Daniel Plainway

'Daniel Plainway' is the third foray into the adventures of The Moosepath League for Van Reid, following 'Cordelia Underwood' and 'Mollie Peer'. If you have not read those volumes, do so now.In this episode, the charter members of The Mossepath League encounter their alter egos in the form of the Dash-it-All Boys, while the other members of the league match themselves against a secret society, obsessed with discovering lost Viking riches, known as the Broumnage Club. These adventures, however, are once again woven into the fabric of the continuing story of Bird, a small boy whose story has been heretofore a mystery, in great Van Reid style. That is to say brilliantly. Reid's talent for intertwining story threads is unmatched by any author in my eclectic library, and it is a singular pleasure to find recurring, peripheral characters scattered about the pages of 'Daniel Plainway', as well as 'Mollie Peer'. When these characters appear, it is sometimes to deliver a funny anecdote or story, or to be merely a small participant in an ongoing conversation; and whether identified by name, or left for me to surmise their identity myself, I always feel like a participant in an inside joke.I would love to apprise you as to the identity of Daniel Plainway, or hint at how he is connected to young Bird, but I feel I would be diminishing your reading pleasure, not enhancing it. The best turn I could do for you, in regards to this review, is stress upon you the joy you will have in reading Van Reid's chronicles of The Moosepath League, starting with 'Cordelia Underwood', then 'Mollie Peer' and ending with 'Daniel Plainway'. I feel confident when you are finished with this trio, you will be anticipating the fourth installment in this saga as eagerly as I am.

I thoroughly enjoyed Cordelia Underwood; happily read Mollie Peer; but Daniel Plainway is my favorite of the continuing adventures of the Moosepath League. Mr. Reid's entertwines the stories of the League, Viking runes, eccentric spinsters, and the haunting mystery at the center of the book so skillfully that it's difficult to put this novel down. I was late to work too many mornings due to this book!

This book is even more wonderful than its predecessors. Once again, Van Reid takes us on adventure after adventure with Mr. Walton, Sundry, and the Moosepath League. The plot of "Daniel Plainway" is multi-layered and kept me hooked all the way through. I love Mr. Reid's kindhearted, gentle view of the world, and eagerly await the next installment!

I enjoyed "Cordelia Underwood" and "Mollie Peer" very much, though I admit "Mollie Peer" left some disturbing dangling ends. Such seems to be the case with trilogies, though, and "Daniel Plainway" does a wonderful wrap-up job. Wonderful new characters, plus all the old favorites; bad guys getting their comeuppance; Indian folklore; skeletons in closets; and, of course, romance. Good fun.

As ever, the Moosepath League serves to delight the reader with the fascinatingly intertwined stories of the lost child Bird, the intrepid Mr. Walton, dauntless Sundry Moss and all the other characters created by Van Reid. Dickens himself could have done no better, in fact the use of folktale in Reid's story seems superior. I smiled, wept, and generally enjoyed myself throughout!