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(3)
4-6
Nora Notebooks series.
Illustrated by
Katie Kath.
Science-loving Nora and her fourth-grade science-lab partner, pink-obsessed Emma, can't agree on a science fair project. Meanwhile, Nora records observations of her sister's new baby; doing so alerts Nora to all the gendered expectations around her. Realistic school and family relationships are at the heart of this sweet second book. The easy-flowing third-person narrative is supplemented with occasional grayscale spot illustrations.
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4-6
Wild West series.
This series presents condensed information about the development of the American West in the 1800s (e.g., the Louisiana Purchase; building the Transcontinental Railroad) and the people who helped shape this region. Although details are limited, these books may inspire a deeper curiosity about this colorful historical period. Sidebars, maps, captioned archival photographs and paintings, and back matter activity prompts add interest. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Wild West titles: Famous Lawmen, The Oregon Trail, The Pony Express, The Louisiana Purchase, Notorious Outlaws, Women of the American West, and The Transcontinental Railroad.
374 pp.
| Putnam
| March, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-0-399-16803-1$16.99
(3)
YA
After fatally wounding her would-be rapist, fifteen-year-old Chinese American Sammy escapes with runaway slave Annamae. Disguised as boys heading for the California Gold Rush, the girls befriend three cowboys with whom they travel the gorgeous but rough Oregon Trail in 1849. While there's a lot to keep track of, this well-executed novel deftly integrates details about Chinese American culture, slavery, and pioneer life.
(3)
1-3
Ranger is a good search-and-rescue dog but isn't finished with his training. When he time-travels back to 1850, his skills are really put to use with a family traveling west from Missouri. Easy to read, historically detailed, and nicely dramatic, this new series starring an irresistible, quick-thinking pup has wide appeal for the chapter-book set. Full-page black-and-white illustrations capture the action.
48 pp.
| Dial
| February, 2014
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8037-3775-4$17.99
(3)
4-6
Illustrated by
Larry Day.
One-page free-verse monologues describe perilous conditions, experiences (a wedding, a birth, several deaths), and a persevering determination to soldier on. Pen-and-ink and earth-toned watercolor illustrations offer a personalized view of the era, while the first-person accounts provide a glimpse into the hardships and joy of the journey from multiple perspectives, pioneer and Native American. Historical notes are appended. Reading list.
48 pp.
| Lerner
| March, 2012
|
LibraryISBN 978-0-7613-5332-4$30.60
(3)
4-6
Six Questions of American History series.
Informative sidebars and colorful graphics enhance these lively narratives. Salem and Oregon Trail especially stand out because they give young readers an understanding through the eyes of people who lived at the time. Articles is a more linear, factual account, clearly showing the development of the American federal system of government. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind.
128 pp.
| Enslow
| February, 2012
|
LibraryISBN 978-0-7660-3955-1$31.93
|
PaperISBN 978-1-4644-0025-4$9.95 New ed. (1997)
(4)
4-6
Stories in American History series.
The updated volumes in this series spotlight key moments in U.S. history, framing the discussions with coverage of the events leading up to and following those periods. The presentation of topics is adequate; occasional drawings and photos, which vary in relevance and clarity, give the merest hint of the period in each book. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Stories in American History titles: The California Gold Rush, The Amazing Underground Railroad, The Legend of the Alamo, Surviving the Oregon Trail, and The Incredible Transcontinental Railroad.
32 pp.
| Whitman
| September, 2011
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8075-8612-9$16.99
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Lynne Avril.
Two fictional girls who must move west to Oregon--Jenny, from 1846, whose family faces great hardship, and Katie, from today, whose biggest challenge is an annoying brother--present their experiences side by side, in a nifty comics-style format. The initially revelatory aspect of the book fizzles out somewhere on the Oregon Trail: like Jenny's move, this book takes ages.
(4)
K-3
Tales of Young Americans series.
Illustrated by
Doris Ettlinger.
The story begins with Cora's mother's death during childbirth along the Oregon Trail. Difficult decisions pioneers had to make aren't sugarcoated: Cora's father gives the baby, named Susan, to her aunt to raise. In a fairy-tale ending, little Susan appears in teacher Cora's classroom. There's a fair bit of sentimentality in the text and prairie-themed illustrations, but the story line is engaging.
144 pp.
| Random
| October, 2009
|
LibraryISBN 978-0-375-95199-2$12.99
|
PaperISBN 978-0-375-85199-5$5.99
(3)
1-3
Horse Diaries series.
Illustrated by
Ruth Sanderson.
Quarter horse Koda, born in 1840s Missouri, describes traveling with his (human) family along the Oregon Trail. The story has moments of tension, and the foal's engaging voice smooths the mild historical lesson and inserted facts about quarter horses. Black-and-white drawings that strive for realism accompany the text. An appendix gives more background.
(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.
142 pp.
| Chelsea
| March, 2009
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-60413-027-0$35.00
(3)
YA
Milestones in American History series.
Short, clearly written chapters explore significant events in American history. The curricular-support titles are amply illustrated with black-and-white and color photographs and reproductions and supported with biographical sketches and excerpts from primary documents. There are five other spring 2009 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Milestones in American History titles: The Donner Party, The Oregon Trail, The Pony Express, The Prohibition Era, The Outbreak of Civil War, and The Emancipation Proclamation.
48 pp.
| National
| February, 2009
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4263-0412-5$18.95
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-4263-0413-2$27.90
(3)
4-6
Illustrated by
Scott Allred
&
Gregory Proch.
This companion to How to Get Rich in the California Gold Rush provides an engaging and clever recounting of a trip westward during the 1850s by the fictitious William Reed. Told through illustrations, photographs, journal entries, ledgers, and other "artifacts," the you-are-there approach will help young people understand the hardships and experiences of early American pioneers. Reading list, websites. Glos.
24 pp.
| ABDO
| January, 2008
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-59928-939-7$22.78
(4)
K-3
Buddy Books: All Aboard America series.
Each of these books features a geographical and historical U.S. landmark. Short chapters cover history, triumphs, challenges, and present-day status of each subject; "Detour" spreads provide additional facts, though in some cases the information is not very well organized. Historical illustrations and average-quality photos break up the text nicely, but captions are not consistently clear or accurate. Glos., ind. Review covers these Buddy Books: All aboard America titles: Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building, Jamestown, Monticello, Niagara Falls, and Oregon Trail.
32 pp.
| Clarion
| October, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-0-618-53597-2$16.00
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Jan Ormerod.
A girl travels the Oregon Trail with her family. Spare, poetic prose draws readers in, communicating emotions from terror of storms to joy of new life. Ormerod's muted watercolor and pastel illustrations capture the dusty trail and blur of a buffalo stampede. Text boxes, framed in cut paper and layered on the art, set off the words without distraction.
Reviewer: Robin L. Smith
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
January, 2008
32 pp.
| Dial
| April, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8037-3028-1$16.99
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Rebecca Bond.
As her pioneer family journeys from Missouri to Oregon, young Rebecca collects scraps of cloth to keep in her quilt bag. When they finally get to Oregon, she hopes her father's "wandering feet" will stay put. Rebecca's narrative is quietly engaging. The expansive, light-filled acrylic illustrations display images both intimately homey (campfires and sunbonnets) and breathtaking (mountain passes and lush valleys).
193 pp.
| Sterling
| August, 2006
|
TradeISBN 1-4027-3188-4$12.95
|
PaperISBN 1-4027-3617-7$6.95 New ed. (1973, Harcourt)
(4)
4-6
Sterling Point Books series.
In 1844 the Sager family journeyed west; after their parents died, the children had to fend for themselves. Frazier's story is based on the writings of Catherine Sager. This revised edition includes new material but maintains the original volume's then-acceptable invented dialogue and attribution of emotion. It makes the story accessible and exciting but compromises the factual integrity for contemporary readers.
128 pp.
| Enslow/Links.com
| October, 2006
|
LibraryISBN 1-59845-021-2$33.27
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4-6
Wild History of the American West series.
These books chronicle the history of the events, places, and personalities that played major roles in the expansion and settlement of the American West. The readable texts are well researched and informative. The screen shots used to illustrate the books are poorly reproduced, but archival photographs, maps, and drawings add interest. Chapter notes are appended. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Wild History of the American West titles: The Gold Rush to California's Riches, The Amazing Erie Canal and How A Big Ditch Opened Up the West, What Made the Wild West Wild , The Oregon Trail and the Daring Journey West by Wagon, The Louisiana Purchase, Bleeding Kansas and the Violent Clash over Slavery in the Heartland, and The Pony Express and its Death-Defying Mail Carriers.
144 pp.
| National
| October, 2006
|
TradeISBN 0-7922-5920-3$16.95
|
LibraryISBN 0-7922-5921-1$25.90
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4-6
Thorough, informative, and chatty, these biographies bring readers the background of the events covered, along with a sense of immediacy as we're thrust into the perils of the Oregon Trail or into the Plymouth Colony wilderness. Extensive timelines on each page are useful, although slightly distracting. Illustrations are comprehensive, despite some details being muddy. Whitman has a chronology. Reading list. Bib., ind. Review covers these titles: The Adventurous Life of Myles Standish and the Amazing-But-True Survival Story of the Plymouth Colony and The Tragic Tale of Narcissa Whitman and a Faithful History of the Oregon Trail.
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4-6
Seveteen-year-old Lovisa is thrilled to be heading west in 1845. She believes her family is well prepared for the hardships, but a shortcut and illness wreak havoc. Based on a true story, the novel offers a captivating account of the trials of the Oregon Trail--despite some predictable plot devices and underdeveloped characters. Black-and-white photos and an author's note are included.