Maybe it's because I grew up in Utah -- land of summer Rodeos and Pioneer Day -- but July is a time where I always think a lot about pioneers, homesteaders, cowboys, and westward expansion. Growing up, I loved hearing pioneer stories but as I've grown older, I've wondered about how different groups of people experienced this time period. This list of western and frontier stories have a different perspective than most books I grew up with -- and are all super entertaining reads.
When Sally O'Malley Discovered the Sea
By Lesa Cline-Ransome
New York: Holiday House, 2024. Fiction. 296 pages.
In 1879, Lettie Grier's father decides that their family will travel by covered wagon from Natchez, Mississippi to Nebraska to homestead and seek opportunities not offered to Black people in their home. Lettie's mother Sylvia is reluctant to leave, but her father is determined. When the Black families are left behind by steamships taking wagons up the Mississippi river, they band together to form a traveling party. Along the way, a young teacher named Philomena joins their group and rounds out the third perspective of this story that highlights the challenges and emotions of women in homesteading parties. This novel in verse never shies away from the heartbreaking parts of the story but will still captivate readers.
By Jewell Parker Rhodes
New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2025. Fiction. 196 pages.
In 1889 Texas, 12-year-old Will is the son of formerly enslaved parents who live as sharecroppers. When Will's father comes home with news of a land rush 400 miles away, they know that this will change their lives. On a dangerous journey to claim land, Will and Father are unprepared for the challenges they'll face on their way to claim their future. When the responsibility to claim land ultimately falls to Will, he musters all of his bravery. This tense, fast-paced novel will appeal to readers of historical fiction and adventure novels.
By Jeff Schill
Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Moves, 2024. Fiction. 234 pages.
After his parents die, 14-year-old Henry is ready to do whatever it takes to keep him and his younger brothers together on the family farm. Henry strikes a deal with the local sheriff -- if he can keep outlaws away from his hometown of Destiny, CO, then the sheriff won't report his parents' deaths to the state. Henry uses his talent for writing to publish stories about the Kid who soon becomes the most infamous gunslinger in the west. Everything is working as it should until Snake-Eye Sam escapes from Arkansas State Penitentiary with a vow to kill the Kid. This fast moving story is completely satisfying.
By Linda Sue Park
Boston: Clarion Books, 2020. Fiction. 261 pages.
In 1880, Hanna and her father settle in LaForge, in the Dakota Territory, for what Hanna hopes will be the last time. Since her mother died, Hanna and her father have traveled all around the west trying to find a place they'll be welcomed. Hanna's father is white but her mother was Chinese and the other settlers they encounter are not accepting of a half Chinese girl. Settling in LaForge doesn't go smoothly for Hanna and her Pa, and before long people in the community with racist attitudes punish Hanna just for being there. This absorbing novel broadens the frontier story genre to include a needed and unheard perspective.
By Karen Cushman
New York: Knopf, 2025. Fiction. 230 pages.
13-year-old Sally O'Malley is a plucky orphan on an epic journey across 19th century Oregon to go west to the sea. She reluctantly accepts help from a kind older woman named Major in the shape of a wagon ride. Before long Sally and Major take on a 7-year-old boy journeying west to find family and Sally begrudgingly accepts her role in a motley crew of misfits. This historical fiction novel is a fun and entertaining read made all the better by frequent old-timey vernacular.
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