12 year old Sallie March is my second favorite youngster - right behind Flavia de Luce. I had a long list of things I wanted to get done today, but started this book while I ate breakfast and then spent the rest of the day reading.

Sallie and her 16 year old sister, Maude, are innocent outlaws - they're outlaws by a set of circumstances beyond their control. In the first book they finally found their Uncle and settled with him in Independence, MO. In this book, their uncle heads out to the Colorado Territory to help a friend and someone turns in Maude to the law. Sallie and their friend Marion (aka Joe Harden, hero of dime novels) plot a jail break and soon they are headed for the Colorado Territory with more mad adventures ahead.

The story is told by Sallie, and even though it is the story of Maude, it is Sallie that makes the book so great. ( )

This sequel to the Misadventures of Maude March is just as good as its predecessor. Sisters Sallie and Maude are now living with their uncle and trying to clear their names when Maude is arrested! Sallie and Marion must break her out and then they head out back on the run to meet up with Uncle Arlen in the Colorado Territories. It's just like those 'dimers' that Sallie loves so much. More terrific fun, new adventures and insightful observations by Sallie.

A definite read for those fans of the first Maude March book. A bit slow and somewhat far-fetched at some places, yet an adventurous read that explains the next episode in the trios' lives. The ending left more loose threads that might transpire...in a third book? ( )

From School Library Journal
Grade 5–7—The excitement of the Wild West comes to life in this action-packed sequel to The Misadventures of Maude March (Random, 2005). Orphans Sallie, 12, and Maude, 16, continue their adventures, again traveling west in search of their Uncle Arlen and a place they can call home. Maude is unjustly accused of being a horse thief, bank robber, and murderer, and the two girls and their companion, Joe Harden, barely manage to stay one step ahead of the law as they dash across desert and prairie. Joe is a charmingly hapless con man, and the interaction among these three characters provides lots of humor, especially when Maude's fame produces a bunch of copycat outlaws. Sallie's voice as the "wise innocent" with plenty of colorful language is just right as she sees through the hypocrisy of a delicious array of eccentric characters and repeatedly saves the day for her companions. Descriptive details about medical practices, terrain, railroads, food, towns, forts, etc., are woven seamlessly into the lively story and provide a real feel for the flavor of the Old West and life on the trail. There are a few too many annoying references to unexplained characters and events from the earlier book, but they may encourage readers to go back and catch up with the girls' previous exploits. A satisfying sequel.—Quinby Frank, formerly at Green Hedges School, Vienna, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Book Description
The papers call Maude notorious. But 12-year-old Sallie knows her big sister didn't do the things the stories say . . . not on purpose anyway. In fact, she and Maude have made a fresh start and are trying to live on the up-and-up. But just when the girls are settling into their new life, Maude is arrested—and before you can say "jailbreak," the orphaned sisters are back on the run!

In the sequel to the critically acclaimed The Misadventures of Maude March, Newbery Honor winner Audrey Couloumbis once again takes on a dizzingly fast, delightfully rowdy, and altogether heartwarming ride through the old west—proving that half the fun of any journey is the getting there. ( )