California Trail Discovered

By Marie Sontag

Description:

All Daniel wants is to get back to Illinois and find out who murdered his parents. He doesn’t want to travel the Oregon Trail with his guardian, Jim. He doesn’t want twelve-year-old Virginia Reed, a member of the Donner Party, as a friend. And he certainly doesn’t want anything bad to happen to his little sister Hannah as they travel West. Confronted by both good and bad Indians, good and bad whites, how will Daniel be able to protect Hannah on the long trek? Will he ever discover the mystery behind his parents’ deaths? Will he ever find a real family again?

Book Takeaway:

Buried grief leads to loneliness, but shared grief with trusted friends leads to healing friendships.

Why the author wrote this book:

California Trail Discovered introduces middle-grade readers to historical characters who traveled the Oregon Trail, such as twelve-year-old Virginia Reed, a survivor of the Donner Party, twenty-nine-year-old James Savage, the first white to discover and lead others into Yosemite Valley in an effort to make peaceful contact with the valley’s Ahwahneechee, and others who forged a way West in hopes of a better life. Viewing the trials and triumphs of the trail through the eyes of thirteen-year-old Daniel Whitcomb, a fictional character, readers will experience these adventures first-hand, helping to bring history to life in its authentic historical setting.