Race to Velasco
By Spellman, Paul N. '71

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When Mexico passed a law in 1830 intended to discourage Americans from settling in the then province of Coahuila-Texas, the response was angry and determined: Rebel Texans marched to confront Mexican soldiers stationed at Fort Velasco.

Among them in this historical fiction were teenagers Henry Woods and his best friend, Antonio Gonzales, who rushed to join Henry's older brother in the fort. Along the way, they encounter many Texas historical characters. The boys' exciting adventures in frontier Texas are based on the author's study of the family that founded Woods' Fort.

Spellman's first in a series combines actual historical events and characters with a fictional adventure story. Great to read to elementary children, good read for middle schoolers. This four-book series is a kind of "Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew" in early Texas. Something that gets us into a Texas before the Alamo and off the main highways.