The Nine Pound Hammer by John Claude Bemis (2009) Yearling

Mr. Bemis combines American myth with orphans fighting for their lives in a masterful tale in a late 19th Century setting.  From the opening nightmare through outrageous characters, a traveling medicine show and a blind marksman, a pirate queen and a siren, the pace never stops.  It’s the nine pound hammer and what it means that makes all the difference.