The Balloon Boy of San Francisco
Dorothy Kupcha Leland
(Reviewer - Rebecca Brown)
2004 Tomato Enterprises
ISBN: 0961735740

The true story of a newsboy who in 1853 took a wild ride on a runaway hot air balloon.

Ready Gates is a ready for anything -- whether it's shouting the latest headlines from a street corner, sneaking onto a river boat, or tracking down a missing gold miner, he's busy about earning money -- dreaming about going with his father to the mine fields & making a fortune for his family.

When he crosses the bay to watch the ascension of the first balloon ever brought to California, his adventures really take off!

Based on a true story, The Balloon Boy of San Francisco is a lively recreation of the life & times of the golden years of pioneers, as seen through the eyes of a young boy in search of fame & fortune. Along the way he meets a street preacher, a fortuneteller, a daguerreian artist, & witnesses the spellbinding performance of Lola Montez, yet nothing tops his death-defying trip after which he earned the sobriquet of the “balloon boy”.

A spellbinding read for all ages.

A word about Tomato Enterprises: they produce children's books about western expansion & California history.

More from Dorothy Kupcha Leland:
Sallie Fox: The Story of a Pioneer Girl
The Big Tomato: A guide to the Sacramento region
(08/28/05)

Rebecca