I stumbled upon this children's book in the public library's online catalog while I was searching for something else, so I thought I'd check it out. It's a charming little book, balancing the tedium with the excitement of cross country stagecoach travel. Enjoyed the illustrations too! ( )

Summary: This is about a family that its traveling and it takes them 21 days to get to their destination. On their way there they come across a lot of different difficulties that they have to get through.

Reaction: I overall thought this was a good book, and when I was reading it I felt like I have read this book before or I read one that was very similar. It reminded me of a game that I used to play while growing up called the Oregon Trail

Classroom extension: It would be fun to go on a field trip to an old historical place where they could see what a bandwagon was and all the things they used to travel with. Another one was they could create their own stories and share it with the class about traveling and how they overcame their hard times.

This book is based on letters and diaries of real pioneers who traveled by stagecoach in the late 1800s. Pa had already gone ahead for work and to settle in, but he sent a letter and money back home for his family to join him. Ma took her five children on the twenty one day coach ride, but not without a sack of supplies that came in handy for the dangers along the way. ( )

Review: The family is on a 21 day stagecoach journey heading to California to meet up with their father. Along they way, they encounter all sorts of obstacles, from weather to robbers. Luckily, Mom packed a treasure chest to get them through it as Amanda narrates their journey accross the country.

Personal Reaction: I liked it just as a story, and can definately relate to family vacations being a challenge sometimes!

Classroom: 1) Fake gold mining! I went to one when I was in elementary school, we sorted for fools gold and got to ride in a stage coach. It would be a great introduction to the gold rush!
2) Everyone could make posters trying to advertize California at the time. This would require them to research the reasoning behind the Gold Rush, as well as what it would take to make the journey, and just how popular of a journey it was.

This is a funny picture book about a family's stagecoach ride to California during the Gold Rush. Baby Betsy, Billy, Joe, Ted, Amanda, and a resourceful Mama are going to join the father of the family who is already at the diggings. Told through the voice of young Amanda, the reader will experience some of the discomfort, and alternating excitement and boredom of a 21-day trip. The mother of the family has wisely packed a sack full of treasures which Amanda uses to overcome every obstacle which the family encounters. This book is pure fiction, but a lot of fun. Cat Bowman Smith's comical illustrations do include a more factual diagram of a stagecoach on the back cover entitled "Anatomy of a Stagecoach". ( )