Salvación by Sandra Proudman - ADVISABLE

Salvación by Sandra Proudman, 336 pages. Wednesday Books (St. Martins Griffin), 2025, $21. 

Language: PG (8 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG; (kissing); Violence: PG13 (knife fight, death, torture, magical violence) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

17yo Lola wears a mask and dresses like a man when she takes on the persona of Salvación - an angel who rids their town of bad men. Lola's mother is a healer - helping the people of their town with Sal Negra, a magic healing salt. But when Hernandez, leading a small army, comes to their town, promising to win back Alta California from the Yankees, Lola and her brother discover he has an alter-magic, Sal Roja, which may cause the death of everyone and everything. 

A high-stakes fantasy with a nice love story in the background. I was cheering for Lola from the first page. Taking place just after the Mexican-American War and the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, I loved this story of the displacement of the Mexicans who lived in what is now California. A great Latinx Western, with adventure, magic, danger, and even an environmental message. Most of the characters are Mexican. 

Lisa Librarian 

The Kid by Jeff Schill - ADVISABLE

The Kid by Jeff Schill, 230 pages. Charlesbridge/Imagine, 2024. $18. 

Language: G (0 swears o 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (outlaws, jailbreak with guards killed, the Kid besting bad guys, shootings, but mostly in the feet or legs - violence is there, but it's not gory or graphic.) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

14yo Henry is now the man of the family. Keeping a farm going in the 1880s in Destiny, Colorado is a difficult thing for a grown man, but with Pa and Ma both dead, Henry is desperate to keep himself and his three younger brothers together, and on the farm. Everyone has jobs, and Henry has a plan. His ma taught him to write, and so he invents a gunslinger, called "The Kid" and sends escapades to a magazine in Philadelphia that pays for stories by the word. Soon, everyone thinks The Kid is real, including the outlaw Snake-Eye Sam, who is determined to prove he's a faster gun than the kid and is determine to find him and kill him. Also, his editor from Gunslinger Magazine travels out west to find "The Kid" too. It's been a couple of months since he's received a story, and the managing editor is anxious. 

The Kid was a really fun western with all the frills: poor farmers, an old sheriff, a saloon that mostly sells sarsaparilla, outlaws, a damsel and a city slicker. I was worried because the multiple perspectives aren't happening at the same time but they do eventually come together. I loved the voice, particularly Henry's as his grammar is very Old West and gives the book a nice feel for the time period. Historical Fiction, especially Western themed is a hard sell but I'm willing to give this a try in my library. The main characters are white 

Lisa Librarian 

Will’s Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes - ADVISABLE

Will’s Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes, 208 pages. Little Brown, 2025. $18

Content: PG (mild violence, some dead mentioned)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

12yo Will, his parents, and his paternal grandfather are barely eking out an existence as Black sharecroppers in Texas in 1889 - 25 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. When his father gets word of an open land rush in Oklahoma, WIll convinces his father to take him along as he will try to stake a 100 acre claim for their Black family where they can work for their own futures. Along the way they will come up against the prejudices and anger still harbored by those who fought for the Confederacy, but also find some kindness. Also, the dangers of trail don’t only come in human form.

I love Rhodes’s look at another dimension of US history, and Black history in particular. A great classroom read aloud choice for elementary schools. If you have any kids who like reading Westerns, point them here! There are so many other details that Rhodes exposits so well - I believe she could easily write a 10 book series a la Louis L’amour touching on Black history in the West. I love that the book is just at 200 pages - room for a story, but Rhodes had to keep the writing tight and interesting.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

 

One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome - OPTIONAL

One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome, 304 pages. Candlewick, 2024. $19. 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G Violence: PG (Deaths, peril, injuries, fighting) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

11yo Lettie, the daughter of former slaves, is traveling across the midwest from the deep south with her family by covered wagon. Her father has joined a wagon train of black families wanting to receive land in Nebraska from the Homestead Act. 

One Big Open Sky is told mostly from the perspective of Lettie, who, based on her maturity and responsibility, seems to be 12yo or younger. It also contains entries told by her mother, as well as a woman who joined the wagon train later on. I struggled with the poetry format, it's not lyrical or rhythmic, using very little punctuation, which made it an odd read. I appreciated the hardship these travelers experienced, magnified by their race and poverty. I'm reminded of Wilder's Little House on the Prairie, or more recently, Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park. It's nice to read these varying perspectives on Westward Expansion. Lettie and the other characters are African American. 

Lisa Librarian 

The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Larr and Leonie Bischoff, translated by Michelle Bailat-Jones - OPTIONAL

The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Larr and Leonie Bischoff, translated by Michelle Bailat-Jones, 141 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Helvetiq, 2024. $30. 9783039640638

Language: G (0 swears,  0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (minor gun violence briefly depicted)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

15yo Simon doesn’t have much book smarts, but he does have a plan.  If he buys 1000 bronze turkeys from a local farmer and can get them successfully to Denver, he can make enough profit to start his own business. He doesn’t bargain for finding friends, finding family, finding treachery, and finding other excitement and danger along the way.

To be clear - this edition is based upon the French graphic novel, which is based on the original English novel written by Katherine Karr - kind of convoluted.  I have the original novel and I personally enjoyed it  When students chose historical fiction, someone usually reads it. The graphic novel, however, makes Simon look very young - 12 at the most. Entertaining, but short lived.  I can't predict whether it will do better than the novel or not.  Plus, it is 11” tall - so it won’t fit on a regular fiction shelf.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep by Allan Wolf - ESSENTIAL

The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep by Allan Wolf, 402 Historical Fiction Candlewick. 2020. $15 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG;  Violence: PG-13 (Murder and cannibalism)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS, ADULT - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY

The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep chronicles the ill-fated Donner Party as they cross the Salt Lake Desert and break ground through Weber Canyon as part of a shortcut that ended up taking twice the time. The group gets caught in an epic and early snow storm that keeps them from crossing the Sierra Nevadas while also burying their livestock, thus wiping out their primary food source. In order to survive, the Donner Party resorts to cannibalism. 

Being narrated by Hunger puts an interesting and poetic spin on this tale of survival. There are entries from clearly labeled and varied voices from the pioneer group. These succinct and well written entries make the characters relatable, real, and very readable. There isn't a ton of print per page, so it isn't a daunting read. I have read three other books about the Donners, and was wowed by this one. Though this would be not be historical fiction because of poetic license, it was well researched. Even the Notes section, with bios, timelines, and statistics, was engaging reading. Primarily white /European settlers along with two Miwok Indians.

Michelle in the Middle

Small Favors by Erin Craig - MANY

Small Favors by Erin Craig, 469 pages. Delacorte Press/Random House Children's. 2021. $12 

Language: PG-13 (22 swears  0 'f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (drinking, kissing, and premarital sex mentioned but not described); Violence: PG-13 (bloody deaths by monsters, shootings between villagers, fighting) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY

18yo Ellerie lives on a farm in a small remote village with her family in pioneer times where she meets a young man that she describes as having a vulpine face, wandering by the creek edge as she’s washing laundry. He says his name is Price but she doesn’t think he’s telling the truth so she decides to call him Whitaker Price. Weird things keep happening to the villagers; small acts of violence that they’re blaming each other for. Whitaker, the mysterious trapper, suspiciously won’t answer any personal questions that Ellerie asks him; she finds this strange but enjoys his company and wants to spend more time with him. Mind tricks seem to be working on the villagers somehow, causing them to become so angry that they want to harm each other. The villagers spiral out of control and Ellerie does everything in her power to save her beloved town. 

This story is a unique spin on the tale of Rumplestiltskin. An absolutely perfect book! Beautiful writing, vivid imagery, strong characters, and amazing world-building. Great character development. The characters are predominantly white. 

LynnDell Watson, Delta HS Librarian

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park- ADVISABLE

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park, 272 pages. Clarion (Houghton Mifflin), 2020. $17.

Content: G (some racial comments)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Hanna and her Papa have made their way from San Francisco to LaForge in Dakota Territory over the course of several years – really since Hanna’s Mama died. They know that the prairie people aren’t as used to someone like Hanna – half Korean, but Hanna just wants to finish her last couple of courses of school and make her way as a dressmaker like her Mama was. She will have to stand strong in the face of the prejudices of the townspeople.

Park is unabashed in her love of the Little House books growing up. This is her homage to those books, showing the life of other groups who were also looking for homes in America at the same time.  Lovely book – I admire Hanna’s spunk and her ingenuity. The Little House books and other historical fiction is not a big seller at my library, but those who find it will fall in love.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

City of Gold by Will Hobbs - ADVISABLE

City of Gold by Will Hobbs, 256 pages.  Harper Collins, 2020.  $16.99

Language:  PG (1 swear, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content:  PG; Violence:  PG

BUYING ADVISORY:  MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL:  HIGH

15yo Owen heard the whinnies of the two family mules, but he was not roused from sleep until after the mules’ whinnies had changed to squeals. This was the beginning of what would become a long journey for Owen to try to retrieve the mules which had been taken from the barn.  His family had recently moved from Kansas to a farm in Colorado, and their whole family livelihood depended on the mules.  The search would take Owen to mining towns and the “City of Gold”; and it would take him to Robbers Roost and its connections with Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch.  His tenacious, 9yo brother, Till, does not want to be left behind!

Owen’s story is continually moving.  It provides connections for the past and the future of the characters that you won’t want to miss.  It is an adventure, as well as a source of historical facts and fiction.  It does have mostly inadvertent references to tobacco, alcohol, and guns; and, thus, the buying advisory of “Middle School” is indicated. The minimally few direct references have been well-managed.  I, personally, wanted to continue reading this book. The nonfiction information has left me wanting to learn more. 

ReneeCW

The Beloved Wild by Melissa Ostrom - OPTIONAL

The Beloved Wild by Melissa Ostrom, 312 pages.  Feiwel and Friends, 2018.  $18.  

Content: Language: PG-13 (16 swears); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG-13.  

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – OPTIONAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

Harriet is a sixteen year old with a longing for the type of freedom that her brothers enjoy.  It’s obvious to everyone that the handsome and hard-working neighbor, Daniel Long, is interested in marrying Harriet, but she thinks marriage a miserable idea.   As her favorite brother prepares to go into the frontier and homestead, Harriet makes plans to leave her family and join him.  Harriet is surprised by her longing for Daniel and the hardships that she finds on the frontier. 

I got caught up in the book and totally enjoyed it.  Harriet is spunky and although she sometimes makes immature decisions, it’s fun to watch her grow-up and learn from the world around her.  The book would have to be talked-up because teens wouldn’t pick it up based on the cover, which is sad because story wise this book is advisable and the cover makes it optional.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson 

Hardscrabble by Sandra Dallas - ADVISABLE

Hardscrabble by Sandra Dallas, 240 pages.  Sleeping Bear Press, 2018.  $16.  

Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG.  

BUYING ADVISORY:  EL, MS – ADVISABLE  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

Belle arrives in Mingo, Colorado with her ailing mother and brood of siblings to meet up with their father who has been starting their homestead while they moved from Iowa.  Even though Belle is only twelve, Belle and her older sister quickly fall into the mother roll and help around the farm.  They befriend a woman homesteader, Lizzie, who is a bright spot in their bleak environment and helps them figure out life on the prairie.  When Belle’s mother’s health doesn’t improve, Belle, her father and her sister feel hopeless and have to depend on each other and their kind neighbors to survive.  

Sandra Dallas does this setting (Midwest) and time period (1910) so well, whether she is writing adult or middle reader.  I loved the Martin family and wanted them to succeed and was totally caught up in their struggle.  Two little things bugged me: first, there were times in the story that felt rushed (including the ending) and the second, the back cover of the book refers to a hardship that the family faces in the last forty pages of the book which is anti-climactic.  That said, I really loved this historical fiction for middle readers.  

C. Peterson

The Oregon Trail: Choose Your Own Trail! by Jesse Wiley - OPTIONAL

The Oregon Trail: Choose Your Own Trail! by Jesse Wiley. CHAPTER BOOK. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018. $15. 

1 - The Race to Chimney Rock - 159 pages  

2 - Danger at the Haunted Gate - 159 pages  

3 - The Search for Snake River - 159 pages  

4 - The Road to Oregon City - 175 pages 

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

In this series of books, broken up into four books based on different sections of the Oregon trail, the reader assumes a decision making role. The book is told in second person point of view, telling “you,” the reader, what is happening and what decision needs to be made. For each decision you jump to a different page in the book. The very first decision you have to make is whether to leave on your journey early in the spring and risk your animals not having grazing grass, or leave later and risk running into winter. The final decision you make leads to about half negative outcomes, death included, and half positive. 

My kids liked reading these books in small chunks, but they never felt invested in them. It is interesting to see what one might run into on the trail, but you never form an attachment to a character. The very nature of choosing your own plot makes character development virtually impossible. The trail details are all summarized in the trail guides, spoiling much of the plot points. The choose your own adventure element may very well hook a few reluctant readers, but there is not much literary value to speak of here.  The nostalgia of reading these books after playing the game growing up will be lost on young readers, but does score the book a few brownie points for parents who may be reading these aloud to kids. 

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson - ADVISABLE

Carson, Rae Walk on Earth a Stranger, 448 pages.  Greenwillow (Harper), 2015.  $18.  Mature Content: G (starts her period); Language: G (3 swears, 0 ‘f’); Violence: PG (2 murders, various travel deaths and dangers). 

Leah Westfall is on the run.  Her quiet world with her parents has been shattered by their murder and her evil uncle, who knows about her affinity to gold, is ready to strangle her with society’s strictures as he prepares to use her powers for his personal benefit.  She quickly disguises herself as Lee Westfall and flees to the westward trail, in search of her nest friend, Jefferson, who left only a few days before her.  If she can find him, they can travel with a wagon train to the gold fields of Oregon.  There is an entire continent of dangers, human, animal, and natural, waiting for them and their companions before they might reach relative safety.

The magical part of this book is slight and in the end not really very important in this well-written historical fiction novel.  I will be adding this to my collection as an excellent option for an 8^th grade American History project at my school. 

MS, HS – ADVISABLE.  Cindy, Library Teacher

Best Shot in the West: The Adventures of Nat Love by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack - - ADVISABLE

McKissack, Patricia and Fredrick Jr. Best Shot in the West: The Adventures of Nat Love, Illustrated by Randy Duburke,131 pgs. Chronicle Books, 2012. $19.99. Language: G; Violence: PG13 (mildly graphic illustrations) Mature Content: G.  GRAPHIC NOVEL  

Based on the autobiography of Nat Love, this story of being a cowboy in the old west tells the gritty dangerous story.  Nat Love, born a slave in Tennessee and freed after the civil war joins a cattle team in Kansas City and becomes one of the greatest cowboys in the old west.  Friends with the famous and the infamous, he even fought with indians and was invited to join a tribe.  

The pictures are illustrations, not cartoons, and are effectively gory when needed. The story never drags, tells just enough, and really gives a great feel for the time and the character.  What a great way to present a biography!

EL, MS - - ADVISABLE  Lisa Librarian

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson - ADVISABLE

Larson, Kirby  Hattie Big Sky, 283 pgs.  Delacorte Press, 2006.  $15.95  Content: Language: G; Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG.  

Hattie is a sixteen year old orphan girl who has been moved around among her relatives, so when her uncle passes and deeds her a homestead claim, she decides to move to Montana and give it a try.   While alone on her claim she writes to her best friend Charlie who is serving in World War I and finds that although the war is taking place in Europe everyone is affected by it, including her German neighbor Carl.  Hattie befriends Carl and his wife and their small children and finally feels a part of a real family, but when hardships hit Montana Hattie is going to have be stronger than she thought.  

This is a unique historical perspective about westward expansion in the United States during World War I.  Hattie is a strong character and her story helps the reader to understand how hard it was to work a claim and the many dangers and hardships of living out West.  The book is a Newbery Honor, but I feel like the story and the issues that Hattie dealt with would be hard for a young reader to relate to and better appreciated by an older reader.  

MS, HS-ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Voices from the Oregon Trail by Kay Winters - ADVISABLE

Winters, Kay  Voices from the Oregon Trail. Illustrated by Larry Day. Unpaged. 2014. Dial Books for Young Readers (imprint of Penguin Group). $17.99. Picture book.

In this historical picture book, each spread shares some thoughts from a member of a wagon train company, most of whom are moving to Oregon with dreams of a better life, with the one exception being some thoughts from a Native American whose lands these travelers are traversing. Through the travelers' words, the reader learns about some of the reasons why people chose to undertake such a long and dangerous journey, and some of the hardships and joys they encountered along the way. The endpapers feature a map of the Oregon Trail and portraits of those whose voices we hear. Almost three pages of historical notes at the end of the book offer nonfiction information about this six-month trip along the Oregon Trail that thousands took before trains reduced the travel time to a week. 

Students may need to make a diagram for themselves to keep all the relationships and responsibilities among the company straight, but each vignette offers insightful glimpses into people's lives from this period in our country's history, while the information at the end offers some excellent historical content.

EL - ADVISABLE. Reviewed by: PKFoster, teacher-librarian.

P.K. Pinkerton and the Pistol-Packing Widows by Caroline Lawrence - - ADVISABLE

Lawrence, Caroline P.K. Pinkerton and the Pistol-Packing Widows 289 pgs. Penguin Group, 2014. $16.99. Language: G (0 swears); Violence: PG; Mature Content: PG13 (innuendo).  

12-year-old P.K. Pinkerton, Private Eye and Master of Disguise, is off on his 3rd big case.  This time, to Carson City, Nevada, where in 1862 the Legislature is meeting.  P.K. has been hired by Poker Face Jace's fiancee to spy on him, make sure he's safe and not courting other women.  But when P.K. discovers Jace is seeing a "black widow" who has discovered his identity, he has to change his plans.  Is this the end of P.K. Pinkerton?  

Another well-written western, this mystery is sure to please.  Not too gritty view of the old west, the misspelled and edited swears make this a perfect read for upper elementary and middle school kids.   EL, MS - ADVISABLE  Lisa Librarian

One Came Home by Amy Timberlake - - ESSENTIAL

Timberlake, Amy One Came Home 272 pgs. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2013. $11.55.  Content: Language: G (0 swears);  Mature Content: G ;  Violence: PG13.  

In 1871 Wisconsin 13-year-old Georgie goes on a quest to find out what really happened to her beloved sister Agatha.  Despite being accompanied by cowboy Billy McCabe, (against her wishes) and riding a mule (when she wanted a horse), Georgie bravely confronts her fears of her sister’s demise.  

I really enjoyed spending time with Georgie, she is brave, talented and smart.  I loved the feel of this old fashioned western - -part mystery, part love story, part coming of age novel; this has bad guys, good guys, shoot outs, even a cougar.  I’m not surprised to see it was selected a Newbery Honor. Boys will like this book, girls will love it.  EL, MS -ESSENTIAL  Lisa Librarian

Emily and Jackson Hiding Out by Naylor - ADVISABLE

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds  Emily and Jackson Hiding Out, 167 pgs.  Delacorte Press, 2012.  $14.99.  Language: G; Mature Content: G, Violence: G; 

The happy ending young Emily Wiggins was hoping for in Redbud is put on hold as she and new best friend, Jackson, must tango with some dastardly dudes in this early reader sequel to Emily's Fortune.  

Short chapters and fast paced action will keep the reader engaged.  Perfect for students that are just beginning in chapter books, or a great read-aloud for 1-3 grades.  I had not read the first book, but was able to follow along easily and enjoy the story.   Emily and Jackson Hiding Out is a fun, fast-paced adventure beautifully set in the frontier.  

EL- ADVISABLE.  J. Hafen

A Voice for Kanzas by Debra McArthur - ADVISABLE

McArthur, Debra A Voice for Kanzas, 367 pgs. Kane Miller, 2012. Language - G, Sexual Content - G; Violence - PG; 

Lucy is moving to Kansas, much to her dismay, with Papa, Mamma, and her brother Joseph. Pap wants to open a store and vote for Kansas to be free, but will there be anything for Lucy out there? This isn't just a story about moving and having to start over. Lucy is trying to find herself out in Kansas in a way she couldn't in Pennsylvania. She tries to figure out her new life, how she fits into Kansas, and what she can do to help everyone she can. Lucy finds herself, and her voice, out in the middle of nowhere. 

MS - ADVISABLE. Reviewer: CCH