Bad News for Outlaws:
The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal

• Age Range: 8 - 12 years

• Grade Level: 3 - 6

• 2009 Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner

• 2009 ALA Notable Children's Books Winner

• 2009 NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People Winner

• 2016 National Endowment for the Humanities Nonfiction Booklist for Young Readers, Winner

• 2010 Carter G. Woodson Book Award

• 2010 Once Upon a World Children's Book Award

• 2010 Notable Books for a Global Society

  For classroom and reading resources, click here.

SUMMARY

The Lone Ranger is a familiar character … but who was the first?

Bass Reeves sits in a saddle with a wide-brimmed black hat and twin Colt pistols on his belt. He feels bigger than life. Outlaws fear him and law-abiding citizens respect him. He made more than 3,000 arrests, but his life represents goes beyond his job as a deputy. This story is one of a remarkable African American and a hero of the Old West.

Read about the fascinating life of Bass Reeves, the Lone Ranger inspiration, who escaped slavery and became the first African American Deputy U.S. Marshal.

REVIEWS

“Christie's… dynamic full-page oil paintings portray a somber, statuesque Reeves, his big eyes shining from under the brim of his deputy's hat…”—Kirkus Review

“Here, children can saddle up with a genuine Western hero in a narrative that hits the bull’s-eye.” —Publishers Weekly