Stop the Train!

Written by Geraldine McCaughrean

Narrated by Ellen Myrick and Full Cast

From the author of The Kite Rider comes another great historical novel, this time set in the American west, where the residents of a new settlement struggle against nature and the railroad to keep their town alive.

Pulse-pounding adventure, moments of gut-bustin' humor, and a deeply moving sense of community, make Stop the Train! a must-listen.

©2001 Geraldine McCaughrean; (P)2005 Full Cast Audio

• Language: English
• Publisher: Full Cast Audio
• Release date: Jan 1, 2005
• ISBN: 9781933322841

Geraldine McCaughrean

Geraldine McCaughrean is the Printz Award-winning author of The White Darkness. She has been honored with England's most prestigious children's book award, the Carnegie Medal, and is the only three-time winner ever of the Whitbread Children's Book Award. She also wrote Peter Pan in Scarlet, the first official sequel to the treasured masterpiece Peter Pan, and the critically acclaimed The Death-Defying Pepper Roux. Geraldine lives in Berkshire, England, with her husband and actress daughter.

Reviews for Stop the Train!

[souloftherose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a fun story about the trials of a small, newly settled town called Florence in Oklahoma in the 19th century. The settlers are entirely dependent on the railroad for supplies for their town now and for business in future. But when they refuse to sell their plots of land to the railroad company, the owner of the railroad announces that he will make sure no trains will stop at Florence until the people are driven out.Realising that their only hope is to force the train to stop themselves the town's people come up with and attempt to carry out increasingly wild and amusing plans to make the train stop at Florence. It's an amusing tale but it's also heartwarming as you see the relationships develop between the townspeople. Geraldine McCaughrean is a long established children's author who seems to have been unfairly overlooked if the quality of this book and the number of awards she has been nominated for (and won) are any guide. I would certainly like to read more of her books.

[elkiedee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cissy and her family have come to set up a grocery store in the brand new town of Florence, Oklahoma, near the railroad. She quickly makes friends with a very chatty, kind boy called Kookie, short for Habbakuk. Other people come to stake their claim on plots of land, and open up businesses. It is all very exciting but the settlers of this new town soon discover they have a serious problem. The railroad company wanted the land the town is being built on, and when everyone turns down the cash they are offered to give up their claims, the railroad boss announces his trains will not stop in Florence. The railroad is the reason for the town's existence, and without it Florence will collapse before it is properly started. How the townsfolk of Florence get together and stop the train is the story of this delightful historical novel for older children, set in the US in the 1890s. What really made this such an enjoyable read was a vibrant cast of characters. As well as Cissy and Kookie and the other children, there is Herman the Mormon signwriter, who has a moral objection to money and wants to get to Salt Lake City, Utah, where most Mormons live, but has only been able to trade his services for a ticket to Florence. My favourite adult character, though, is Mrs Loucien Shades, a widow who answered an ad for a wife but when someone else is offered that position, agrees to become the town's schoolteacher. She has no formal teaching qualifications and possibly rather less formal education herself than might be expected, but what she lacks in technical expertise, she makes up for in other ways. She loves the children and they love her, and she has some inspired ideas for keeping the curriculum interesting, for example getting all the adults in town to come in and talk to the children about their work or other subjects they know about. I love to read historical fiction with very strong but believable female characters. Girls and women in this time and place must have been tough – they would have had to be to survive the trials and tribulations of pioneer life. I also liked the way in which the novel shows that the people of Florence need each other, the need to get together and plan collective action to achieve their goal. They are full of bright ideas and enthusiasm, though some of their plans don't quite work. Although written for children, this very funny and touching historical novel is a great read which many adults would enjoy too. The sequel, Pull Out All the Stops is due out in October and is also recommended. I plan to look for more of Geraldine McCaughrean's work very soon.