Books like Caught in the Act

I was lucky enough to get a copy of this book through inter-library loan, having read the first book in the series a little less than a month ago. As with the first book ( A Family Apart) the story begins when modern day children in Missouri visit with their grandmother who helps them take a look at the past through the Journal of their great great great grandmother.This book set in 1856 tells the story of 12 year old Michael Kelly whose actions as a "copper-stealer" led to all the children in the family being sent out West to find better lives than their mother could currently provide for them. Michael was sent with permission of the court with a stern warning that if he returned to New York he would quickly find himself in the infamous Tombs prison.In A Family Apart, all the children traveled by train to Missouri and were placed out with different families. Although Michael had acquitted himself well en route, his reputation had preceded him and he was the last of the Kelly siblings to be chosen for adoption by the German immigrant farm family The Friedrichs. Mr Friedrich is a stern disciplinarian who believes that sparing the rod leads to spoiling the child. He is a man of faith who believes in hell and damnation and thinks it is his duty to teach Michael the error of his ways. His wife, is a rather timid woman but is genuinely kind to Michael. Their son Gunter on the other hand is out to do whatever he can to make Michael's life difficult and perhaps even get him sent back to New York.Early on in the book Michael overhears the family discussing the mysterious "Ulrich" who is apparently dead. Michael is worried that perhaps Mr Friedrich had killed him at some point. The mystery of who he was and what happened to him is a theme that runs throughout the story. Although some orphan train children were adopted and treated as members of the family, many others were treated as little more than hired hands. Michael fell somewhere in the middle. He was expected to learn how to do the farm work and was taught by the hired hand Reuben, who was known for his love of books. Michael slept in the family house, and ate with the family but unlike their son Gunter, he was not allowed to attend school. Gunter would frequently set him up for trouble and punishment included severe whippings on occasion. Michael determined to do whatever he could not to annoy his new foster father. Mike continues to overhear things about the mysterious Ulrich and worries that his own life may be in danger, as well as the lives of several other members of the "help". He determines to do what he can to find the truth.The action moves fairly quickly throughout the book and I read it pretty much in one sitting. It gave quite a vivid picture of what life was like for the early pioneers of the area and also showed how some people felt such devotion to their state and the choice Missouri made about the freedom to have slaves that they were willing to go to war over it. This is the kind of story of ancestors that I would have loved to have been told about my own ancestors when I was younger. It does leave the story with a bit of a cliff-hanger as Michael apparently has more experiences to be told as do some of the other Kelly children. Hopefully inter-library loan will be able to work its magic for me again.