Content considerations:

References like "savages", "heathen", and "red men" are used and various characters express concerns of being attacked. At one point the main character fantasizes about "civilizing" the Native Americans and being adopted as a "princess" (28, 32) and later imagines her family killing attacking Native Americans with herself teaching the four year old to load a rifle (48-49). When she finally meets two young Native American boys, she insists multiple times that they should be greeted with "how" and realizes "with disgust" that they don't use that word. She and her friend lure them back to the wagons to show them off to her sister in an attempt to get her to not be afraid of them (86-92).

The main character tends to hold a high opinion of herself and has little regard for parental authority when it conflicts with what she wants. She often goes into flights of fancy where she is the hero and everyone says how wonderful she is. At one point she almost drinks poisoned water on purpose and another she and her friend torment snakes for fun, which turn out to be rattlesnakes. ( )

I picked this up today at a church sale, primarily because there was a chorus of Burton voices in my head, all of them hissing "Lampman! And you haven't read this one!"

I thought it was a delightful book. Probably the best Oregon Trail book for kids I've ever read. There was botanizing and hardship, disobedience and repentance. There were famous walk-ons and helpful natives. The deaths conveniently befell non-primary characters. And the people were entirely believable and indeed lovable. The main character's flights of egotistical fancy were so recognizable to the twelve-year-old who lives in my head that she perked right up after lo, these many years of quietude.

It strikes me that this review does talk a lot about the voices in my head. Their hissing and giggling aside, it's a lovely book. ( )

My blog post about this book is at this link. ( )