John Sherman O'Brien (1897–1938)

I have not personally read this book, but it is why we/I started looking for and collecting older vintage books for children. We started homeschooling when my 4th child, a son, was in 4th grade. He was a voracious reader and had already read or listened to his father read some common classic children's literature. I asked my father who was in his 80's if he had any recommendations of books for my son. Not being as computer savvy as most people my age, he still managed to get online and secure a copy of Silver Chief, Dog of the North for my son. That copy is his own and will be treasured for a long time!! My son wanted to read more stories about Silver Chief and that is how we started on our search for vintage children's books. It was my father and my son making a connection with this book! I now have copies of my own to share with others.… (more)

Back into fun fluff territory, though it's trying for deeper. The mysterious orders are rather silly - a good way to get a lot of Mounties coming to ask what's going on, I'd think (which would have been a better way of informing them anyway...). Pat is a rather odd sideplot; I wonder what she thinks about the whole matter? 8 years old is old enough to have opinions, but she presents about as realistically as that doll. And the main plot is pretty weak, in terms of leaning on coincidence even more than usual - Thorne comes across clues way too easily, though he does think about that (lampshaded). Decent, for fluff; this one I might read again.… (more)

My, that's silly. It doesn't work for me even at the level of fun fluff. The magical thinking that takes a wild animal - not even feral, he's had no real contact with humans - and within weeks at most makes him totally loyal to...well, the first white man he's encountered... The last takes it from silly to annoying, though at least it seems to be more a matter of finding his True Love than just a racial thing. Still, it was bad enough it tainted the rest of the book for me. Aside from that, it is fluff. Oh, and the language is occasionally excessively high-flown - amusing. The first chapter, in present tense, in particular, but also some later bits. Not dialog, that's fine, usually in descriptions and the like. The end is coincidentally convenient, but not beyond the bounds of the genre. Not a favorite, or even one I much want to read again.… (more)