ALA Booklist (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

In 1879, discouraged by the lack of opportunities for Black people in Natchez, Mississippi, 11-year-old Lettie Grier's father decides that their family will travel by covered wagon to Nebraska, where homesteading lands are free and they can make a fresh start. The trip is beset by pitfalls (crossing torrential rivers, suffering illness and death, and facing wild weather including hailstorms) but also filled with surprising new friendships and camaraderie with the other passengers traveling with them. This novel in verse is narrated by Lettie; her mother, Sylvia; and 18-year-old Philomena, an orphan hired to be the new teacher in the Nebraskan town of North Platte, giving the narrative a feminist perspective that conveys the frustrations of women who often had little choice in whether they made these journeys. The verses read smoothly and, although completely lacking in punctuation, will be accessible to young readers. Additional historical context can be found in the lengthy author's note, which offers more information on Black homesteading and acknowledges the theft of this "free" land from Indigenous peoples.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Three generations of Black women—young Lettie, her mother, and teacher Philomena—take turns narrating a challenging westward journey in this gripping historical verse novel, set in 1879. After learning about land that they can own and operate in Nebraska, Lettie’s stubborn but ambitious father urges the family to leave Mississippi; he believes that migrating west and living as homesteaders will provide them with better economic prospects. Traveling in small communities known as companies, Lettie and nine other families journey westward; during their expedition they traverse turbulent rivers and encounter infectious disease all while being mindful of their dwindling finances. Lettie’s pregnant mother tries to maintain morale among her children, but the relentless travel conditions begin to take a toll on her. Along the way, they meet Philomena, who offers herself—and her meager but needed capital—to Lettie’s family as a helping hand in exchange for safe passage west. Though the alternating perspectives are occasionally repetitive, through them Cline-Ransome (Being Clem) depicts a harrowing tale. The novel’s slow-burn pacing and the meticulously layered intersections of each protagonist’s experience deftly captures the lengths to which Black people—particularly women—would go in pursuit of freedom in the post-Reconstruction era. Ages 8–12. (Mar.)

School Library Journal (Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2024)

Gr 5 Up —It is 1879 and pioneers are pouring across the country, seeking free land in the West. Lettie, her parents, and her brothers leave everything she has ever known in Mississippi to chase the dreamland and prosperity in Nebraska. Sylvia follows her husband's dream out West, but struggles with all she has lost. Philomena seeks independence and freedom as she heads to Nebraska to take up her new job as a schoolteacher. Each of these Black women fights for their dreams and their future along the wagon trail in this emotional novel in verse. Will the travails of the trail overtake them, or will they find the new home and hope they so desperately long for? Set in the rarely told history of Black homesteaders during the Westward Expansion, this novel shines in its depiction of life on the trail and with its in-depth focus on relationship dynamics and self-realization. The varying viewpoints of the multigenerational narrators add depth and breadth to the storyline and character growth. Readers will find themselves cheering for and crying with these pioneering women as their expedition unfolds. VERDICT This emotional look into an untold part of the Westward Expansion dives deep into Black self-emancipation and the strength of Black women. Recommended for purchase for both historical fiction and interpersonal growth collections.—Emily Beasley