Customer Reviews

Facing West: A Story of the Oregon Trail (Once Upon America)

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book was absolutely perfect for my third grade literature circle group. It was just the right amount of pages for our meetings. The story followed the journey of one family on the Oregon Trail. We actually heard their story from the start to the end when they made it to Oregon. The students enjoyed reading the book and were not overwhelmed by the length.

Ben is the main person in this story. They went west in 1845. His family went to Oregon. His doctor said it was better for him out there. I like the story very much. I liked how they showed the old pictures of the wagons going down the road. I liked the part where Pete pushed Ben and he hit his head against the tree. I also aliked the part where the oxen starting pulling the wagons and Ben sat on the ground. I didn't like the way Pete walked up and started talking to Ben. I thought it would be a surprise meeting.

My book is called facing west I like it because it has a lot of adventure and scary moments in it. They name things different then what we do. Zach and Ben are best friends it's a funny book too. Read this to find out if his family will make it.

Although the book is fun telling briefly what life for a boy on the Oregon trail might have experienced; I was very disappointed the author included the part about how women went to the bathroom as the boys watched from above. I don't feel it's necessary and it made the book be unusable for me in my classroom. I had plans to use it for a literature circle at school. I wish I'd known this interlude was in the book. I would not have purchased a set of them.

Note: this is a fairly short book of around 50+ pages, so not too long.

"Facing West" is an historical fiction novel based on the Oregon Trail. The book's time period is the spring of 1845 and describes how people traveled by wagon train to get to Oregon. The main characters in the novel are Ben, a young boy and his family, Zack, another boy who becomes Ben's friend, and Pete, a wilderness guide who leads the wagon train west. The story's plot tells of the dangers along the trail: some dangers include the lack of water, illness and wagon accidents.

Because I have studied the Oregon Trail, the book's plot was familar to me. The author's description of the trail is so realistic that I felt that I was in the book itself. In particular when the wagon train was in the desert, I could feel my mouth dry with thirst just like the characters. My favorite part of the story is when Ben displays great courage after an oxen accident when Ben has to take his sister's place even though the trail dust sets off his asthma. I thought it was a wonderful book selection for people who enjoy western stories. You should read this book because of its adventurous scenarios and the surprising choices the characters make.

My book is called facing west I like it because it has a lot of adventure and scary moments in it. They name things different then what we do. Zach and Ben are best friends it's a funny book too. AS you read this book you will find what the real Oregon trail and it feels like really on the Oregon Trail with Zach and Ben. I think you should read this book because I think you'llen joy it.