Patricia Willis

En route from Pennsylvania to Marietta Ohio on a flatboat in 1793, Amos, Clara, and Jonathan Dunn become separated from their father during an Indian attack at Wheeling, Virginia. Reasoning that if their father survived the attack, he would look for them in Marietta, the children set out to follow the river south. They face many challenges on their journey, including finding food and evading hostile Indians.

I picked this Spur Award winner because I had ancestors who made the same journey from Pennsylvania to southwest Ohio on a flatboat about 20 years later than the family in this book. Like the best children's literature, the story is educational as well as entertaining, and the informational aspects of the book support the plot without driving it. One of the children, Amos, was troubled by the memory of a tragedy he had experienced before they left Pennsylvania, so he had an additional challenge to overcome during the course of the story. This book would be a good fit for upper elementary aged children with an interest in nature and outdoor activities.… (mer)