Jenny of the Tetons

by Kristiana Gregory

Orphaned by an Indian raid while traveling West with a wagon train, fifteen-year-old Carrie Hill is befriended by the English trapper Beaver Dick and taken to live with his Indian wife Jenny and their six children.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical, Childrens, Juvenile, School

119 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Kristiana Gregory grew up in Manhattan Beach, California, two blocks from the ocean. She's always loved to make up stories [ask her family!], telling her younger siblings whoppers that would leave them wide-eyed and shivering. Her first rejection letter at age ten was for a poem she wrote in class when she was supposed to be doing a math assignment. She's had a myriad of odd jobs: telephone operator, lifeguard, camp counselor, reporter, book reviewer & columnist for the LA Times, and finally author.

Her award-winning books include STALKED, which earned the 2012 Gold Medal for Young Adult Mystery from Literary Classics and is hailed as "historical fiction with a thrilling twist." KIRKUS calls it "an atmospheric confection that will thrill YA readers ... Gregory achieves a realistic, rich atmosphere with insightful details about the immigration process and New York tenements in the early 1900s." Now available on Kindle and in paperback.

JENNY OF THE TETONS [Harcourt] won the Golden Kite Award in 1989 and was the first of two-dozen historical novels for middle grade readers. Several of Kristiana's titles are now available on Kindle including "Curiously Odd Stories: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2" with the celebrated 'Paper Monument', a futuristic book-banning with horrific consequences.

BRONTE'S BOOK CLUB [Holiday House] is set in a town by the sea and is inspired by the girls' book club Kristiana led for several years.

Her most recent title with Scholastic's Dear America series is CANNONS AT DAWN, a sequel to the best-selling THE WINTER OF RED SNOW, which was made into a movie for the HBO Family Channel.

New re-releases in ebooks and paperback on Amazon:
**PRAIRIE RIVER SERIES #1-4
**ORPHAN RUNAWAYS: THE PERILOUS ESCAPE TO BODIE
**CABIN CREEK MYSTERIES #7: THE PHANTOM OF HIDDEN HORSE RANCH
**THE WAITING LIGHT: CLEMENTINE'S STORY -- originally titled "My Darlin' Clementine" [Holiday House] this riveting historical mystery takes place in an Idaho mining camp of 1866, and was Idaho's representative for the 2010 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Library of Congress.

Kristiana and her husband have two adult sons, and live in Idaho with their two golden retrievers. In her spare time she loves to swim, walk, hike, read, and hang out with friends. She's trying to learn to knit, but isn't yet having much success.

Check out Kristiana's blogs at http://notesfromthesunroom.blogspot.com/ for behind-the-scenes stories about her books, and with photos from her childhood.

Reviews

[Tammy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This hadn't checked out in awhile at my library and now after reading it I understand why. I love the Tetons and loved the idea of reading about the women who's namesake is Jenny Lake. But man, this was a painful read.

[Cade Roach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book while I was in Grant Teton NP, my favorite place on earth, (so maybe I'm a little biased), but I loved it so much. It was simply written, like journal entries, but that made it so much more perfect. It felt like I was discovering the Tetons all over again. The scenes were Carrie describes her first views of the Tetons and the lakes made me tear up. But that ending. Damn. I was NOT expecting that, and it has stuck with me ever since.
This book is so special; and you can read it in just one sitting. I definitely recommend picking it up!!!

[Katie • forevermorepages · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad I finally read this. It wasn't perfect, but it was an interesting look into the lives of Native Americans waaaay back when.

-book hugger

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I both liked and disliked this book. The history of Jenny Leigh, a Shoshone woman, who Jenny's Lake in the Tetons and the history of the Dick and Jenny Leigh family was interesting. The color and information added by the fictional character Carrie was interesting too. But it just bugged me that she was not really a part of the real life of Jenny and her family.

Maybe I just needed to read Beaver Dick Leigh's diary and nothing else.

[Helen O'Toole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young person's novel based on actual historical facts. Beaver Dick Leigh kept a diary whilst living in the wilds of Idaho and Montana in the mid 1800's
He had married a Shoshone woman named Jenny and they had five children. Into these facts, Kristiana Gregory has written a story around an orphaned white girl, Carrie Hill, being adopted by Beaver Dick and Jenny. So often women especially Indian women are not given a voice in history. Jenny's deep love for her family, her kindness and care of Carrie and her innate respect for the country where they live are beautifully described. Every chapter begins with the actual phonetically written diary entries that are now in the safekeeping of the University of Wyoming. There is no sentimentalising of the hardships that confronted families in these times. Swarms of mosquitoes in the summer, near starvation in the winter, marauding grizzly bears, hostile neighbours and most tragic of all, the fatal results of smallpox on this young mother and her family. There is an actual 1870 photo of Beaver Dick & his family on first page of this wonderful book.

[Valicity F. Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun thing to read on our way home from the Tetons. I originally thought I would donate the book to our school library when I finished, but there were a couple of coming of age pages that Make the content higher than the reading level. Overall a good look back in history.

[Marieta Grissom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intended reader ages are 10-14. I purchased the book to give to my 9-year-old granddaughter, but I decided to read the book first. I liked the premise for better understanding of the relationships of Native Americans and early Whites in the Tetons and the positives of creating good relationships, but my granddaughter is probably not ready for this book dealing with massacres and other death incidents.

I loved that it provides background for places we have seen in the Tetons and the people who once lived here. I also liked the use of excerpts from Beaver Dick's journal; this adds credibility to the book.

A good read for Middle Schoolers who have studied enough history to understand about massacres and epidemics.

[Andrea Balfour · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick read about a young caucasian girl named Carrie Hill whose family is destroyed by Indians while travelling. People decide to place her with a large family that needs help with the littles but no one told her the wife is an Indian. This is Jenny. It's for her that Jenny Lake is named. And Spring Lake had been named for her husband (used to be Beaver Dick Lake since that was his nickname).

I love how the author used Beaver Dick's journal entries to build her story. Carrie learns to love her new family but living in the late 1800s was never easy.

This is a great choice for tweens. We had picked it up while in The Tetons so it makes it all the more interesting.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many others, I bought this book at Teton National Park. I'm guessing I was around twelve. I remember loving this book, but I didn't remember the mature content
(maybe that's why I loved it? Lol). I'm sure if my mother had screened this one I wouldn't have been allowed to read it. Fast forward to last week when I started reading this with my seven-year-old daughter. Ummm ... what's this?! I would be reading aloud and all of a sudden go silent as I quickly scanned the story looking for an appropriate place to pick it back up. This is a really good book, but the sexual content makes it inappropriate. My daughter loved the parts I was able to read to her. I wish the author would revise it and take the sexual material out, because it's really not necessary in a novel geared toward kids.

[SusanwithaGoodBook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this because it was the only novel in the gift store at Teton NP and I had seen it at Yellowstone, too. I decided it was worth a quick read and it was pretty good. It's definitely not for little kids - probably appropriate for older high schoolers because of the subject matter, really, but for an adult it was an interesting story. It does give you a bit of history of the Teton NP area and several real people who lived during that time. It reads like a girl's diary, but she was a fictional person.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as I wanted to have my 5th grader read it, since I bought it on our trip to the Tetons last summer and it fits into his history curriculum. I felt pretty neutral about it - it never captured me but I enjoyed it - but there are a few (mild) sexual references that convinced me to delay him reading it. There is also violence and an epidemic, but I think he could handle that. It is not disturbingly descriptive.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short but bittersweet story of an orphaned girl in the Jackson Hole area, based on true history, who lived with a trapper and his Indian wife. Worthwhile, but I'd say it's a little intense for those under twelve (book says it's for 10 to 14 or so). Found this one at a Thrift store like some of my books.

[Jennifer Wilkey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super intense look at the absolute brutality of life in the Teton area in the mid 1800s. I appreciated the focus on a native woman who was an actual historical person. It is written simply - almost like brief journal entries. Not enough material there to get to know the characters well but I still recommend it. The fictional frame story seems realistic given the times.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recommended for ages 10-14, but older teens at the earliest, in my opinion. There is swearing and adult scenes. This author wrote the Prairie River series, which I thought were wonderful. This book was a disappointment compared to those.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this with my daughter while we were in Jackson Hole, WY and Grand Teton National Park. It was really cool to read this while traveling through the same areas. Pioneer life was pretty violent and gruesome and my daughter hated the violence, suffering and death.

[shan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't realize it was a youth book when I bought it, but it made for a good read anyways. These types of messages of love and acceptance are needed always.

[Bat713 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book about famous figures of the early West.

[Chloe Hey · Rating 4 out of 5]

a heartbreaking (and healing) story

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Juvenile historical fiction account of Jenny Leigh, a Shoshone, wife of Beaver Dick Leigh who helped explore and settle the Teton Mountain region in the Wyoming Territory in the late 19th Century.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good cultural book that turns hatred into love through forgiveness. A short and sad ending :(

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting history of how Jenny’s lake got its name

[Cameron Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

short & easy to read but some intense subject matter. Overall very very good

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good historical fiction for tweens and teens, set in Southeast Idaho and Wyoming. HI learned much too.

[Sadie · Rating 2 out of 5]

50 States Reading Challenge: Idaho

[Kellyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fifteen-year-old Carrie Hill finds herself in Fort Hall, Idaho in 1875. Carrie and her family have been traveling by wagon train to Oregon when Indians attacked them. Carrie lost her entire family and was gravely injured. Some of the other survivors encourage Carrie to continue on to Oregon, but Carrie needs to rest and heal.

A white trapper, Richard “Beaver Dick” Leigh, asks Carrie to come live with him and his family. Reluctantly Carrie agrees, but upon seeing Beaver Dick’s wife, an Indian, decides to run away as soon as possible. Soon, however, Carrie realizes that she has no where to go and would not be able to survive in the wilderness on her own.

Beaver Dick lived in Idaho and was well known as a liaison between the Indian tribes and the Americans. He led many hunting and exploration groups through the Teton Mountains.

Carrie makes difficult choices but grows to be content with her life in Idaho. Carrie is a memorable character whom I grew to like and respect.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

About a girl who loses her family to Indians and then goes and lives with an Indian girl. She has to learn forgiveness. Lots of it was hard to follow. I liked a few of the descriptions in the book. This made me want to walk outside with them. "The May moon rose full and so bright that every twig cast a shadow...As we descended through the canyon and the trail widened into a soft path of pine needles, I relaxed. It was peaceful and cool. Waterfalls spilling from the peaks filled the air with a distant roar. Sandhill cranes squawked in flight, the tips of their wings brushing the surface of the lake. An eagle flapped overhead. A large fish struggled in its claws. Soon the smell of wood smoke reached us." I also liked this description of the tepee, "It was warm inside. The children still slept, small soft bumps of fur. Jenny was pushing twigs into the fire ring and blowing quietly on the coals. Soon a wisp of smoke curled to the top and out the opening. I stared up at the crisscross of poles, amazed at how easily the smoke found its way to the sky."
It was a sad ending though.

[Lierin Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a girl, named Carrie, who goes to live with the mountain man, Beaver Dick, and his Jenny, who is a Native American. Carrie is orphaned at the beginning of the book by an Indian raid as she travels west with her family. Because of this tragedy to her family, Carrie takes a while to warm up to Jenny and accept her as a loving woman and mother. As Carrie and her new family travel to and from their winter and summer homes, they face many perils including a wildfire, a grizzly bear, and small pox.

I like this book because it has historical value. At the beginning of each chapter, there is an excerpt from Beaver Dick's journal of his experiences and tragedies. I also like this story because it has characters that you grow to appreciate as well as a story that brings interest to the history.

[Stella Raasch · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is very interesting, as it is based upon real people and events, yet is still classified as a 'historical fiction' novel. It walks readers through the historical interactions between the settlers and the Native American Indians in the Montana and Wyoming areas. Through the story, the main character, Jenny, obtains a unique perspective of the indigenous people's lives since the man that her family sent her to live with is married to a Shoshoni woman.

Forewarning, the instances of animal cruelty and callous regard of animals mentioned throughout the story is disturbing. While I understand that life was very different back then, I still do not care to read about such things. A few of these instances still remain in my memory.

[Terrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the true story of "Beaver Dick" Leigh, explorer guide in the Teton region of Wyoming, and his Shoshone wife, Jenny. Lakes at the base of the Tetons are named after them. Their life has been chronicled through letters and a journal that Beaver Dick kept. This book adds a fictional character, 15 year old Carrie Hill, who comes to live with Jenny and her family after her own family is killed by Indians. At only 164 pages I read this all in one setting. I wished it had more, but it moved from one adventure to another, some funny and others tragic. I don't think it is elementary appropriate but others might.

[James (JD) Dittes]

For those traveling in the Yellowstone/Tetons area, this is a great read that will connect you with a key time period in the history of the Rockies. Carrie, the main character in the book, is orphaned by an Indian attack on her wagon train. Adopted by a trapper, Beaver Dick Leigh and his wife, Jenny (the Shoshone for whom Jenny Lake is named), Carrie has to resolve her fear of Indians, deal with snow and cholera, and find a future for herself and those she loves in the mountains.

This is an engaging read--but a quick one. It took my 12-year-old about 90 minutes to read it. If you're traveling the Oregon Trail or visiting the Teton range, it's a great, great read.