Winter Danger.

WINTER DANGER. William O. Steele. 1954/ 2005. Read by Richard Brewer. 4 cds. 4 hrs. Listen and Live Audio. 1-59316-041-0. $27.95. Cardboard; plot, author, reader notes. J

THE PERILOUS ROAD. William O. Steele. 1954/ 2005. Read by Richard Brewer. 4 cds. 4 hrs. Listen and Live Audio. 1-59316-040-2. $2795. Cardboard; plot, author, reader notes. J

Steele, who lived in Tennessee, has written high adventure stories in which a young male hero (Caje Amos in Winter Danger is 11; Chris Brabson in The Perilous Road is 14) reaches beyond himself to achieve an authentic benefit for his community or family. Each book also depicts a strong, though not glorified, father-son relationship. In Winter Danger, Caje, whose father is an outdoor-living "woodsy," adjusts to life with a family of young relatives during a winter that proves harsher than anyone can remember.

In The Perilous Road, Chris tries to do his part to fight the "blue bellies" in the Civil War only to find that it is not a simple matter to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Both books use the word "savage" in reference to Indians, but the foreword carefully explains that this was not meant to show acceptable usage but simply accurate reporting of the attitudes and language of the time. There is a strong evocation, in each book, of what it was like to survive in pioneering conditions in the mid-1800s.

The narrators do a superb job of getting into the emotions of their young protagonists, reproducing the accents and style of speaking of the times. These are the kind of old-fashioned stories many seek, and both would be suitable for vacation-trip family listening. Both have won awards; Steele is the author of 39 books. Edna Boardman, Libn., Bismarck, ND

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.