The Thundering Prairie

by Mary A. Hancock

Good reading copy. Contains standard library markings. Some wear from normal use and age.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1969

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know where I got my copy from as a child, but I read and re-read this little book, fascinated by historical fiction, describing a window in the life of a young boy and his donkey making the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 with his family.

[Wayne Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is 1893, and thirteen year old Benjy Bryan, who was born in North Carolina, lives in Kentucky with his parents, older brother Joel, seventeen, and older sister Sue, sixteen. Jon Bryan had moved the family to take a coal mining job so that he could make enough money to buy his own homestead in Oklahoma during the Cherokee Strip Land Run on September 16, 1893. Unfortunately, Mr. Bryan is seriously injured in a mine disaster just before time to leave for, and it’s not certain if he’ll even live. However, he urges the rest of his family to go on to Oklahoma and establish a claim. So, with their horse Big Mike pulling the wagon and Benjy’s little donkey Dab pulling the cart, the four of them head west.

Along the way, the Bryans join forces with the Lonzo Tabor family from Tabor’s Cove, TN—all twelve of them. Philo Tabor becomes Benjy’s best friend. There are only about 40,000 claims available but around 100,000 people vying for them. With horse thieves, prairie fires, and coiled rattlesnakes along the way, will Benjy’s and Philo’s families even make it to Oklahoma? If they do, can they find a suitable claim? And what happens to Papa in the faraway hospital? Author Mary A. Hancock’s best known book is probably Menace on the Mountain, which was made into a 1970 telefilm produced by Walt Disney Productions. The Thundering Prairie, in which the euphemistic term “dratted” is used once, is an exciting tale of adventure of historical fiction that was chosen as a Weekly Reader Children’s Book Club selection.

[Chris Gager · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pulled from my western pile a couple of days ago and finished right quick. A fairly well-written Y-A account of the travails of a family from Kentucky looking to settle some Oklahoma land in the 1893 land rush. Plenty of excitement and action packed into the tale. The highlight was the battle with the "Red Buffalo"(a prairie fire) along the way. This book reminded me of "The Haymeadow" with its action-packed narrative. There are other books on Goodreads by Mary NMI(No Middle Initial) Hancock but it's hard to tell if any of them were written by this author. Other info is given in the end of the book. Apparently she was a prolific writer of magazine articles.

- Another 19th c.(set in) book that uses the word "chap" for young children.

- Sad to see some dismissive language used towards Indians. Aside from that there's not mention of them. It WAS their land... wasn't it???

- 3.25* rounds down to 3*

[Bonnie Tharp · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want to know about the real cowboy days this is a good place to start.

[Debb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book! First read it in elementary school and re-read it over the years. An exciting historical fiction read regarding an important and unique part of American history.

[Becky Savoie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice historical read. Interesting to read about the land rush from an author that could actually interview people that were alive when it happened.

[K.J. Klemme · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much as a child, that I hunted down a copy.