Hoggee

By Anna Myers

Book Overview

Howard Gardner is starving to death. All spring and summer, Howard and his older, more charming brother Jack worked as hoggees, driving the mules that pulled boats along the Erie Canal. In a misguided attempt to outshine his brother, Howard chooses to stay behind in Birchport for the winter to save his traveling money and send it home to his family. After his winter job falls through, Howard fears that he might not survive the winter. As desperate as Howard is, he is haunted by the sadness he sees in the eyes of Sarah, the granddaughter of the man who keeps the mules. Even though she's older than her two sisters, she never speaks, and she seems completely disconnected from the world. Sarah's family won't discuss her problem with outsiders, but Howard longs to help her in any way he can, and his quest to do so eventually reveals to him how he truly compares to his brother. Once again, Anna Myers has crafted a moving, nuanced coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of an intriguing historical era.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802789269
• ISBN13: 9780802789266
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Walker & Company
• Length: 182 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

Sam`s Review

This was a great book with an awesome plot line and characters! The time period is during the time in America that people used the Erie Canal as a way of transportation. As winter comes and the Erie Canal has stopped and that leaves Howard with two choices, he can either go back home to visit his mother with his brother, Jack, or stay at Birchport and find a job and place to stay. Howard chooses the second choice, not knowing what will lay ahead for him during the winter. Needing a place to stay Howard stays in Old Cyrus`s barn, sleeping in the stalls intended for mules, that are used on the Erie Canal.After awhile he runs out of food and must go into town to try and find a job or find food in the allyways. He is turned down from every job he finds and the most memorable one is when he goes to an inn and is turned down because he does not look Irish or have an Irish name. So, seeing that he won`t be able to find a job he searches the allyways for food as much as possible. This book has two main conflicts that are really interesting. They are Person vs. Person and Person vs. Self, which makes an interesting story line as Howard tries to figure out where he stands in life and how to escape his brother`s shadow. I thought this was a great book and I recomend it for anyone who is looking for a book to read with a new plot. If you want to find out more about this book you should definitely buy it, it`ll be worth every penny!!