The Boy Who Became Buffalo Bill

About The Book:  The greatest entertainer of his era, Buffalo Bill was the founder and star of the legendary show that featured cowboys, Indians, trick riding, and sharpshooters.
But long before stardom, Buffalo Bill—born Billy Cody—had to grow up fast. While homesteading in Kansas just before the Civil War, his family was caught up in the conflict with neighboring Missouri over whether Kansas would enter the Union as a free or slave state.  To support his family after a pro-slaver killed his father, Billy—then eleven—herded cattle, worked on wagon trains, and rode the Pony Express. As the violence in Bleeding Kansas escalated, he joined the infamous Jayhawkers, seeking revenge on Missouri­ans, and then became a soldier, scout, and spy in the Civil War—all by age seventeen.
About The Author:  Award-winning author Andrea Warren brings to life the compelling childhood of an adventurous, determined boy who transformed himself into a true American icon.  Andrea Warren combines her love of history and story with her passion for children and education in her award-winning non-fiction books for young readers, including Orphan Train Rider and Surviving Hitler. Her many honors include the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction, the Robert F. Sibert Honor Award for Most Distinguished Informational Book for Children, the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children and the William Allen White Award. Reviewers and readers have called her books “riveting,” meticulously researched,” and a “top flight example of historical storytelling.” Andrea Warren has lived in Kansas for many years, the setting for much of this book, and now makes her home in the Kansas City Area.
My Thoughts On The Book: This was my first book by Andrea Warren and it will not be my last.  When I was young I loved reading about the wild west and what their daily lives were like. I grew up reading about Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill Hickok and loved them all.  My father would read these stories to me at bedtime and in the mind of a young girl I wanted to live their lives.  The problem was that those stories were glamorized for young children to read.  Until I read this book I never truly knew life was really like. From the moment I began until I finished I was transformed back to a time during my childhood and was captivated.  I am a school teacher and could see this book as a great fit for the library and history classes.  Loved it! 
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this e-book free from Two Lions and Net Galley Publicity Group as part of their Book Review Blogger Programs. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!