Patrick feels guilty after failing to help his father when he is murdered by French-allied Native Americans. Two years later he finds his courage during the rout at the Battle of Monongahela, where he comes to the aid of two friends. The disjointed narrative clumsily drops in historical tidbits about George Washington and the French and Indian War. Bland black-and-white drawings illustrate the text. A historical note is appended.

Gr 4-6-Each of these books presents a vignette from an important historical period. In Ambush, Patrick witnesses his father being killed by Indians but continues his longstanding friendship with another Native American, Gwayo. The 13-year-old journeys west with his uncle to help supply troops involved in the French and Indian War, meets Colonel George Washington, and is surprised to learn that the British do not want help from Native people. In Race, Tess, 12, and her older sister make their way west on an orphan train and find a home with Miss Harriet in Dayton, OH. One of their neighbors is Bishop Wright, father of Orville and Wilbur. Tess, a "difficult" child who gets into trouble, becomes interested in the family because of her own love of flight. She soon discovers that something is not quite right with one of Miss Harriet's boarders, who seems overly interested in what the Wrights are doing but feigns indifference. Children might be surprised to learn that the development of the first airplane was a competitive venture. Both novels include average-quality illustrations. The characters are one-dimensional and merely serve to fill a role, but reluctant readers may find the plots of interest. Elizabeth George Speare's The Sign of the Beaver (Houghton, 1983) gives a stronger picture of the challenges of a friendship between individuals from different cultures. Those who want a true sense of life on the orphan trains would be better served by Karen Cushman's Rodzina (Clarion, 2003), a lively portrayal of a child in search of a new life.-Edith Ching, St. Albans School, Mt. St. Alban, Washington, DC Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.