christian heroes in this book are William and Catherine Booth, the founders of the Salvation Army.

The book is historical fiction. It follows 2 fictional children in their troubled lives in London during the 1800s. However, they meet William and Catherine Booth. As a foreward to the story, the authors tell which characters are real and which are fictional. Plus an afterword is included which gives many details about the Booths and their ministry. I love that these books include a "For Further Reading" section.

The intended audience is ages 8-12.

Read it aloud to 6th grade class as a read-along with A Christmas Carol. A great pairing.

[Brandon B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Kidnapped by the River Rats Jack and Amy are the main characters. Jack and Amy are 12 and 2. They live on the streets of London in 1881 looking for their Uncle Sedgwick. They have no idea of where their uncle is and they don't know how to find him. Jack is working an odd job by throwing anything he can find at the Salvation Army to earn half a penny. While Jack is working his sister is kidnapped. Jack now has to find his sister.I like this book because it has mystery and action.

[Leo · Rating 1 out of 5]

this is pretty freaky. its about kidnapping and i hate that cuz it makes me scared all the time.

[Erin(and Hannah) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a "series" about famous Christain heroes of the past. They're interesting.

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it when I was in the third grade. What can I say? It inspired me to attempt my own novel the next year... hehe. Oh yes.. the memories.

[Rebecca]

I really enjoyed this book! It really kept me intrested. :)

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite honestly, a fairly weak historical novel about the early work of the Salvation Army.

[Teresa Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read aloud to my 10 year old son. We both loved it and are anxious to read the whole series!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

See the first book in the series (Spy for the Night Riders)for a full review.

[Phil Cotnoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good read. Heavy stuff for kids.

[Jolie · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this as a read a loud. I loved it just as much as much as my son. We didn't ever want to stop reading.

[Daniel Godfrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used to be on my older brother's bookshelf. Still has a tag on it from a local bookstore, so my guess is we got this one first, before Imprisoned in the Golden City. While I felt this book had fewer complex issues than that one, I also thought it did a fantastic job of going into more detail and showing different perspectives.

Amy and Jack Crumpton are children who are searching for Uncle Sedgwick the tailor, their next-of-kin after their mother passes away from consumption. Until then, the two strive to survive the tough streets of London in the 1880s on their own. Some of the dangers they must look out for are "River Rat" (a.k.a. "white slaver") kidnappers, who sell their victims overseas. Along the way, the fictional siblings encounter the Salvation Army and the real-life couple who founded the ministry, William and Catherine Booth.

I might have thought the Salvation Army was just starting out in the days of Sky Masterson, Nat'n Detroit, and Nicely Nicely. But this precedes the '30s/'40s Metropolitan US in Guys and Dolls by several decades! By the time Amy and Jack found it, the Salvation Army was already well-established -- having begun in 1865, according to the short biographical article in the back of the book. It is also set in England; once or twice I thought of pulling up a map of London's streets, but I never felt like I had to in order to enjoy the story.

I would like to learn more about the Salvation Army. (Especially because of the bio, which has a list of resources for further reading.) And interactions between Church and State: I often feel it's a good idea for them to be separate, but this book talks about the poor conditions in London at the time and the important role the mission played in evoking positive change. I'd also like to read up on that era. (I should finish Oliver Twist... that would be a start!)

I've liked the books from this series that I've read so far. I'm interested in trying others on names I recognize but am not very familiar with, like Amy Carmichael, David Livingstone, Gladys Aylward, and Hudson Taylor.

[B.G. Clyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Their father was dead; now their mother is dead. Jack (age 12) and Amy (age 14) must find their uncle Sedgwick in London, but how to start? They don’t know where he lives or works. With no food and no place to stay, their situation seems desperate. Jack throws horse droppings at the Salvation Army to make money for food. With a full stomach the situation looks better until Amy is kidnapped. Jack needs help so he goes to the Salvation Army. Will General Booth help him? Will Salvationists recognize Jack from his earlier attack? Will he ever see Amy again?
A daring tale about the work and methods of the early Salvation Army with biographical information on William and Catherine Booth.

[Grayson]

It is sometime during the 1880 s, and Jake and Amy are looking for there uncle without any than but they do not know where he lives. They are try to find him but bad people ran them away. But they were kind people that tried to help them but also there mother died and know they are wanting to see her gave. About to give up they see a boat in the distant and it has there Uncle but he adopted kids.


I n all I like the book because it show all the hard work they go threw and how they over came it. They wanted to give up but they did not. I loved this book it was a good book.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A free read for my 8yo. I would place the content at probably a 9 or 10yo level, but she was equal to the reading level. The writers of this series do a good job of weaving a child's story into the life of a significant historical figure in a plausible way. The Salvation Army that most know about today has echoes of its founding, but it was good to hear about its source. There's so much pain in a lot of these stories, but it makes the hope seem brighter, too. Maybe I'm just a sucker for anything with disadvantaged orphan children.

[Christa R · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this in two days. I thought the subject matter was a bit heavy about the girls so I skipped a fair amount and modified. Still, it was an interesting read and gives a perspective on the challenges in London at the time. I don't really agree with the Salvation Army now but they played a significant role then and it's important to know that history.

[Mishon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a part of the series that first sparked my love of historical fiction way back years and years ago. I don’t think I’d even read this one as a kid though. I’m interested in reading ones I did read because this one didn’t seem as good as ones I remember. That could be because I’m much older now though

[Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent historical Middle Grade Christian Fiction

Covers the rough topics:
Alcoholism hurting families, and barkeepers selling alcohol to homeless orphans and paying homeless orphans to physically attack the Salvation Army.

His sister is kidnapped by “White Slavers” who human-traffic her to a brothel, but thankfully the Salvation Army rescue her before anything bad happened.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book to my kids and they loved it as much as I did! The story was compelling and the history learned throughout was eye-opening. Highly recommend!

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story of two siblings and the hard time they faced after their mother's death. The way it was written is amazing!!

[Grace Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Assigned to read this whole series in middle school, and I learned a lot. Great educational read!

[Jayenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was a really good book. Really nice and easy read after reading a long and hard read ha. Very interesting, i really liked it.

[Joshua inoma · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok