Culpepper's Cannon

Culpepper Adventures #3

by Gary Paulsen

While researching a Civil War cannon, Dunc and Amos discover a time portal that transports them back to downtown Culpepper on March 8, 1862--the day before the historic clash between the Monitor and the Merrimac.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction

90 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Gary James Paulsen was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote more than 200 magazine articles and short stories, and several plays, all primarily for teenagers. He won the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1997 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's the time of year for long, involved school projects, and Amos Binder is in trouble. He needs a good grade on his upcoming Civil War report. He and his friend Dunc Culpepper are discussing the issue beside a local cannon monument when Dunc discovers a message on a piece of paper inside the cannon. It mentions a nearby time portal, and Dunc isn't about to let that go without checking it out. The boys wander into a women's clothing shop, where the note said the time portal would be. After talking their way into a dressing room, they locate the portal and are sent back to the Civil War era. But before Amos can get his bearings, he and Dunc are separated.

Only a few minutes pass before Amos is caught by Confederates and accused of being a spy. They tried to grab Dunc, he finds out, but the boy eluded them. It's the hangman's noose for Amos if he can't escape, but that proves easier than anticipated. Now all he has to do is locate Dunc and see about returning to the present day. A crowd of soldiers and civilians is gathered in anticipation of tomorrow's clash between the Southern Merrimack (called the Virginia by Confederates) and Northern Monitor battleships that will play a key role in the war. As Amos wades through the crowd and avoids the men who arrested him, he finds notes from Dunc to guide him to the portal in time to go home. There's a lot to distract Amos—including a girl who looks exactly like Melissa, his crush from school—but he's not going to let himself be stranded in the 1860s. If Amos and Dunc both make it home, they'll be lucky...and Amos will have a wealth of experience from which to write his Civil War report.

Culpepper's Cannon is an improvement from the first two Culpepper Adventures. The writing is sleeker and more exciting, and there's a surprise connection to the first book in the series, The Case of the Dirty Bird. I could see myself rating Culpepper's Cannon considerably higher than the one and a half stars I'm giving it if the time travel logic had worked, but I can't say that's the case. Still, I have fun hanging out with Dunc and Amos for eighty or ninety pages. If the Culpepper Adventures continue to improve, they could be a solid contributor to Gary Paulsen's legacy. I look forward to finding out.