The Last Rainmaker

by Sherry Garland

Caroline Long discovers the family she never knew existed when she runs away and joins Shawnee Sam’s Wild West Extravaganza. “The Wild West show milieu and the effect it has on the Indians who work in it ring true, and readers will empathize with the eternal struggle of a teenager trying to find her place in the world.”--Booklist

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult

324 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Sherry Garland is the award-winning author of 30 books for children, teens and adults.

Reviews

[suchnonsense · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, shall I admit once more how much of a judge-a-book-by-its-cover kid I am? Yes, it struck again. This cover is incredibly simple but the colors were so vibrant, I don't know, it intrigued me. But aside from the actual image, the book itself was very small, small enough for me to grasp width-wise in one hand. And yes, that's the sole reason I decided to pick this book up from the library over another.
You see, I'm not really a big historical fiction reader. More so, I'm not really a historical fiction about late 19th century America reader. Even more so, I don't think I've ever read a historical fiction novel focused on Native Americans. But, you know, if they're all like this one, then I might just take it up.
While it wouldn't merit a place among my favorite books, and there's nothing particularly special about the writing style or technique, I enjoyed The Last Rainmaker for many reasons (the physical size of it being one). I found myself caring very much about the main character Caroline and that her life would turn out for the better. I also came to adore the Indian characters she met on the way, namely her similarly aged friend Crooked Feather and the elderly Indian man she listens to the stories of, Billy Big Tree. I also felt an equal hatred as the main character toward those people she didn't like, which, in my opinion, is incredibly important to telling a story. If someone is supposed to be bad or good, then I should feel that. And I did. The story kept me interested the entire time and I never felt like there wasn't anything happening. The main reason I liked it was because the author does a wonderful job of portraying the thirteen-year-old main character in a believable way. Something that always annoys the hell out of me in youth novels is when the main character is written to be stupid or overly-naive, nothing similar to actual teenagers. The main character here is admittedly young and ignorant. BUT, she's also deprived of the real knowledge she seeks, is longing to learn about the world, and is openly opinionated and stubborn about what she knows, about what she wants to know and about how she feels. Garland does a wonderful job of balancing the world of child and adult which so many authors writing about young teens don't totally have a grasp of.
I'll remember this book in the future. And that's how I know that it was good. It's written about a topic, time and place that not many novelists have touched and it's great to find yourself somewhere new that's also real. Well-told, simple, refreshing and easy to want to read, The Last Rainmaker is a definite good mark on my list of summer reads.

[Debbie is on Storygraph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a YA historical novel that drew my eye while I was at the library today, looking for something to read during the downtime at work. The characters were very well-defined and the story was extremely well-written and drew me in. Garland does a remarkable and sympathetic job portraying the Indians who worked in the Wild West show and their attempt to keep their lifeways and traditions in an increasingly white man's world. I loved this book and was very sad when it ended; I wish it could have been longer.