Orphan Journey Home

by Liza Ketchum

When Jesse's parents decide to abandon their Illinois farm and return to their first home in Kentucky, Jesse is happy at the thought of seeing her grandmother again. Her older brother, Moses, would rather travel west, where the prairie goes on forever. He hates the idea of returning to a slave state and joins the family only reluctantly. But just a few days into their journey, Mama and Papa both die of the milk sickness. Now Jesse, Moses, and the two younger children are orphans, and must make the long journey on their own, in a pioneer world where orphan children can be bound out and forced to live as indentured servants until they are grown. Armed with a letter of protection from their father and the heart and will to survive, the children brave the wilderness. They don't know whom to trust. Will they ever find their way to Kentucky? And when they do, will they have a home?

Genres: Historical Fiction

176 pages, Hardcover

First published March 31, 2000

About the author

Also writes under the name Liza Ketchum Murrow.

Virginia Jefferson Cup Honor Book, Virginia Library Association, 1988, for West against the Wind; Children's Choice selection, 1989, for Good-bye, Sammy; best young-adult novel designation, American Library Association, 1990, and Mark Twain Award listee, 1991-92, both for Fire in the Heart; Mark Twain Award listee, and Sequoyah Award listee, both 1993-94, both for The Ghost of Lost Island; Lambda Literary Award, 1998, for Blue Coyote.

Reviews

[QNPoohBear · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Damron family has had enough of trying to farm in Illinois. While Papa would rather stay away from Kentucky and their slave laws, he can't make a living on the bottomland of the West Wabash River. There's too much mud, too many mosquitoes and illness. Tweleve-year-old Jessie is excited to return home to Grandma but her older brother Moses would rather travel west to the prairies. When Mama dies of the milk sickness, the family is bereft. When Papa becomes ill Jesse frets over trying to remember Mama's herbal remedies but the unthinkable happens and Papa dies too. Before his death, Papa made the children swear to stick together. He also dictated a letter of protection for the children so they won't be bound out. With the last of Papa's money, his signet ring, Grandpa's gun with a silver stock, one mare, one stubborn mule and a wagon, the four children head east home to Kentucky. Their journey is not without danger. The children don't know who to trust or whether they can survive alone. Will they ever make it back to Grandma? They haven't heard from her in months. What if Grandma is dead too? Then the Damrons really will be all alone in the world.

Based on a true story, Liza Ketchum originally wrote this story as a newspaper serial. Each short chapter was to end of a cliffhanger and boy did that work. I couldn't put the book down. I had to skip ahead to the ending. The dangers the children face are very real and scary, however, I felt they were a bit naive in the beginning. I would like to think a 12-year-old and 14-year-old would at least have enough common sense not to do some of the dumb things they do. The adventure is exciting and filled with danger. Readers of Little House on the Prairie will recognize "fever and ague" and children who have read about Abraham Lincoln will know about the dangerous milk sickness that killed his mother and the Damron parents. The historical details in the story are excellent and I felt like I was right alongside the Damrons for their journey. The end made me tear up a bit both times I read it.

This book is illustrated with beautiful scratchboard style illustrations. I'm not sure the black and white pictures truly appeal to the age group this story is intended for. An author's note explains the writing process and how she was able to get feedback from children to tweak the story for publication. She answers their frequently asked questions and explains some of the puzzling elements of the story and a summary of the story behind the story.

I really like Jesse. She's resourceful and brave. Jesse longs for an education and a better life than her parents can give her. She knows she won't have that in Kentucky but family is important to her. It's Jesse who remains strong and keeps the family together. She's a wonderful character. Moses is a typical teenage boy. He wants to be independent and go his own way but now has to care for his younger sisters and brother. Moses makes mistakes along the way. At 14 he isn't prepared to be head of household, he's still a child himself and his mistakes seem plausible. I appreciate how human he is even I didn't always like him. Little Louisa and Solomon are rather annoying. They're too young to understand what is happening and too innocent and naive to pretend the lie they promised their father they'd tell. The young ones take love and attention like a sponge and Jesse and Moses can't really give their siblings that just yet because they're too busy surviving. I would expect pioneer children to learn some hard lessons at an early age but it sounds like the Damrons hadn't been in Illinois very long so perhaps Grandma had looked after the little ones and spoiled them.

The people the children meet along the way represent the various types of people who populated the midwest and Ohio/Kentucky mountains in the 1820s. The first person they meet is a Shawnee man. At first Jesse is scared and prepared to give the man anything he wants. Once she realizes he only means kindness and to help, she feels ashamed of her feelings. This sounds very modern to me and I don't know if she'd actually think that but if you have a problem with the way Laura Ingalls portrayed her mother's attitude towards the Indians in the story, you will like this better. They also come across a boy of color who has been bound out like an indentured servant. The Damrons apparently didn't believe in slavery so the children feel sorry for him and want him to have a better life but they know Kentucky is a slave state and George is better off where he is. This shows the complexities of race relations in the early 19th-century. I can only hope if they really did meet a boy like that, he did become free as an adult and stayed in Illinois.

The Damrons also meet some unusual characters. One, a strange man who keeps an empty coffin in his parlor is chilling. It's obvious he's a villain. Others are not so transparent. Villains in this novel are complex. Some are good, some are bad and some are gray, just like real life. I like the lack of cartoony villain in this story. It grounds the story in a specific place and time as well.

This is an exciting adventure story for boys and girls of about 10-14. Fans of the Little House series will enjoy it a lot.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on a true story of four children who are orphaned when their parents die of milk sickness while riding on a wagon to Kentucky. An interesting thing about this story is that it was originally written as one of Avi's Breakfast Serials, one chapter every week in newspapers. The author had to create enough suspense to get the reader to look for it the following week.

[Carmen Redding · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book for young readers kept me turning the pages. Liza Ketchum weaves a story of courage and resilience in the face of loss. The story is loosely based on the true story of a orphaned children making a journey to be reunited with their grandmother in Kentucky after both parents die of a little known disease they call “milk fever.”

They travel with little else than their father’s instructions on how to get to grandmother’s homestead and a letter preventing predators from kidnapping the children and indenturing them. This was a real danger in the untamed West. Of all the children, Jesse is the one who holds the family together and keeps hope alive, and when hope dwindles a stiff upper lip.

Along the way they deal with hunger, disease, accidents, thieves, kind-hearted people and those who would seek to harm them. This book would make a good family read aloud.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book was related to a book that I wanted to read and checked it out. It is based on a true story and was first published as a serial story in a newspaper. Each chapter ended with a cliff hanger. It is a sad story for much of the book, so I recommend this book for older kids. However, it does end well.

[Miss Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

gr 4-7 153 pgs



1828, Illinois / Kentucky. On their journey to move back home to Kentucky, 12 year old Jesse's parents both die of milk sickness. Before he dies, Jesse and her older brother Moses promise him that they will make sure they and their two younger siblings get to Kentucky where their grandmother lives. In addition to crossing rivers and finding food, the children must also be on guard against being "bound out" to families and forced to work for them until they reach adulthood.

Interesting story. Originally written as a newspaper serial.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

quick, easy read. nice historical fiction novel based on fact.