A 13-year-old records the day-to-day struggles of the members of a wagon train traveling from Independence, MO, to Oregon. The story begins about two weeks after Jedediah's family drowned trying to cross the Kaw River and ends when the company is a few days' journey from Oregon City. Along the way, the boy records the effort to cross plains, ford rivers, and climb mountains; he tells of encounters with animals and Native Americans; and he describes the personality quirks of fellow travelers. Readers will care about the characters and root for them from first page to last, but an epilogue chronicling their lives after the story's close may confuse some into thinking that these were real people. Back matter includes historical notes and black-and-white photographs of wagons and pioneers on the trail. This is a useful book for social-studies units, especially when paired with Kristiana Gregory's Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie (1997) and Levine's If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon (1992, both Scholastic).--School Library Journal, November 1st, 2002 Thirteen-year-old Jedediah Barstow has just been orphaned during a crossing of the Kaw River. Without a family, he is forced to depend on the generosity of the other pioneers and on his own substantial inner resources.

Writing in journal format, Levine (Darkness over Denmark, 1999, etc.) has resolved some of the constraints of the form to tell a gripping, funny, and memorable story of one boy's adventure to Oregon. Readers who are unfamiliar with the details of life on the road will be fascinated by Jedediah's observations: how butter was made, the many uses of buffalo chips, how to divert stampeding buffalo, burial techniques, the myriad decisions the travelers had to make every day, and the various dangers posed by rivers, wildlife, and mountains. Levine, through Jed's well-defined voice, tells a memorable story, filled with the humor, sorrow, and excitement. The journal feels real because Levine leaves in some mistakes in grammar and has Jed comment on his difficulty with language. Poignant "mistakes" remind the reader that Jed is a boy who is slowly recovering from a trauma. (When Jed meets a little girl who is the age of his deceased sister, he accidentally calls the girl "Sally," then crosses out his sister's name to write "Bekka.") But this fictional journal is much more than a vehicle for Levine's research.

Underlying the details of daily life on the trail is the story of Jed, the grieving orphan. Thrust into adulthood by unspeakable loss, Jed learns what it means to be a grown-up as he observes the various men and women on the Trail. Cruel Mr. Henshaw, with his worsening temper and alcoholism, allows young Jed to join his family as a servant. Jacob Fenster, an intelligent and thoughtful Jewish man, comes to Jed's rescue many times and forces the young man to reflect on his own religious prejudices. Fix-it man Mr. Littleton hires Jed and teaches him how to fix the many things that break each day, from wagon wheels to personal relationships to false teeth. Jedediah Barstow is an unforgettable character in this fine story of bravery, grief, friendship, and community.

--Kirkus Reviews, August 15th, 2002.