WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS, by Fran Cannon Slayton

WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS
by Fran Cannon Slayton

(Philomel)

Railroads, secret societies, graveyard shenanigans, football championships, and good old-fashioned mischief carry this series of stories through the peaks and valleys of Jimmy Cannon's growing up years in 1940's Appalachia.

I'm not the first person to say this, but I can't help it: When the Whistle Blows reminds me of A Long Way from Chicago in all the best ways. It's historical, episodic, boyish, rambunctious. And much as I adore Richard Peck's larger-than-life Grandma Dowdel, even I have to admit the hardscrabble subtlety of Jimmy Cannon's family has a natural appeal all its own.

My favorite? Flying cabbages.

(Available in June)