Westward to Home

Joshua's Oregon Trail Diary #1

by Patricia Hermes

In book one of this diary of life on the Oregon Trail, Pat Hermes tells the story of Joshua McCullough's family's experiences as they pack up their belongings and head west in a wagon train.

It is 1848 when Joshua McCullough and his family leave their home in St. Joseph, Missouri, and set off for Oregon on a wagon train. During their seven-month-long journey, many of the other families on the trail suffer devastating losses, but Joshua's is spared. However, Joshua must conquer his fear of water during the many river crossings the wagon train must make. During one dramatic crossing, Joshua heroically dives into a rushing river to save his younger sister Becky. The battered wagon train reaches Oregon after traveling over two thousand miles.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Diary, Young Adult

112 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Kristen]

I really liked this book, especially because it was told from a little boy's perspective. There are an abundance of historical fiction told by girls, but the boy accounts are a little harder to find (which will probably appeal a little more to my son, reading about the snakes instead of the dolls). It's funny because reading Joshua's tale of following the Oregon Trail (fording rivers, running into Indians, trading at forts, people getting sick and sometimes dying) made me want to play the old school Oregon Trail game again. =)
PS- This is a part of the "My America" series written for young readers.

[Whitney George · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for young readers to understand the difficult journey of the Oregon Trail!

[Erica Sonzogni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illness resulting in death, Native American attacks, and the loss of limbs. These are just some of the many disasters that happen when Joshua and his family experience the Oregon Trail in Westward to Home, Joshua’s Oregon Trail Diary. During this time period, President Polk entices families to move out west, to expand the nation from ocean to ocean. Joshua’s family decides to join a group that is heading to Oregon, in hopes of more land and a farm of their own. During the six month journey, Joshua experiences hardships that he was not prepared for; one of the men in the group gets run over by a wagon, babies frequently pass away after being born, and men who go hunting are shot by Native Americans. The group faces bad weather, lack of food, and dangerous terrain. After the long trek, the group finally makes it to their destination, but do not forget the many people who did not make it along the way.
Westward to Home is action-packed; there are challenges and excitement on every page. The diary format of the novel makes it a quick read. Each entry is short yet keeps the reader wanting to find out what happens on the next day of Joshua’s journey. Some of the events could be difficult for a child to process, especially since death of a variety of ages is present throughout. At the very end, the author writes a short description of the historical events and includes drawings from the time period. There is also a sequel that children are likely to read immediately. Readers will be on the edge of their seat, wanting to know if Joshua and his family make it to their new home.

[Rosalie Beyer-Krohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Joshua records his experiences in a journal as he travels with his family in a caravan along the Oregon Trail. Joshua learns just how difficult life on the trail can be as they face one tragedy after another on their quest to a better life.

Genre: Historical Fiction - The character and story are fictional but the story is based on the real experiences of those that took the Oregon Trail.

Reading Level: O

Writing Mentor Trait: Voice - The story is presented through Joshua's journal, necessitating the text to be written in his voice. Each journal entry exhibits the enthusiasm, emotions, and informal language that might be expected of a boy his age and in that situation. This text could be used to help students construct their own journal narratives by encouraging them to consider what someone may have thought and felt during other historical events.

Other Classroom Uses: Please consider the maturity of your students before using this book in class since it contains references to several horrible deaths, domestic abuse, cannibalism, and scalping. If your students are mature enough to deal with these dark themes, this book would provide a great discussion on westward expansion. It could also lead into a great discussion about the pioneers' perception of the Native Americans during that time.

[Ari]

This is book one of Joshua's diary. In this book Joshua and his family pack up their belongings to head west on the Oregon Trail in hopes for a better life than what they have in St. Joseph Missouri. In the beginning of the book, Joshua is in high hopes of moving to Oregon. In the book Joshua writes about President Polk spreading their country ocean to ocean and a newspaper man called it Manifest Destiny. March 22nd Joshua's family told him they are going to Oregon. March 30th The family sold everything and traded their mules for oxen. The only thing they kept was the milk cow named Laurie. At Fort Kearny a baby to Mrs. Hull was born. That makes the baby number 15 for the Hulls. At the Fort there are a lot of supplies. Joshua said that when they camped there he saw his first Indian. They saw many Indians. Some men smoked pipes with them and the women sat and drank tea together. At the end of the book, on October 12th Joshua and his family were all present. on the back of the Wagon joshua's dad painted HOME.

[Kristen Phillips]

"Westward to Home" by Patricia Hermes is about a young boy named Joshua, whose family leave their home in Missouri to travel on the Oregon trail to search for a better life. They are traveling with many other families, who have experienced devastating tragedies. Some have lost their possessions, and some have lost their lives. Joshua experiences so much at his age, and even faces one of his biggest fears: water. While crossing a body of water, his sister falls in and gets swept by the current. Bravely Joshua dives in to save his sister, but also struggles to fight the current. Will he end up saving his sister, and will their family reach their new home in Oregon?
This book is great for 2nd-4th graders. It is easy to read, and they can connect with the character in the sense that they are about the same age. This book would also be great to read to the class if you are learning about the Oregon trail in History.

[Joe Chell]

Book Title: My America - Westward to Home, Joshua’s Diary
Author/Illustrator: Patricia Hermes
Reading Level: MG
Book Level: 2.8

Book Summary: In 1848, nine-year-old Joshua Martin McCullough writes a journal of his family's journey from Missouri to Oregon in a covered wagon. Includes a historical note about westward migration.

Bookshelf Genre: Historical Fiction

Bookshelf Mentor Writing Traits:

Conventions - Although the book is in journal form, it still uses mechanically correct conventions. Some of the language used is more relaxed and more conversationally appropriate, however, it is still displayed with indented paragraphs, correct punctuation, and appropriate grammar.

Presentation – The book is presented in a journal format through a first-person perspective. This appearance splits the book into a number of very small sections of each day of the journey. This allows the reader to follow along easily and understand how the story develops.

[Kelsey Mostert · Rating 2 out of 5]

My son (4) and I chose this as one of our nightly read alouds. He asked me to stop reading it and I agreed. I felt that the writing was too simplistic for how many deaths there were. I found the book very realistic but after the 4th (or 5th?) death it was just too much for such a young reader.

The book did really well at being written from a 9-yr-old boy's perspective. The imagery used was age-appropriate to the narrator and I felt the things he wrote would be things a 9-yr-old would be interested in writing about.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this aloud to my boys. I think this may have been their first historical fiction book (besides the I Survived books), so it gave them a sense of how you can learn about a period in history in an entertaining way. We were all appalled by the death toll on the Oregon Trail - I guess I didn’t realize how treacherous of a journey it was! Jack wants to read the sequel on his own, so I think that’s a good sign!

[Jenny Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not as in depth as some of the other going west stories I have read from Dear America, but like the rest of My America, it would be good for a younger audience, as it is shorter. Perhaps read this in conjunction with some of the other going west themed books from the Dear America and My Name Is America series.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book aloud to my kids, and it was okay. It covers Joshua's family's trip to Oregon. Things are very hard for them as they travel. There are tragic events which really happened to lots of families. The book is written at a low reading level, but with all of the disasters, I wouldn't want to hand it to a child to read until they were a bit older.

[Abby Stopka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. You definitely get a bit of a hint of everyday life for pioneers from children's books. And this is the first book I've ever read from a boys point of view. Everything I've always read has always been from the girls point of view. This was a great read. And I will definitely be reading the next book in this series.

[Estera Zanca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good little historical fiction book/diary for children, I read it aloud to my 8 year old. It’s definitely a heavier book, probably not a great before bed/nighttime read-aloud. And hard things happen, as was the reality of the Oregon trail. It’s told from the perspective of an 8 year old, and my son liked it, but felt it was sad.

[Abigail Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Similar to the Dear America book series, the My America books are the same in style to the Dear America books, only shorter and easier to read. It was fun reading this book, following Joshua on a trip that so many Americans chose to make while watching Joshua overcome his fears to save his little sister.

[AnnaBnana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good choice for boys and girls making the move into true chapter books. The book is illustration free, but written in a diary format. Entries are short and easy to follow. Hand this to kids who are fans of historical fiction and personalized diary accounts.

[Raquel Schmitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED THIS BOOK. Keeps you on your toes. Joseph sees the horrors of the trail. He sees his family and friends die of illness or accidents, but yet keeps going in hopes of a better home. This book shows the true and brutal truth about the Oregon trail.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this fictional 1848 diary of a journey from Missouri to Oregon in search of better land and improved opportunities, told from Joshua's viewpoint. Westward to Home is the first of three novels in this series.

[Janis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was great. Hard to believe it's fiction, the story was so believable.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tough life expanding our country.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good young kid's book about the migration West.

[Savannah Domeyer]

This books is about Josh and his families trip on the Oregon trail. He talks about how hot it is, how sore his feet are, how some people didn't make it, how others went a different way and etc.

[L.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's amazing the sacrifices and the risks people made to travel west in those times. I don't think I'd have had the courage!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one started with people dying at the beginning. I read the second book first so I was used to it.

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of valuable information about the Oregon Trail with a strong connection to the characters.

[Collin Duax]

I think this book is a great book to teach a lesson over the underground railroad over. It has a strong message overall.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great look into the past for middle graders.

[Kit McAlear · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

[Stephanie Sloan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good and quick read

[Dean Deters]

The story is about John a yongboy that start's to traval to oregen he meet's this girl named Bobbi.Bobbi is a fun and nice person and she is a helpful and exciting person Bobbi and John both made more freind's after a wiall all of theam become freind's they run out of fire wood so they all had to go find bufflo droppings.The mean old man Mr.Allasion and there dog Adorable got ran over by the wagon's and adorable got all mushed and Mr.Allaision his lag got cut off he died right there and so did adorable.After a long trip they finally got to oregen and they just lived there.

The story is about John a yongboy that start's to traval to oregen he meet's this girl named Bobbi.Bobbi is a fun and nice person and she is a helpful and exciting person Bobbi and John both made more freind's after a wiall all of theam become freind's they run out of fire wood so they all had to go find bufflo droppings.The mean old man Mr.Allasion and there dog Adorable got ran over by the wagon's and adorable got all mushed and Mr.Allaision his lag got cut off he died right there and so did adorable.After a long trip they finally got to oregen and they just lived there.

SETING
In a dusty western place that is very brown .This setting takes place in the past because they had no cars and no flashlight's.

Character trait
John is a fun and nice and helpful and a very very funny and he is a skilled and a smelly person.


Most important event Mr.Allason deid and the dog adorable dies.

Recommendation
The kind of reader who would like this book is a reader who likes travel.

BY:Kendra
BY:Kendra

[Ashley Lahr]

This book is about Joshua and the Oregon Trail. It is set up the same way as the Underground Railroad books are. Like many others Joshua and his family pack up their lives to head west along the Oregon Trail. They are in search for a better life like many others. Many people died traveling on the Oregon Trail, Joshua begins to worry and fret in the middle of the storm thinking of all of the people that have died. Tempers rise as they have been on the trail for a long time, it is a good thing they are almost there. One day when crossing the river the wagon began to tip and Becky fell from ma's arms into the water. Josh dove after her and saved her.