Bronco Charlie and the Pony Express

From the Series On My Own History

  • Interest Level: Grade 2 - Grade 4
  • Reading Level: Grade 3

Bronco Charlie longs for a life of adventure. By the time he turned eleven, he’d been a sailor, a cowboy, and could tame wild bucking broncos. But Charlie was always itching for new challenges, and when a Pony Express horse shows up riderless, Charlie gets his big chance. The next station is fifty miles away, and Charlie will have to ride through rocky mountains in the blinding rain to safely deliver the mail. With the threat of hostile Indians, wild animals, and the dangers of riding at night, will Charlie find the courage to face his fears and prove that you’re never too young to be brave?

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978-1-57505-618-0
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978-1-57505-773-6
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Interest Level Grade 2 - Grade 4
Reading Level Grade 3
Genre Social Studies
Category 5 Kinds of Nonfiction, 5KN: Narrative Nonfiction
Copyright 2004
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Brand On My Own Books
Imprint First Avenue Editions ™, Millbrook Press ™
Language English
Number of Pages 48
Publication Date 2004-01-01
Reading Counts! Level 2.9
Text Type Narrative Nonfiction
BISACS JNF007020, JNF002000, JNF011000
Dewey 383'.143'092
Graphics Full-color illustrations
Dimensions 5.875 x 8.5
Lexile 550
Guided Reading Level M
ATOS Reading Level 3.4
Accelerated Reader® Quiz 77027
Accelerated Reader® Points 0.5
Features Author/Illustrator note, Awards, Bibliography/further reading, Reviewed, Teaching Guides, and Websites

Author: Marlene Targ Brill

Marlene is an award-winning author of almost 70 titles for readers preschool through adult. She began writing while teaching children with disabilities, producing materials to help her students learn. With time, the desire to write grew stronger. Soon she was writing for a variety of formats—magazines, internet, newspapers, scripts, books, and textbooks for readers of all ages. Yet, she never forgets where the dream of writing originated—through work with children. She is drawn back into classrooms to share the wonders of research and writing, and, of course, reading books.

Illustrator: Craig Orback

Craig Orback is a freelance children's book illustrator living in the Northwest and received his B.F.A. in illustration from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle in 1998. He has illustrated Nature's Paintbox, The Can Man, Keeping The Promise: A Torah's Journey, and other award-winning children's books. He teaches children's book illustration and oil painting at several local colleges. In his free time he enjoys painting landscapes and sharing his books with kids during school and library visits.

Lerner eSource™ offers free digital teaching and learning resources, including Common Core State Standards (CCSS) teaching guides. These guides, created by classroom teachers, offer short lessons and writing exercises that give students specific instruction and practice using Common Core skills and strategies. Lerner eSource also provides additional resources including online activities, downloadable/printable graphic organizers, and additional educational materials that would also support Common Core instruction. Download, share, pin, print, and save as many of these free resources as you like!

On My Own History

With striking, full-page illustrations, real and fictionalized characters, and stories featuring events that really happened, these books capture readers’ interest and imagination. View available downloads →

Awards

  • CBC Children's Choices, Winner, 2004

Reviews

The Horn Book Guide

“The story of the youngest Pony Express rider, known as Bronco Charlie, is taken from his own reminiscences and Pony Express Museum records. The lively story is sure to inspire beginning readers to learn more about this chapter of American history. Oil paintings adequately represent the drama.”
The Horn Book Guide