From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-A continuation of the story begun in Westward to Home (Scholastic, 2001). Hermes catches readers up to date as the McCulloughs begins their life in Oregon, deftly introducing Joshua's family and selected members of the wagon train. Details of the life in Oregon Country, where families live in tent cities while facing torrential rains and flooding and work their homesteads when the weather permits, are vividly integrated. Stark realities, such as death from sickness, injury, etc., are included as well. Joshua is a typical nine-year-old boy, wanting to be treated like a man. His beloved grandfather understands him and helps him, but is killed helping others in the floods. Readers of the first book will want to follow up on Joshua's adventures, and those who start with this one will want to go back to find out how it all began.
Sally Bates Goodroe, formerly at Harris County Public Library, Houston, TXCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Gr. 3-5. In this sequel to
Westward to Home (2000) in the My America series, nine-year-old Joshua McCullough and his family have braved the Oregon Trail and arrived in the Willamette Valley in 1848. Unfortunately, they're just in time for the winter rains and floods, which lead to the accidental death of Joshua's beloved grandfather. Finally, spring arrives with the hope that life will improve. This follow-up doesn't quite stand alone; readers who didn't saddle up for the covered-wagon journey in the first book may feel that they have missed some important details about the characters presented here. But Joshua's brief diary entries are historically accurate and compelling, and he comes across as a believable character with real emotions. Hermes does a particularly good job of conveying Joshua's feelings after his grandfather's death; they serve as a reminder that human circumstances may change with the centuries, but human emotions change very little.
Todd MorningCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
