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Brave Buffalo Fighter
John D. Fitzgerald This powerful story, presented in the simple language of 10-year-old Susan Parker, really centers around the characterization of Jerry, Sue’s 12-year-old brother. The Parker family, unused to any kind of pioneering life, leaves St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1860, part of a westward-bound wagon train. Each family member is challenged by the hardships of a difficult journey in which a jumble of classes and types of people must learn how to pull together. Jerry thrives on the life, and is prepared, when the call comes, to sacrifice much for the sake of the common good. Here is an unusually realistic and moving tale of pioneer spirit on the American plains. Young Adult Bookshelf.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
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50 people want to read
About the author
John D. Fitzgerald
41 books163 followersOFFICIAL WEBSITE REFERENCED REPORTS:
John Dennis Fitzgerald was born in Price, Utah, on February 3, 1906, to Thomas and Minnie Melsen Fitzgerald. His father had a pharmacy degree but engaged in a number of business ventures and served on the Price Town Council for four years. John graduated from Carbon High School and at the age of eighteen and left Utah to pursue a career as a jazz drummer. He worked in a variety of occupations during his life, including newspaper reporter for the World-Tribune in New York City, foreign correspondent for United Press, advertising and purchasing agent, and bank auditor. He also served on Wendell Willkie's staff when Willkie was running for president.
At the time his first book, Papa Married a Mormon (1955), was published, he was living in Los Angeles and working as a steel buyer. Fitzgerald had collaborated with his sister, Belle Fitzgerald Empey, to write this book. Her name was not included as coauthor of the book because it was written in the first person. Papa Married a Mormon was very popular and was reprinted in several foreign-language editions, including Chinese. Twice chosen as a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, it was also serialized in McCall's Magazine. A sequel, Mamma's Boarding House, appeared in 1958.
Fitzgerald moved to Denver in 1960 where he tried for a short time to make his living as a full-time writer. He later reported that "I quit my job and went to a mountain cabin to make my living writing. I had to sell my jack and a tire to get back to Denver. When I got there I sold my typewriter and swore I would never write again." His wife later bought him another typewriter and he eventually resumed writing.
He had a very successful writing career, publishing more than 500 magazine articles, as well as poetry and songs and two books on writing, The Professional Story Writer and His Art (1963) and Structuring Your Novel: From Basic Idea to Finished Manuscript (1972).
His most successful and widely read novels are the juvenile books in the Great Brain Series. They were loosely based on the adventures of his brother Thomas N. Fitzgerald. Books in this series include: The Great Brain (1967), More Adventures of the Great Brain (1969), Me and My Little Brain (1971), The Great Brain at the Academy (1972), The Great Brain Reforms (1973), The Return of the Great Brain (1974), and The Great Brain Does It Again (1976).
The Great Brain Series has led to one of the most asked questions in Utah literature: "Where is Adenville, Utah?" Adenville is a fictional town created by Fitzgerald, but most readers believe that the geographical setting loosely fits that of a small town in southern Utah.
Fitzgerald and his wife, Joan, moved to Titusville, Florida, in about 1972 where he continued his writing career. He died there May 20, 1988, at the age of 82.
John Dennis Fitzgerald was born in Price, Utah, on February 3, 1906, to Thomas and Minnie Melsen Fitzgerald. His father had a pharmacy degree but engaged in a number of business ventures and served on the Price Town Council for four years. John graduated from Carbon High School and at the age of eighteen and left Utah to pursue a career as a jazz drummer. He worked in a variety of occupations during his life, including newspaper reporter for the World-Tribune in New York City, foreign correspondent for United Press, advertising and purchasing agent, and bank auditor. He also served on Wendell Willkie's staff when Willkie was running for president.
At the time his first book, Papa Married a Mormon (1955), was published, he was living in Los Angeles and working as a steel buyer. Fitzgerald had collaborated with his sister, Belle Fitzgerald Empey, to write this book. Her name was not included as coauthor of the book because it was written in the first person. Papa Married a Mormon was very popular and was reprinted in several foreign-language editions, including Chinese. Twice chosen as a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, it was also serialized in McCall's Magazine. A sequel, Mamma's Boarding House, appeared in 1958.
Fitzgerald moved to Denver in 1960 where he tried for a short time to make his living as a full-time writer. He later reported that "I quit my job and went to a mountain cabin to make my living writing. I had to sell my jack and a tire to get back to Denver. When I got there I sold my typewriter and swore I would never write again." His wife later bought him another typewriter and he eventually resumed writing.
He had a very successful writing career, publishing more than 500 magazine articles, as well as poetry and songs and two books on writing, The Professional Story Writer and His Art (1963) and Structuring Your Novel: From Basic Idea to Finished Manuscript (1972).
His most successful and widely read novels are the juvenile books in the Great Brain Series. They were loosely based on the adventures of his brother Thomas N. Fitzgerald. Books in this series include: The Great Brain (1967), More Adventures of the Great Brain (1969), Me and My Little Brain (1971), The Great Brain at the Academy (1972), The Great Brain Reforms (1973), The Return of the Great Brain (1974), and The Great Brain Does It Again (1976).
The Great Brain Series has led to one of the most asked questions in Utah literature: "Where is Adenville, Utah?" Adenville is a fictional town created by Fitzgerald, but most readers believe that the geographical setting loosely fits that of a small town in southern Utah.
Fitzgerald and his wife, Joan, moved to Titusville, Florida, in about 1972 where he continued his writing career. He died there May 20, 1988, at the age of 82.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 31, 2019
This book is pretty amazing in its portrayal of a wagon train west. We learn about the pioneers’ preparation and qualification for the wagon train, payment for passage, meetings along the trail, target practice, Indian encounters, hunting for food, the changing landscape, graves along the trail, sickness, and people’s attitudes that undergo changes. Books really do take you away! (Note: I only gave this a 4 because the Great Brain books are clearly autobiographical, hilarious and instructive and OUTSTANDING! Nevertheless this book, though fiction, is very well written.)
February 13, 2008
I just read this because it is one of my favorite author from when I was a kid. It was a fun read. I'm going to try to get Cyrus to read it. It was about a family who travels West in a wagon train and is attacked by Indians. I gather its a semi-true story.
March 21, 2008
John D. Fitzgerald is one of my favorite writers, and most of what he wrote was autobiographical. This book isn't. He actually adapted it from a journal written by a 10 year old girl and her experience on a wagon train. Great book!
November 23, 2009
An entertaining yet educational book on "going west" on a wagon train. We enjoyed it.
April 18, 2010
I'm really beginning to love Fitzgerald's writing style--his ability to tell a story that makes you care about the characters is wonderful. I may have to read all the 'Great Brain' books next.
July 5, 2012
Loved it! This book was a fast, easy read!!!
January 14, 2013
Amazing!
Great characters, great story, great insight into the lives of the pioneers and how life on a wagon train was.
I have not been this impressed with a book in a long long time.
Great characters, great story, great insight into the lives of the pioneers and how life on a wagon train was.
I have not been this impressed with a book in a long long time.
November 20, 2016
Very good book. Very well written.
March 19, 2020
I had not been aware of this book before, written by the author of the Great Brain series, a long-time personal and family favorite. This book has the same engaging writing style, though it is different in that it does not deal with J.D. Fitzgerald's own family. In this case, the story is more poignant and serious, as it follows a family out west as part of a wagon train in the mid-19th century. I found it to be a fascinating look at that particular slice of history, though this is presumably historical fiction.
October 5, 2020
This is purportedly an adaptation of the diary of a girl who travels west with her family in 19th-century America, but the publisher's endnote says that they couldn't locate the diary, so I think it's quite likely that John D. Fitzgerald is up to his usual framing-fiction-as-(auto)biography tricks. Jerry in particular is a bit too good to be true. Nevertheless, this was a fun and sometimes suspenseful read about pioneer life, if very gender-biased.
December 9, 2018
Fantastic Kids Book
I loved this book as a kid (3-4th grade), just reread it. It's still fantastic, and highly recommend it. It's a YA oriented book, but doesn't pull punches about life on the prairie and has a just barely happy ending.
I loved this book as a kid (3-4th grade), just reread it. It's still fantastic, and highly recommend it. It's a YA oriented book, but doesn't pull punches about life on the prairie and has a just barely happy ending.
April 6, 2021
If you enjoyed reading Fitzgerald’s other books, you will like this one too! A very good, quick read that you won’t want to put down. I wish he had written more books in his time as he is one of my favorite authors ever!
August 31, 2025
no notes. It’s actually a children’s book (I think middle school or maybe younger like 10-12) but IT IS SO GOOD. some outdated terms but it’s a child’s diary so take it all with a grain of salt. A great book & quick read.
July 5, 2024
Great read on the 4th of July camping trip. Loved the Great Brain books and this adaptation of a young pioneer’s diary
May 18, 2012
Brave Buffalo Fighter is about a little girl named Sue who crosses the plains westward with her family of four. The famiy travels in a large wagon train with many different people. Sue's mother is the most resistant to the traveling. She is a woman of class and order. She does not like being behind families different than her own. In the beginning she is very stuck up but in the end she is very grateful for the families hardships. Sue's older brother has to fight for the wagon train's safety against an ambush of indians and because they are so impressed with his hunting skills, they take him as their own warrior. The family of three crosses the plain safely and hears of their son's success in the tribe.
I absolutely loved this book! I love history books. This one is very interesting and exciting. I would recommend this to all ages because my grandpa recommended it to me and I loved it! Everyone should read this book!
I absolutely loved this book! I love history books. This one is very interesting and exciting. I would recommend this to all ages because my grandpa recommended it to me and I loved it! Everyone should read this book!
March 27, 2008
This is an amazing well written book. It's about a family crossing the plains to settle in the West written from the perspective in diary excerpts of a young girl. There is a completely shocking and disturbing surprise in the book. After I finished this book I called my brother and told him that I couldn't decide if I was mad at him or not for suggesting the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews