The Great Railroad Race: the Diary of Libby West, Utah Territory 1868 (Dear America Series) [Hardcover]

Kristiana Gregory (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1999 | Age Level: 9 and up

In Kristiana Gregory's third book for the Dear America series, a fourteen-year-old girl records the momentous building of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-In 1868, 14-year-old Libby West and her family leave Denver for Cheyenne. Her father and his young friend Pete are working as "stringers," eyewitness reporters covering the race to complete a transcontinental railroad. In her diary, Libby records her observations and her family's adventures as they follow the Union Pacific builders. The author does a good job of integrating information about the period into the story and depicting the girl's confusion over which of the many conflicting news stories to believe about the railroad. Both plot and characters are well developed. Readers will enjoy Libby's friendship with Ellie, a girl she meets on her travels, and the beginnings of her romance with Pete. While the diary ends on the last day of the race, an epilogue relates what happened to the fictional characters. The book concludes with a historical note that provides background information and black-and-white pictures from the period. For fans of this and the "American Girl" series (Pleasant Co.).
Cathy Coffman, Sunrise Mountain Library, Peoria, AZ
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-8. An appropriately workmanlike telling of the building of the transcontinental railroad from the point of view of 14-year-old Libby, daughter of a "stringer," a reporter who follows the railroad, sending back stories. Libby's father buys a handpress to start his own paper in the tent cities that grew up along the building of the railroad. Libby's mother has insisted on the family's staying together, so she, Libby, and Libby's little brother leave Denver to travel with Libby's father. Although the press fails, and Libby's dad reverts to stringer status, Libby fills her diary with the sights and sounds of the busy (and dirty) tent cities, the new words she learns, and her wonderment at glimpses of Indians, Chinese, and Pete, the shy, young former Union soldier imprisoned with her father at Andersonville and now an inseparable companion. The language is not so lively as, for example, that in Sherry Garland's A Line in the Sand: The Alamo Diary (1998), but a lot of historical information finds its way into the tale, with the Dear America series' usual fine historical footnotes, illustrations, and background appended. GraceAnne A. DeCandido

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 204 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.; 1st edition (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 059010991X
• ISBN-13: 978-0590109918
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,205 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kristiana Gregory grew up in Manhattan Beach, California, two blocks from the ocean. She's always loved to make up stories [ask her family!], telling her younger siblings whoppers that would leave them wide-eyed and shivering. Her first rejection letter at age ten was for a poem she wrote in class when she was supposed to be doing a math assignment. She's had a myriad of odd jobs: telephone operator, lifeguard, camp counselor, reporter, book reviewer & columnist for the LA Times, and finally author.

"Jenny of the Tetons" [Harcourt] won the Golden Kite Award in 1989 and was the first of two-dozen historical novels for middle grade readers. "Bronte's Book Club" [Holiday House] is set in a town by the sea and is inspired by the girls' book club she led for several years. "My Darlin' Clementine" [HH] takes place in an Idaho mining camp of 1866, based on the song of that name.

Her popular "Cabin Creek Mysteries" are from stories she told her sons when they were little and needed a bribe to go to bed. All she needed to say was, "Do you guys want to hear a Jeff and David story?" and boom they were there. Kristiana's most recent title is "Cannons At Dawn" in Scholastic's Dear America series, a sequel to the best-selling "The Winter of Red Snow," which was made into a movie for the HBO Family Channel.

Kristiana and her husband have two adult sons, and live in Idaho with their two golden retrievers. In her spare time she loves to swim, walk, read, and hang out with friends. She's trying to learn to knit, but isn't yet having much success.

Check out Kristiana's blogs at http://notesfromthesunroom.blogspot.com/ for behind-the-scenes stories about her books, and with photos from her childhood.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a GREAT book! You MUST read it!, November 25, 1999

By 

Jill Graves (Washington,USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Railroad Race: the Diary of Libby West, Utah Territory 1868 (Dear America Series) (Hardcover)

I really love this book. It gives you such a good feeling when you read it. The author must've really know what she was doing when she wrote this book. You will never feel confused about the way something works or looks. This book deserves 10 stars but that is not a choice in the ratings.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book! Could not put it down!, November 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great Railroad Race: the Diary of Libby West, Utah Territory 1868 (Dear America Series) (Hardcover)

I loved this book. It is one of Kristiana Gregory's best books. It definately illustrates the issues as seen from a girls' point of view. This book was funny, romantic, and very intreging. This book had an outstanding plot. I could not put it down. " The Great Railroad Race" is a must read. It is similar to " Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie". If you have not read both of them, I suggest you do.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't wait to read what happened next!, October 17, 2000

By 

"wwwshiferaw" (Anahiem orange county) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Railroad Race: the Diary of Libby West, Utah Territory 1868 (Dear America Series) (Hardcover)

I loved this book. It's my favorite book in the Dear America series. When i saw the title "The great DIARY of Libby West" i knew that it was going to be a good book, cause i like reading diary's. Most of this book was pretty enjoyable. I had an interesting information about the railroad race and life in America at that time. However, it was not as heartwarming as the other books in the series. The main reason i took one star of it was because it had a lot of discription all of that discription wasn't needed. But it captivated and interested me. The book was, however, sucessful with it's romance. My favorite thing about it was the way Libby steadily fell in love with Pete, her fathers assistant. In the end, i'd say the book was not all that accurate but had some good qualities. And finaly i would like to add that this book had and outstanding plot.I would advice you to go ahead and read it to find all the amazing things about what i said .