Ready, Aim, Fire! The Real Adventure of Annie Oakley

Bibliographic information:

Levine, Ellen.  Ready, Aim, Fire! The Real Adventure of Annie Oakley.  Scholastic, Inc, 1989, p.132.

Brief plot description:

Annie is the oldest child of seven, and lives in North Star, Ohio.  Her father dies and her mother sends some of the children away.  Annie learned to shoot animals with her papa’s gun, and she was successful.  Annie was sent to Mrs. Edington where she worked and went to school for a short time.  Annie got on a train to go home where the man next to her paid for her ticket.  She got home and was happy and went back out to hunt with the gun.  Charlie Katzenberger offered to pay her for all the game she could bring in and Annie agreed.  A hotel manger gets Frank Butler to compete in a shooting contest against Annie, and Annie beats Frank even though Frank is the best.  One day Frank’s partner was sick so Annie took his place and they were so good together that they became a team.  What does Annie’s life include? 

Brief review:

I liked this book because it shows the real life of Annie Oakley and Frank Butler.  It provides great detail in telling Annie’s life story.  Along with the text, the book has several photographs and drawing in the book that shows the real Annie and Frank.  I think that this book could be used as an individual read for tweens in fifth through seventh grades.  It could be used when talking about famous women in history, famous shooters in history, or when talking about Annie Oakley.  It gives a real version of Annie’s life versus the glamorized versions presented in movies and television.   

Genre label:

Biography

Reading level/interest level:

5^th-7^th grade

Similar materials in style content, theme or characters:

Bull’s-Eye: A Photobiography of Annie Oakley by Sue Macy

A Shooting Star: A Novel about Annie Oakley by Sheila Solomon Klass

Annie Oakley: Legendary Sharpshooter

Subjects/themes:

Women’s history