Aha! This is a good one. Take yourself back to the days of the California Gold Rush. It's 1849 and down in the belly of the good ship Lady Wilma there are 18 barrels of potatoes. Well, actually there are 16 barrels of potatoes because one barrel contains young Jack Flagg, who has just learned that his aunt is about to lose her home and fortune. The other barrel contains Jack's proper Boston butler, Praiseworthy. These two fine gentlemen have set out to make a fortune so as to save Jack's aunt. Ahead of them lie many adventures all made the more interesting by Praiseworthy's astounding problem-solving talents. He's a bit of super hero and it's great fun to see how he's going to get them through their various predicaments. Adventure and humor and action abound. This is a great doorway into Sid Fleischman's books. If you like it, there are many, many more. Ages 8-11 190 pages