Early Western Trails

Books for Readers in the Middle Grades

To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. You may also request these titles online through our OPAC. Happy Reading!

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Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie: The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell by Kristiana Gregory.
RC 47406.
In 1847, Hattie is given a diary for her thirteenth birthday. When her family takes a March-to-October journey from Missouri to Oregon, she keeps an account of the dangerous and tedious trip, its hardships and deaths, as well as the joyful events that affect the group. An epilogue follows the lives of fellow travelers up to 1906. For grades 4-7.

The Barn by Avi.
RC 41373.
Oregon Territory, 1855. Because Ben is the smartest one in his family, he is attending boarding school. But his mother died last year and his father has had a stroke. So Ben's sister, Nettie, has come to bring him home. It is up to Ben to care for their paralyzed father while Nettie and their brother, Harrison, try to run the farm and build the barn their father always wanted. For grades 4-7.

Before the Lark by Irene Bennett Brown.
LP 96.
In the 1880's, hard-working 12-year-old Jocey, tormented because of a disfiguring harelip, takes her invalid grandmother to live on the Kansas farm her drifter father has abandoned. For grades 5-8.

Bigger by Patricia Calvert.
RC 39559.
The Civil War is over, but Tyler is still waiting for his father, Black Jack Bohannon, to return to their Missouri home. Hearing of Confederate soldiers who, rather than surrender, are moving into Mexico to gather their forces, Tyler decides that Black Jack must be among them and begins an 800-mile trip to the Rio Grande. Along the way he adopts Bigger, an abused dog, and together they confront incredible hardships. For grades 4-7 and older readers.

Brides, Midwives, and Widows by Judith Bentley.
RC 42646.
Describes in their own words the lives of the women who traveled west to become hardworking wives, mothers, teachers, midwives, and neighbors. Also provides firsthand accounts of the letters men sent east to encourage spouses or future brides to join them. For grades 6-9.

Broken Blade by William Durbin.
BR 13349.
Montreal, Canada, 1800. Thirteen-year-old Pierre LaPage has to take his injured father's place as a "voyageur" on a fur-trading expedition. But can he survive the journey through the wilderness with the rough crew and treacherous waterways? For grades 5-8.

Call Me Francis Tucket by Gary Paulsen.
RC 43950.
In this sequel to Mr. Tucket, young Francis Tucket has parted ways with the mountain man who rescued him from the Pawnees. Francis is now heading alone to Oregon to find his family's wagon train. Along the way he is accosted by a thieving duo and makes three new friends: a mule and two orphaned children. For grades 5-8.

Children of the Wild West by Russell Freedman.
RC 22740 or LP 50161.
A colorful account describes the experiences of the children of pioneer families as they traveled west in wagon trains and as their families settled the frontier. Also presents a picture of the lives of the Indian children of the day. For grades 4-7 and older lovers of history.

Daniel’s Walk by Michael Spooner.
RC 54418.
1844. Fourteen-year-old Daniel leaves his aunt's farm in Missouri to search for his father, a French trapper living in the Rockies. He joins a wagon train and walks a thousand miles surviving hunger, beatings, kidnapping, and other dangers. But his father is not like the person he remembers. For grades 6-9.

Dear Levi: Letters from the Overland Trail by Elvira Woodruff.
BR 10365.
In 1851, twelve-year-old Austin Ives sets off on the Overland Trail to find the land his late father claimed for him and his little brother, Levi. As he travels the almost 3,000 miles from Pennsylvania to Oregon, Austin writes letters to Levi describing the friends he makes on the trail and the troubles the group encounters. For grades 4-7.

Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule by Harriette Gillem Robinet.
RC 48970.
12-year-old Pascal, born with a withered leg and hand, is excited when his brother Gideon returns home in 1865 saying that all black men are free, and they can have forty acres of land and maybe a mule. Along with Nelly, a young slave girl, they set out to claim their land. Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. For grades 4-7.

The Gentleman Outlaw and Me—Eli: A Story of the Old West by Mary Downing Hahn.
RC 54079.
In the late 1800s, twelve-year-old Eliza Yates and her dog Caesar head West toward Colorado to locate her missing father. After disguising herself as a boy to travel more safely, she teams up with teenage Calvin Featherbone, who calls himself "The Gentleman Outlaw." For grades 5-8.

Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Karr.
RC 46614 or LP 783.
Missouri, 1860. Simon, 15, has just finished the third grade for the fourth time, and his teacher thinks he should try something new. When Simon ends up at his neighbor's turkey farm and learns that turkeys are more valuable in Colorado, he decides to drive a flock to Denver, 800 miles away. If he makes it, he just might be a rich man. For grades 4-7.

Hoofbeats of Danger by Holly Hughes.
BR 13393.
Red Buttes Station, 1860. Eleven-year-old Annie loves living on a Pony Express outpost in the Nebraska Territory. But someone is misusing her favorite horse Magpie, and Annie is determined to find out who the culprit is. For grades 4-7.

Jericho’s Journey by G. Clifton Wisler.
RC 38794 or LP 50032.
The year is 1852, and Jericho Wetherby is overjoyed by the anticipation of adventure when his father announces that the family will pull up stakes and move from Tennessee to Texas. In this first-person narrative based on an actual diary, Jericho tells of the fears, hardships, and triumphs that the long and arduous journey entails. For grades 4-7 and older readers.

Jolliet and Marquette: Explorers of the Mississippi River by Daniel E. Harmon.
RC 53686.
Describes the travels of French explorers Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit missionary, and Louis Jolliet, a trader, who sailed down the Mississippi River in 1673 hoping to find a westward route across America. For grades 6-9.

Journey to Nowhere by Mary Jane Auch.
RC 47447.
In 1815, when Mem is 11, her father decides to move the family from their Connecticut farm to the wilderness of western New York state. Their trip in an oxen-pulled wagon is full of adventures, including the time Mem falls out of the wagon and is left behind. For grades 4-7.

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
RC 50921 or LP 34.
Wisconsin, 1871. The Ingalls family experiences pioneer life in a little log house, miles from any settlement. They feel safe and secure despite blizzards, wolves, and the loneliness of the big woods. For grades 4-7 and older readers.

Mr. Tucket by Gary Paulsen.
BR 10438 or RC 43949.
In 1848, Francis Alphonse Tucket turns 14 while he and his family travel from their Missouri farm to Oregon by wagon. As he shoots his new rifle, the wagon train leaves. Francis is kidnapped by Pawnees and held captive until mountain man Jason Grimes rescues him. Now Mr. Grimes has to teach Mr. Tucket to survive in the wild. For grades 5-8.

Moccasin Trail by Eloise Jarvis McGraw.
BR 13807.
1844, Oregon territory. Missouri farm boy Jim Keath ran away nine years earlier and lived for six of those years as a Crow Indian. Now, learning that his siblings are journeying west to take up land, Jim joins them on the dangerous trek. For grades 4-7 and older readers.

Night of the Cruel Moon: Cherokee Removal and the Trail of Tears by Stan Hoig.
RC 49363.
Chronicles the events that led to the 1838 enforced removal of the Cherokees from their native Southeastern habitat to the Indian Territory now the state of Oklahoma. Contains many first person accounts of the misery and losses endured during the journey. For grades 6-9.

Orphan Journey Home by Liza Ketchum.
BR 12876.
In 1828, Jesse, 12, and Moses, 13, are returning with their parents and two younger siblings from their failed Illinois farm to grandmother's house in Kentucky. When both parents die on the trip, the children must escape the usual orphans' fate of becoming indentured servants. For grades 5-8.

The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party by Marian Calabro.
RC 49865.
1846. Letters and diary entries describes 12-year-old Virginia Reed and her family's journey by wagon train to California with the Donner clan. Traces the survivors' remaining years. For grades 5-8 and older readers.

Riddle of the Prairie Bride by Kathryn Reiss.
BR 13738 or RC 53429.
In 1878, twelve-year-old Ida Kate and her widowed father welcome a mail-order bride and her baby to their Kansas homestead. But Ida Kate soon suspects that the bride is not the same woman with whom Papa had corresponded. For grades 5-8.

Save Queen of Sheba by Louise Moeri.
RC 21791.
A twelve-year-old boy regains consciousness after an Indian massacre and discovers that the only other survivor is his pampered six-year-old sister, Queen of Sheba. For grades 5-8 and older readers.

Trouble at Fort LaPointe by Kathleen Ernst.
BR 14503 or RC 55774.
In 1732, twelve-year-old Suzette, an Ojibwe French girl living along Lake Superior, hopes her father wins the trapping contest so that he can quit being a voyageur (pelt collector for the French fur-trading companies) and stay home. When he is accused of stealing, Suzette investigates to find the real thief. For grades 4-7.

Tucket’s Gold by Gary Paulsen.
RC 49864.
In this sequel to Tucket's Ride, fifteen-year-old Francis Tucket and Lottie and Billy, the two children he has adopted, are still traveling in the Old West. Managing to evade ruthless outlaws, they discover ancient Spanish treasure but may not live to enjoy it. Grades 5-8.

Tucket’s Home by Gary Paulsen.
BR 13403 or RC 51419.
Francis, Lottie, and Billy carry along the Spanish treasure of gold and silver found in Tucket’s Gold as they survive a series of hair-raising adventures while heading west. Francis never doubts that he will find his family again. Some violence. For grades 5-8.

Tucket’s Ride by Gary Paulsen.
RC 46884.
Francis Tucket is only a few years older than Lottie and Billy, the orphans he rescued in Call Me Francis Tucket. Searching for Oregon they end up in Mexico territory, right in the middle of the war. Francis kills an American soldier in self defense, landing himself in a mess of trouble. For grades 5-8.

Wagons Westward: The Old Trail to Santa Fe by Armstrong Sperry.
RC 54083.
In 1846, fifteen-year-old Jonathan Starbuck leaves the security of Independence, Missouri, on horseback seeking the adventure and freedom of the trail. Inspired by a guide, Pierre Leroux, Jonathan heads west with gambler Black Jack Bannock's wagon train. For grades 6-9 and older readers.

Westward on the Oregon Trail by Marian T. Place.
BR 600.
The story of the early American pioneers, the trappers, missionaries, Mormons, farmers, gold seekers, and explorers, who endured the hardships of the tortuous Oregon Trail and helped open the West. For grades 5-8.