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154 pp.
| Houghton/Lorraine |
March, 2002 |
TradeISBN 0-618-19699-4$$15.00
(2)
4-6
Hurst sets an absorbing personal story against an overlooked aspect of history: the families left behind during the Gold Rush. Eleven-year-old Sarah wishes her stern mother were more like her fun-loving father, and she can hardly bear it when he leaves their Massachusetts farm for California. A quick succession of events will keep readers turning the pages. An extraneous ending doesn't detract from the pleasure of seeing through Sarah's eyes.