By the Great Horn Spoon
By Sid Fleischman
(Little, Brown and Company, 1963, 1988)

By the Great Horn Spoon! takes place during the California Gold Rush in January, 1849. (Gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill about one year before.) Jack Flagg is a twelve-year old orphan who decided to run away to California and find gold in order to save the family home and support his Aunt Arabella and his sisters, Constance and Sarah. Jack and the elegant butler, Praiseworthy, are forced to stow away on the Lady Wilma when their passage money is stolen on the crowded docks of Boston Harbor. Once at sea, Jack and Praiseworthy meet Captain Swain, the “Wild Bull of the Seas,” who is engaged in a race to San Francisco with the Sea Raven.

Praiseworthy, with Jack’s help and the use of Good Luck, a pig, is able to deduce the identity of the “cut purse” who stole their money. The adventures continue on their journey to San Francisco.

Once they arrive in California, the two characters encounter thieves and past enemies. In the midst of all this, they still have time to search for gold. Will they strike it rich? Will they be able to return in time to Boston and help save the family?

By the Great Horn Spoon
Vocabulary