Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie: The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell, 1847 (Dear America Series) (Library Binding)

by Kristiana Gregory (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-7–Hattie Campbell is 13 years old in 1847 when her parents decide to sell their farm in Missouri and make their way across the Oregon Trail to Oregon City for a fresh start after the death of Hatties sisters in this title by Kristiana Gregory (Scholastic, 1997). She is given a journal for her birthday and told to record both the bad and the good, Hattie. And so she does. Teaming up with dozens of other families, the wagon train begins its six-month journey across the prairies and mountains of the West. Their wagons are full and their hearts are hopeful. Hattie reflects upon the slowly changing scenery, the curiously friendly Indians they meet, and the devastating toll the long journey takes. Many in the wagon train arrive in Oregon City on foot with only a few precious possessions. Black-and-white photos, a recipe for Johnny Cake, and maps of the route can be found at the end of the book. The narration is well done, and Hatties youthful voice shines through. While the plot is not riveting, young girls will enjoy Hatties journey and elementary grade social studies classes studying the Oregon Trail will learn about life on the Trail.–Tricia Melgaard, Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow, OK
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

From Kirkus Reviews
In a work subtitled ``The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell,'' Gregory (Earthquake at Dawn, 1992, etc.) reconvenes the Dear America series in 1847, as Hattie, her parents, and her two younger brothers begin the long trek from Missouri to Oregon by wagon train. At first the adventure is exciting, but as the days, weeks, and months pass, Hattie realizes what a dangerous and tedious trip it will be. They cross the prairies, hastening the journey as news of the fate of the Donner party reaches them, but death, disease, weather, and the terrain take a terrible toll. The Campbells lose neighbors and friends until they almost believe they cannot bear to continue. Continue they do: Eight months after they set out, the remaining wagons arrive in Oregon City, just in time for Christmas. Through Hattie's diary, Gregory brings the rigors of the trip to life, but she also includes the details that kept the settlers going--the friendships and camaraderie that developed and the joyful events (a wedding and some births) that occurred. Gregory brings a sobering dose of reality to an era that's often romanticized; this is a fine glimpse of history on a human scale. (b&w photos, map) (Fiction. 8-14) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Library Binding: 168 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc. (March 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590226517
• ISBN-13: 978-0590226516
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (167 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #78,541 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #5 in	Books > Children's Books > Series > Historical > Dear America
  #18 in	Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > Fiction > Exploration & Discoveries
  #95 in	Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > United States > Fiction > 1800s

• This item is part of The Dear America Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It remains one of my favorite books ever., July 21, 2000

By	Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I first read this book in March 1997 when it first came out. Even after three and a half years, and the reading of many more books, this remains of my favorite books ever. It brings the Oregon Trail to life and puts faces on the countless brave pioneers who braved the hardships of the trail to make new lives in the west. The narrator is a fictional thirteen-year-old farm girl from Missouri, Hattie Campbell. Through her diary, written in a voice that truly sounds as if it belongs to a young girl from that time, the reader experiances the events of Hattie's journey west - her friendship with Pepper, a fourteen-year-old girl from the wagon train, the beginnings of a romance with Pepper's brother Wade, and many others. Hattie was a character that I really came to care about, and I was sad to put the book down when it was finished, but since then, I have read it several more times. Kristiana Gregory is an amazing author that has given a distinct voice to each of her narrators in this book and her two other Dear America books. I hope she writes another Dear America book soon; she's one of my favorite authors from the series. I highly reccomend this book to historical fiction fans.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most realistic book ever (so far that I've read)., January 17, 2000

By A Customer

This book was tragic But adventureous. I felt like I was Hattie. It is about a girl who leaves her hometown in Booneville, Missora and heads out west to Oregon. Their are a lot of deaths in the story but none of Hattie's family members died on the Oergon trail so don't worry. I'm eight and I didn't have nightmares for a week but if I were you I would not let anybody under eight read this. they may get scared. There are great characters like Pepper, Gideon, Wade, Ben, Jake and of course Hattie Campell. If you like adventure and danger I recomend this book to you.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite dear america!, December 24, 1999

By A Customer

I love dear america books, but this one is definantly my favorite. it gives a good picture of the hardships a pioneer on the oregan trail would have to experiance.in the book, Hattie and her parents leave their home to go west on the oregon trail. Hattie doesn't want to leave her best friend or the graves of her baby sisters. the diary tells all about the journey, her sorrows and her joys, her new friends and her new enemies. unlike in some of the dear america diaries, some of Hattie's dreams do come true. I would really recomend this book to anyone, but be prepared, this book is sad.