Kings of Colorado
Record details
- ISBN: 143918383X : PAP
- ISBN: 143918383X
- ISBN: 9781439183830
-
Physical Description:
print
276, [13] p. ; 22 cm. - Edition: 1st Simon & Schuster trade pbk. ed.
- Publisher: New York : Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2012.
Content descriptions
General Note: | Includes "Simon & Schuster Reading Group Guide" ([13 p.]). |
Summary, etc.: | William Sheppard had never ventured beyond his Chicago neighborhood until, at thirteen, he was sent away to the Swope Ranch Boys' Reformatory, hundreds of miles from home, for stabbing his abusive father in the chest with a pocketknife. Buried deep in the Colorado mountains, Swope is shrouded in legend and defined by one prevailing rumor: that the boys who go in never come out the same. Despite the lack of fences or gates, the boundaries are clear: prisoners are days from civilization, there exists only one accessible road--except in the wintertime, when it's buried under feet upon feet of snow, and anyone attempting escape will be shot down without hesitation in the shadow of the peaks. At 13,000 feet above sea level, the mountains aren't forgiving, and neither are the guards. With twenty-four months of hard time ahead of him, Will quickly learns to distinguish his allies from his enemies. He also learns about the high price of a childhood lost. At Swope, herds of mustangs are trucked in to be broken by a select group of inmates. Once the horses are gentled, they are sold to ranchers and landowners across the Southwest. Horses come and go, delinquent boys come and go. The boys break the horses, Swope Reformatory breaks the boys. Throughout this ordeal, Will discovers three others who bring him into their inner circle. They are life preservers in a sea of violence and corruption. But if the boys are to withstand the ranch, they must first overcome tragedy and death--a feat that could haunt them for years to come." |
Awards Note: | Nutmeg Award Nominee, High School, 2014. |
Search for related items by subject
Genre: | Psychological fiction. Bildungsromans. |
Available copies
- 10 of 11 copies available at Bibliomation. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Wolcott Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 11 total copies.
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wolcott Public Library | YA HILTON, D. (Text) | 34031124315867 | Young Adult Fiction | Available | - |
Kirkus Review
Kings of Colorado : A Novel
Kirkus Reviews
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
An abused boy finds comrades-in-arms among his fellow inmates when he's sent to a remote reform school high in the Rocky Mountains.Texas-based debut novelist Hilton employs a clear-eyed adolescent voice in this story of a young man lost in the wilderness. The story is set in 1963 and stars the tough-as-nails William Sheppard, a 13-year-old from Chicago's South Side. After years of abuse at the hands of his alcoholic father, Will stabs him (though not fatally) with his Davy Crockett Explorers penknife. For his crimes, a judge sends the young man to the Swope Ranch Boys' Reformatory, a desolate and corrupt detention center on Colorado's rugged west slope. On his very first day, Will is attacked by Eddie Tokus, for the simple reason that it's the school's tradition to let the last boy in beat on the next inmatewith the reformatory's wardens and guards betting on the ferocious contest. He wins, earning the nickname "Nosebleed." "Maybe that's what the ranch is," he offers. "It's the same universal rule any kid faces: swim with the group or sink alone." To keep his hide among the den of thieves and hooligans, Will befriends three other boys: Coop Kingston, a regretful firebug who burned his adopted family's home to the ground; Micky Baines, whose rebellious nature is overwhelmed by frontier violence; and Benny Fritch, an innocent who was sent up because he took the rap for his little brother. The winding tale of their passage through this world is marked by inevitable violence, first from Frank Kroft, the chief guard who kills one of the boys. Later, their bond is shattered by the introduction of John Church, a prisoner who deserves his sentence because of his uncontrollable rage. No one is left unmarked, especially Will.Not altogether unflawed, but a heartfelt portrait of young men in a bygone age.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
BookList Review
Kings of Colorado : A Novel
Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
In the summer of 1963, when he was 13, William Sheppard stabbed his abusive, drunken father in the chest with a Davy Crockett Explorer pocket knife. Though grievously wounded, the father survived, and his son, as punishment, was sent to the Swope Ranch Boys Reformatory in a remote, mountainous area of Colorado. Decades later, at the age of 62, William recalls his life-changing experiences at the ranch, confirming the prophetic words of one of his best friends there: None of us will ever be who we were before. While some of this first novel's characters and situations seem a bit too familiar, and the chief villains psychopaths all a bit over the top, the evolving story is suspenseful enough to keep the pages turning, and the Kings William and his three best friends are plausible and engaging characters.--Cart, Michael Copyright 2010 Booklist
Publishers Weekly Review
Kings of Colorado : A Novel
Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Hilton debuts with a stark novel of violence and fierce friendship in a 1960s Colorado juvenile penitentiary. After 13-year-old Will Sheppard stabs his abusive father while trying to protect his mother, he's sent to Swope Boys Reformatory, a work ranch where the only rule of law is that of a greedy warden, corrupt guards, and vicious fellow inmates, the worst of them a boy named Silas Green. Shepherd befriends a few boys-Coop the literary mind, Benny the kid with the big heart, and Mickey the ornery runt with an ironclad outer shell-and they must all survive the brutishness of head guard Frank Croft and the nihilism of Silas and his cronies while doing back-breaking labor in the horse stables and out in the fields. Hilton's portrayal of adolescent friendship is authentic and touching, and the story moves at a speedy pace as the boys' innocence is shattered in ever deeper and more profound ways. While the writing can flirt with melodrama, the characters are well drawn and their trials are harrowing, a sort of Stand by Me behind bars. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
Kings of Colorado : A Novel
Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Hilton's first novel begins with old man Will Sheppard remembering traveling in 1963 to a reformatory ranch in remote Colorado after a final bloody encounter with his drunken and abusive father. As he settles in, 13-year-old Will makes friends and enemies and begins to appreciate the outdoors and caring for the ranch's wild horses. During his first year, Will learns a lot about himself. When he and his friends are fiercely tested on a search for some missing horses in an early winter storm, life at the ranch will never be the same for those who survive. VERDICT Set in the magnificent Colorado mountains, this coming-of-age tale provides scenes of gripping action as well as a sympathetic yet unvarnished look into the lives of troubled teens. It should appeal to thoughtful young adults and to those who still remember being one.-Dan Forrest, Western Kentucky Univ., Bowling Green (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.