5 STARS Back Cover: Being mean ain’t in nobody’s blood. Reckon folks will argue that one until there’s no more moonshine on the mountains. But in Freedom Pen that’s what Sarah the Twerp believes. And soon she and her brother, Billy, are setting out on a courageous summertime adventure t... more

5 STARS Back Cover: Being mean ain’t in nobody’s blood. Reckon folks will argue that one until there’s no more moonshine on the mountains. But in Freedom Pen that’s what Sarah the Twerp believes. And soon she and her brother, Billy, are setting out on a courageous summertime adventure to free two pit bull pups from a violet future. Will the pup’s heroes succeed in their quest, though they’ve been penned in by a violet past themselves? Uncle Jim is acquiring two pit bull puppies with the intention of training them to fight other dogs. Sired by a prize-fighting dog, Uncle Jim expects to fill his wallet up with cash. Thirteen-year-old Billy and his eight-year-old sister, Sarah, live with their Uncle Jim and Aunt Maureen ever since their father died a violent death at the hands of their mother. I intend on putting Billy in charge of those mutts. Thataway, he can learn a lesson or two about real life. These are fighting dogs. It’s (mean), in their blood. Billy is not happy about his Uncle’s plans. He wants nothing to do with dog fighting. When he had to go to a fight with Uncle Jim, he moved to the back of the room wishing he could shut out the sounds. . . . the gnarling, growling, beastly sound . . . Two pit bulls were at each other . . . friends were yelling, chanting, cheering . . . Right then, I hear the final bite of the one dog, and the final yelp of the other. Billy builds a pen for the pups and goes with his Uncle to pick them up. Billy immediately has feelings for the pups, as they lay in a box on his lap, cold and hungry. Sarah insists on naming the pups Tonto and Silver. Uncle Jim is furious when he catches Sarah playing with the puppies. Sarah, having dressed up the pups in her colorful ribbons, did not help his mood. He kicked one pup, then used a stick to poke the other pup until the inflicted pain made the puppy growl. Billy has not “trained” the pups one day and has no plans to start. What he does plan to do is help the pups ran away, keeping the pit bulls from violent lives of dog-fighting. He and Sarah build a new pen out in the woods, by the river. Sarah names the new pen Freedom Pen. Using river rocks, logs, tree branches, and twigs wrapped with vine for the ceiling, they make an excellent pen. Before they can get the pups out, Uncle Jim brings home a training aid and demonstrates how to use it. Billy refuses to try out the tool, argues a little, and then runs inside to his room. Later, Uncle Jim and Aunt Maureen have a loud fight over the dog-fighting venture. It is a stormy night outside as well. Later, Sarah and the pups are missing. I enjoyed reading Freedom Pen. The characters are realistic