Black Storm Comin'

Riding the Pony Express seems to be the only way 12-year-old Colton Wescott can earn the money to pay for his Ma's doctor. He's more than willing and his soul seems to want to gallop across the deserts and mountains... but it's not as easy as all that. Colton's Pa is white and his Ma is a free black woman. Although Colton's light enough to "pass" for white, he knows he could be hanged if he's caught. And the route they need him to ride is extremely treacherous, over the Sierra Nevada mountains. But Colton's got more than money at stake. His Ma is trusting him to deliver freedom papers to her sister in Sacramento. And there's no time to lose. With a country on the brink of war, every second counts.

This wild west adventure story has a show more very interesting perspective and there's a lot going on. Not only is Colton considering issues of race, but he's also testing himself. Can he "keep it together" and stick to his route? Can he keep his family together? And might he even play a part in keeping the Union together? At this time, the Pony Express was responsible for bringing news of the developing war to the prosperous state of California. I found it to be a really interesting and gripping book (and one I wouldn't have picked up if it hadn't been nominated for a Caudill... hurrah for the Caudills!). show less

"Black Storm Comin'" by Diane Lee Wilson is an excellent historical fiction book. In this exciting adventure story, readers will not only learn about the history of the Pony Express, but also discover what life may have been like for a mixed race family traveling to California in 1860. Fellow wagon train travelers have scorned, ridiculed, and ignored the Westcott family because the father is white and the mother is black. When the father accidentally shoots main character 12 year-old Colton Westcott, he has a mental breakdown and runs away, almost certainly to die in the desert. Colton is left alone to take care of his three younger siblings and his mother who is suffering from "childbirth fever". Although tricked and abandoned on the show more trail by the other travelers, Colton and his sisters heroically managed to reach the next town and even found a doctor for the dying mother. However, the family is completely broke. When Colton saw a large poster at the telegraph office with the words "Wiry fellows not over eighteen... Must be expert riders... Willing to risk death daily...Orphans preferred", Colton applied to be a Pony Express rider. Told in the first person, "Black Storm Comin'" is classified as a "young adult" book. However, even though Wilson's details are graphic at times, fourth grade readers should be able to handle the material...a gripping story! show less

Booktalk:
Questions to start discussion:
*If you had to get a message to someone in California, how long would it take you? How many different ways could you relay the message? What about a hundred years ago? *What problems does a racially mixed family face in society today? What about during the time of slavery, or even one hundred years after slavery ended?
In Black Storm Comin', twelve-year-old Colton is traveling by wagon train to California along with his two sisters, and with his ma, who is black, and his pa, who is white. It's 1860, and the Civil War is on the horizon. When his pa accidentally shoots Colton, he runs off, leaving Colton to be the man of the family. With his light skin, Colton passes for white and gets a job with show more the Pony Express. Sending a text message may be more time-efficient, but the riding the Pony Express is sure a lot more exciting!

You can't help but cheer for twelve-year-old Colton, son of an African-American mother and a white father, who finds himself the man of the family in the mid 1800's while he travels with his family to California as part of a wagon train. Add to the story the prejudices of the times, a father that wasn't half the man as young Colton, and thrilling rides for the Pony Express, and you have yourself a great work of historical fiction. show less

Twelve-year-old Colton and his family were on the wagon train heading to California when Pa accidentally shot Colton and then galloped away. Life is further complicated because his is a racially mixed family and many people are not too neighborly to them. Ma is sick, and Colton needs money to pay the doctor. He knows he needs a job and sees a poster wanting Pony Express riders for very dangerous, mountainous riding. Colton not only wants to be a rider, but he thinks that will solve all his problems. There is also a document of freedom Colton's Ma wants him to hand deliver to her slave sister in California. Does Colton have what it takes? This is a lot of 'stuff' for a 12-yr.-old to handle, but you'll enjoy Colton -- he's up to the show more challenge. show less

Diane Lee Wilson's Black Storm Comin' tells the story of Colton Westcott, a 14-year-old boy who has to take on the roll of sole breadwinner for a family shunned by a wagon train and left to fend for itself out west in 1860. He does this by applying for the Pony Express, getting the job, and accomplishing what it is that's required of him, only to lose the position through a freak accident involving a inspirationally assertive black woman named Aunt Charlotte. Charlotte helps Colton accept and adjust to his being half-black which serves as an impetus for him sensing more than ever his own self worth and what it is he needs to accomplish for himself and his family. The story is told in the first person which tends to grow aggravating as show more Colton speaks in a sort of "aw, shucks" mannerism that's over-the-top, colloquially and needed to have been toned down by the author. Also, an all too convenient episode for Colton to rejoin the Pony Express after his dismissal occurs with a heavy-handed speech an Express agent delivers about Lincoln, slavery, and a Southern plot to blow up forts in Sacramento. It comes off more as sappy than as a satisfying plot device. Other than that, the story is a mild enough diversion that moves well when Colton is on the Pony Express trail and away from the problems being sufficiently enough handled by two small sisters and an ailing mother. This book would be a good addition to the multi-cultural section of a middle or high school library. show less

We finally finished this book. We didn't learn much about the Pony Express which was why we chose to read this book. We also didn't learn a whole lot about race in the west in the 1850s. We didn't learn too much about mixed race problems in that time either. It tried to address all of these issues and just kind of missed on all of them from lack of focus. There was some good description of the place and of riding horses but it took us longer to read than is should have because we weren't totally drawn in. Perhaps it would have been better as a read to yourself rather than read aloud.

The time is 1849 and Colton Wescott and his family are traveling west in a wagon train. Their goal is to get over the mountains to California to deliver a letter to Colton's aunt giving her freedom from slavery. Colton Wescott is biracial, mom is black and dad is white. Along the way, Colton's father takes a horse and runs away, leaving Colton to be the man of the family. Mom is sick and needs a doctor. Colton must find a way to get money. He sees and ad for the Pony Express and feels that would be the answer to his problems.