Part of the Step into Reading series, this is a history of how the Cherokees were robbed of their homes and removed from their land to make room for white settlers. Bruchac focuses on the Trail of Tears, the bitter 1,200-mile forced journey from Georgia to Oklahoma in 1838-39 during which thousands died. He sets that march within a wider, quite detailed narrative of the Cherokee nation's struggle and resistance. Magnuson's colorful pictures, packed with people and action, are a little bright for the subject, but strong new readers will find that nonfiction can tell a powerful story. (Reviewed December 1, 1999)