The Steamboat Shuffle by: Michael Capek

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The Steamboat Shuffle is an amazing book! It’s historical fiction which means that it is a fictional story based in a true time period. It offers great insight into what it would have been like to be present in 1922 Cincinnati. It pulls you in and makes you feel like you’re really there.

This was a fitting read because we are currently living in the Cincinnati area. I felt like it would give me a better frame of reference to get to know more about the area and its history. It turned out to be a very good story and it was written by a local.

Description: Eleven-year-old Joseph Victor Bibbs (better known as Jovie) has a problem. Ever since his father went missing during World War I, he and his mother have lived hand-to-mouth in a seedy attic room of a Cincinnati boarding house. Now Nellie Bibbs is ill and needs an operation. Unless Jovie can find a way to convince the Army to declare his father officially dead and release his back pay, he’ll have to go to an orphanage or else live on the streets. Terrific middle school historical fiction.

This would be a great homeschooling or educational book for social studies from age 10-14. It is long enough to get into the story but short enough to not overwhelm young readers. It’s interesting enough that parents will also enjoy reading.

The Steamboat Shuffle is available on Amazon.

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