By the Great Horn Spoon! - Inc. Sid Fleischman, Eric Von Schmidt

A very fun historical fiction read -perhaps the most fun one that we've read all year.  This tells the story of young Jack and his faithful and unflappable butler, Praiseworthy, as they set off in hopes of striking it rich in the 1849 California gold rush.  A large portion of the story is taken up with the sea voyage from Boston to San Francisco and rightly so as they have to travel all the way around the tip of South America.  Once in California, the duo has no shortage of scrapes and adventures.  All in all, a great blend of fun and history!