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McKernan, Victoria
3 Reviews
(3)
YA
Sixteen-year-old Aiden survived the perilous trip across the prairies in The Devil's Paintbox and is now in Gold Rush–era San Francisco. After being on a ship only once before, a stroke of luck finds him the owner of a trading ship. Adventure, excitement, and intricately detailed history make up this portrait of a boy fast becoming a young man.
Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo
(3)
YA
In 1865, wagon trains leave Kansas to follow the Oregon Trail. Aiden, desiring a better life for himself and his sister, promises to do logging work in Seattle in exchange for passage. But death haunts the wagons as people succumb to "the devil's paint" (smallpox) and perilous river crossings. Readers will engage with history through the story's vivid details and sympathetic characters. Reading list.
Reviewer: Nancy Hull
(3)
YA
A worthy fictional companion to recent nonfiction accounts of Shackleton's 1914 Antarctic voyage, McKernan's novel sticks closely to the facts and effectively conveys the grueling work, mind-numbing boredom, and growing dread of the stranded crew. Perce Blackborow--a character based on the eighteen-year-old stowaway on the Endurance--narrates events with immediacy; Shackleton is accurately portrayed as a tireless, inspiring leader.
Reviewer: Norah Piehl
3 reviews
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