The Prairie Thief    by Melissa Wiley & Erwin Madrid Order:  USA  Can Margaret K. McElderry, 2013 (2013) Softcover      Reviewed by Jessica Maguire Louisa Brody's nice, quiet life with her pa is no more. Louisa's pa has been accused of stealing! And now Louisa has to live the very people who accused him, the awful Smirches. Even worse, Louisa must deal with the terrible Smirch boys, Winthrop and Charlie. But all hope is not lost. The Smirches' orphaned niece, Jessamine, soon becomes Louisa's friend and ally in living with the Smirches and helping clear Louisa's father of the crime he is accused of. But the girls cannot figure out how to help Louisa's pa until they meet the elusive Mr. Angus MacClellan Brody O'Gorsebush. Mr. Angus MacClellan Brody O'Gorsebush is no ordinary person; he's a brownie. With the help of the brownie, Louisa does the unthinkable - rides a pronghorn antelope the thirteen miles to town to help save her father. In town she discovers more than she bargained for and ends up helping not only her father but her new brownie friend as well. Readers ages eight to twelve will become enthralled with this story full of adventure, 'Head lice-scissors-wolves-brownie-tunnel-spiders-gouty earthworms-stolen clocks', and much more. The chapter book is accented with lovely drawings by Erwin Madrid that bring the characters of the story to life. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews