Through the Lock

by Carol Otis Hurst

Etta and her brother and sister, wards of the state of Massachusetts in 1840, have been parceled off to separate foster homes. Determined to gather her family back together and create a secure home for herself and her siblings, Etta has run away from the last in a long string of foster homes, resolved to find a place where they can live as a family. In her search, she encounters Walter, a young runaway who is hiding out from his alcoholic father in a cabin on the New Haven and Northampton Canal.
Before she can get her own family together, Etta gets caught up in Walter’s problems, which include the transportation of a body up a mountain in the dead of night, convincing the canal company to hire them as a security team, and catching the vandals who are determined to sabotage the canal.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Childrens

172 pages, Hardcover

First published April 23, 2001

Reviews

[Diane Rusert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this little novel. We live near the Erie Canal in New York State and one of our daughters lives in the area of Massachusetts that the story takes place in.

[Zane Barrick]

I read the book Through the Lock by Carol Otis Hurst. It is about an 11-year-old girl named Etta that has escaped her last and final foster home. She runs away looking for a place for her and her siblings to stay by themselves as they were originally split into different foster homes. In her journey, she meets a young boy named Walter that has escaped his alcoholic father. Etta gets caught up with Walter and his problems, a group of vandals is trying to sabotage the Northampton canal. They convince the canal company to hire them as a security team so they can stop the vandals from sabotaging the canal.
Overall this was a good book but I was expecting more detail and description at times throughout the book. The beginning of the book was interesting when Etta left her home and met Walter. However, the excitement was slightly drawn out and it got a little boring. I would recommend this book to anyone as it definitely has an interesting storyline. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read or any movie I’ve watched before and that’s what made me want to read it after picking it up the first time.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thought and research that went into this historical fiction made it a fantastic read

[R.J. Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

My family read this book aloud this winter and we all enjoyed it. Yes, the part about the body was odd, but also realistic. The characters are especially interesting when you read the author's note about them at the end of the book. It also made for a good point-of-reference for studying that period of American history.

This book opened the door for a discussion on maturity levels of children today in comparison to our great grandparents. There are several things the characters do in this book that just seem unfathomable for them to attempt at their age, until you realize how mature children of that era could be.

[Miss Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

gr 5-8 160 pgs


1840, Connecticut. 12 year old orphan Etta is determined to find a way to reunite her "family" : her younger brother, living on a farm, and her older sister, working in a mill. In her search, she comes across a shack near the river and meets Walter who is living there. Walter and Etta are eventually joined by Jake. Each of them is looking for a new start and end up forming a kind of family. Etta wonders if she will be to unite her two families together.

Great story. The lock in the title refers to the locks of the canal which are an important part of the story. I think this is an interesting book to read after having read Gloria Whelan's "Wanigan".

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 pages contained 'd' word used by disgruntled adult man. Good story of perseverance, determination, and desire for a better life. The children were very resourceful, purposeful and took care and pride in what they did.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is okay. I was only interested because it was about runaway kids, not slaves but kids treated unkindly or have no parents. The ending is bad too, but I guess it's ok...

[Stephanie A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bland characters, lacking in exciting plot.