From Publishers Weekly
After the Civil War, Sam's father decides that he's had enough of the overworked Kentucky bottomland that he has farmed for his in-laws. He takes his family by wagon to the Dakota Territory, where land is as cheap as the cost of settling it. Sam can't get accustomed to the big sky in Nebraska, but he and his brother Billy gradually learn to like their new surroundings. It is only when a swarm of grasshoppers drops out of the sky and devours their first crop that Sam realizes that although his own family is staying on, the price of settling a new land, for some folks, is just too high. Turner deftly balances tranquil scenes (the family's pitching in to build the sod house) with terrifying ones (the grasshoppers eat anything green, even the green stripes of a woman's dress--while she is still wearing it). This is a solid piece of writing--a sturdy blend of action, adventure and thoughtfulness that will appeal to both boys and girls. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-- When his father decides that it's time for a fresh start far from Kentucky, Sam White is not as enthusiastic as his younger brother Billy. Moving means goodbyes--to his grandparents, to his friends, and to his home. But, faced with no other choice, Sam grips his lucky fossil stone and determines to make the best of the situation. Thus begins the difficult and exciting adventure of a journey to the Dakota Territories in 1874 to start a new life. In vivid language and descriptions, Turner conveys the family's hard and lonely life on the road; their excited efforts in building their new home and preparing the land for planting; and their frustration and heartbreak when all is destroyed by a plague of locusts. Yet there is always the family's bond of love to ease the difficulty. Young readers will particularly enjoy Turner's "creepy" descriptions of the grasshopper invasion and the futility of the family in dealing with it. This book will appeal to fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" series (Harper). A good realistic novel of frontier life. --Elizabeth M. Reardon, McCallie School, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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