The Wild Year: Joshua's Oregon Trail Diary Book Three

Finally, in the last diary of Joshua's story the suffering and hardships have seemed to come to an end. This diary focuses on Joshua and his family starting their life in Oregon. His father takes an interest in government and gets together with some important men from Oregon City to discuss new laws for the territory. Joshua still continues to grow up fast and has now taken to sleeping outside in the makeshift lean to so that he can have some privacy and also so he can be outside which he loves. He has desperately missed school and has taken to reading his grandfather's old anthology of poetry and writing copious amounts in his diary. Finally by the time Joshua turns ten at the end of the book, he has been granted the opportunity and finally got the gun he has been begging for, for the past two books. Guess his mother is convinced he won't shoot his arm off anymore lol!

More Information on the book for those who are interested:

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc. (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439370558
• ISBN-13: 978-0439370554

A Perfect Place: Joshua's Oregon Trail Diary Book Two

Well just like the settlers, I thought Joshua's story pretty much ended once her arrive in Oregon. I mean what else could happen? Well just like the settlers I was wrong! Most of the settlers arrived in Oregon with little or no money because it had all been used to buy supplies for the trail or along the way at one of the forts. Not only was money and issue but the settlers had not anticipated the weather in Oregon and the constant rain kept them from building their houses right away. Not to mention that floods threatened to demolish their tented towns.

For Joshua this meant that he had to spend many months sleeping in a wet tent with his family. Also, when the rivers waters rose his family was forced to go into Oregon City. Fortunately, for them families were willing to open their homes for the settlers until the rains died down. Unfortunately, Joshua's grandfather died while trying to help some fellow settlers upright their overturned wagon in the down pour.

Through this book, even though he is just nine years old, Joshua truly begins to grow up. I am really hoping that there isn't more hardships for him in the last book of the series. His family has been through so much, they deserve a little peace and happiness!

More Information on the Book

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc. (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439389003
• ISBN-13: 978-0439389006

Westward to Home: Joshua's Diary Book One

FINALLY! Yes, finally after a month hiatus I have finished another book towards my goal of finishing all of the Dear America series and sub-series. I have decided to work away on the My America sub-series because the reading level is for upper elementary school so that are fairly easy to get through and do not take me too long with my hectic schedule.

The first in a three book set, Joshua's diary highlights his family moving west to Oregon from Missouri. Like most accounts of going west with a wagon train that are available to young readers, this diary discusses the trials and tribulations that each family has encountered on the trial. I was slightly disappointed with this book because I do not think it does anything to set itself apart from other novels that discuss this same topic.

Granted, I am sure the historical details are very well done and that is a great thing for this book to have since this may be the first encounter that younger readers have with this topic. Not to spoil it for anyone, but in this book Joshua and his family reach Oregon. I am wondering what the next two books in his set will be about since the whole first one was dedicated to the Oregon Trail. Feel free to venture any guesses in the comment section!

Here is more information on the book for those who are interested:

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc. (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439388996
• ISBN-13: 978-0439388993

Darn College

Well looking at this blog it has been a month to the day since I have last posted here. It is amazing how busy you can get! I am currently on break from school and I thought I would have tons of time to get caught up on some Dear America books but boy was I wrong! I've come to realize that vacation is just an excuse for professors to give you more work to do because you are not going to see them for a week (plus it doesn't help that I'm a little OCD and must have my work completed well in advanced so I don't feel stressed lol).

To be honest, I am about 30 pages into a My America book and I am not even sure if I will get the chance to finish it before even more craziness is sprung on me. I was hoping to finish the three books that come for this particular character of the My America subseries but I am feeling quite defeated. If all goes well I will hopefully have a post by the end of the week.

I am not giving up on my challenge so please don't give up on the blog! It just so happens that things a moving a little (okay, a lot!) slower than I intended.

Season of Promise: Elizabeth's Diary Book Three

Three books in three days! I am mildly impressed with myself even if they are meant for younger children.

Anyways, I was not sure what this third installment of Elizabeth's journal would concern since the most difficult time of her life at the Jamestown Colony had seemed to pass in the last book. This diary really focusing on Elizabeth as well as others settling into their lives in the colony. There is now strong leadership (perhaps a little too strong) and the colony is thriving. Elizabeth no longer has to worry about what she will eat for her new meal or if any of her friends will die over night. This diary highlights all of the settlers coming together to do the work of the colony so that everyone can live comfortable. The relations with the Indians being to be mended and Elizabeth is beginning to see how her life will play out in America.

I was pleased with this first My America series, I hope the others fall in Patricia Hermes footsteps!

More information on the book for those who are interested:

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.; 1 edition (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439272068
• ISBN-13: 978-0439272063

The Starving Time: Elizabeth's Diary Book Two

So after finishing my homework yesterday evening I thought, "Hey, I might as well start the second Elizabeth Diary." Well an hour and a half later I had come to the end of Elizabeth's second tale.

This one seeming much shorter than the first (though in reality not really) highlights the worst time that was experienced in the Jamestown colony in the winter or 1609-1610. John Smith's return to England due to injury left the colony without steady leadership. This was the first step to the heartache that would be faced during this time. Without anyone to step up and tell the settlers what to do the storeroom (meant to keep food for winter) was exhausted and several parties broke off from the colony to find their own place to live. This left poor Elizabeth and her family cold and hungry...very hungry. It did not help that the relations with the Indians were poor due to previous injustices done to them by some of the lazier settlers. This meant that they were deathly afraid of even venturing just outside of the compound walls and make finding food very difficult. Death runs even more rampant in this book than the last and it does begin to sink in how helpless these poor people were. Whether or not Elizabeth and her family find relief I will let you read to find out.

I was pleased by this second book to Elizabeth's diary but I am left wondering what could possibly be coming in the third. I do not think a great hardship/conflict could occur in the next book. Guess I will have to read to find out!

More information on the book for those of you who are interested:

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc. (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439369029
• ISBN-13: 978-0439369022

Our Strange New Land: Elizabeth's Diary

This is the first book I have read from the sub-series My America. The My America series seems to focus more on immigrants or migrants coming to or traveling across America. There are a few differences between these diaries and the others I have been reading. First, this series is for more of a high elementary or beginning middle school reading level. Second, each character has three books to describe their journeys and experiences.

This first diary highlights young Elizabeth's journey and settling in America at the Jamestown colony in 1609. Her tale is full of the struggles that the settlers encountered when first trying to settle there not to mention Pocahontas and Captain John Smith become two of her closest acquaintances. Her story features several deaths of people that Elizabeth knows and one joyful birth of her little sister.

The only thing I did not like about this book was the fact that sometimes it repeats itself or goes off on tangents that I did not find important. This is only personal though. The diary is written perfectly well from the point of view of a nine year old but being an older reader it is hard to put myself in that mind set. Also, I think the Historical Note in the back of the book gives a little too much away to the reader about what the next diary will be about. I guess from a realistic stand point most kids don't read past the end of the novel into things such as Historical Notes. Either way I am interested to see where Elizabeth's story goes from here!

More information on the novel for those of you who are interested

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc. (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439368987
• ISBN-13: 978-0439368988

Dear Canada eh?

So, the other night I was showing my good friend Goodreads.com (a great site for book lovers! Check it out!) and as I was showing her the recommendation feature where the website recommends books for you to read based on your ratings, I almost had a heart attack. I saw the cover of a book that looked very much like a Dear America novel. "Oh great," I thought, "a book I missed and will have to add to my already gigantic list!" But I was mistaken. When I clicked on the image of the book the title read Dear Canada.

I quickly did some research. The Canadian division of Scholastic publishing started the Dear Canada series about ten years ago. Obviously from the the title you can guess that all of these books focus on historical events in Canadian history. I was very intrigued by the find and wonder has anyone else heard of Dear Canada? Also,

for those of you from other countries that might be reading this blog do you think a Dear [insert country here] series would be successful where you are from? Let me know!

So, alas my mission may not be as simple as I once thought. If I can get my hands on these books I might just have 28 more books to read!

Kaiulani: The People's Princess

My next read was an interesting one for me because it revolves around the history of Hawaii which I do not know much about. Kaiulani: The People's Princess by Ellen Emerson White takes place in 1889 and the diary follows the life of 13-year old Kaiulani who is a princess in the Hawaiian Monarchy.

She is the daughter of a late Hawaiian princess and an Irishman which is an interesting combination. At the beginning of the novel we find out that that Princess Kaiulani is destined to be sent to England to further her education. She is very upset about this idea but the plans must be followed since it is the will of the Hawaiian King, her uncle.

Her stay in England is meant to only last one year but because of political unrest in Hawaii she must stay there for over four years. She must want in agony to find out if she ever will be Queen of Hawaii or if her way of life will be abolished.

One thing I found quite interesting was that in Kaiulani's full name the name Victoria is included and she even says it is because of Queen Victoria. Just by chance I read the Royal Diary of Queen Victoria as my last book! Kaiulani even wishes to meet the Queen while in England though this never has a chance to happen.

I am finding from these readings that there is a lot I do not know about the history of not only other countries but my own and these books lend an interesting insight to a world I was not aware existed.

Here is more information on the book for those of you who are interested:

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.; First Edition edition (2002)
• ASIN: B002X493RW