THE LEGEND OF BASS REEVES Being the True and Fictional Account of the Most Valiant Marshal in the West

Gary Paulsen mixes scanty facts with rich dialogue, descriptions, and adventure to focus on the young life of Bass Reeves, who was born a slave and became one of the toughest marshals in the Old West. Dion Graham responds to the text with a narration that further enlivens Bass’s story. Graham makes the most of the rich African-American dialect. Further, he gives each character a strong emotional tone—one can hear the fear of Bass’s mother for her naïve, curious son and the hostility of Bass’s drunken, gambling master. Graham’s rapid pace and astute pauses dramatize Bass’s survival instinct and heroism—whether facing down a Comanche warrior as a youth or bringing in criminals as an adult. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2011]