Quotes:

Quotes:

Starred review. ...Floca proves himself masterful with words, art, and ideas... Train buffs and history fans of many ages will find much to savor in this gorgeously rendered and intelligent effort., School Library Journal

Starred review. ...Floca proves himself masterful with words, art, and ideas... Train buffs and history fans of many ages will find much to savor in this gorgeously rendered and intelligent effort., School Library Journal

Starred review. ...a magisterial work (even the endpapers command close reading), but always approachable in its artistry and erudition. And readers will come away understanding that the railroad wasn't just about getting a group of passengers from Point A to Point B; it carried an entire nation into a new, more rapid world., Publishers Weekly

Starred review. ...a magisterial work (even the endpapers command close reading), but always approachable in its artistry and erudition. And readers will come away understanding that the railroad wasn't just about getting a group of passengers from Point A to Point B; it carried an entire nation into a new, more rapid world., Publishers Weekly

Starred review. Unjustly undersung as a writer, Floca soars with his free-verse narrative, exploiting alliteration, assonance and internal rhyme to reinforce the rhythms of the journey... Nothing short of spectacular, just like the journey it describes., Kirkus

Starred review. Unjustly undersung as a writer, Floca soars with his free-verse narrative, exploiting alliteration, assonance and internal rhyme to reinforce the rhythms of the journey... Nothing short of spectacular, just like the journey it describes., Kirkus

Starred review. Floca excels at juxtaposing sweeping panoramas with intimate, slice-of-life moments: here a widescreen shot of the train chugging across the Great Plains... An author's note and thorough discussion of the sources used are included, and don't miss the back endpapers - the steam power diagram would make David Macaulay proud., Horn Book Magazine

Starred review. Floca excels at juxtaposing sweeping panoramas with intimate, slice-of-life moments: here a widescreen shot of the train chugging across the Great Plains... An author's note and thorough discussion of the sources used are included, and don't miss the back endpapers - the steam power diagram would make David Macaulay proud., Horn Book Magazine

Starred review. ...bold, detailed watercolors, which swap massive close-ups of barreling locomotives with sweeping bird's-eye views that show how even these metal giants were dwarfed by nature. It's impossible to turn a page without learning something, but it's these multiple wow moments that will knock readers from their chairs. Fantastic opening and closing notes make this the book for young train enthusiasts., Booklist

Starred review. ...bold, detailed watercolors, which swap massive close-ups of barreling locomotives with sweeping bird's-eye views that show how even these metal giants were dwarfed by nature. It's impossible to turn a page without learning something, but it's these multiple wow moments that will knock readers from their chairs. Fantastic opening and closing notes make this the book for young train enthusiasts., Booklist