Jericho's Journey

by G. Clifton Wisler

Overview

Moving to Texas offers the promise of big adventure . . . but the journey there is tougher than Jericho ever imagined!

Leaving Tennessee for Texas in 1852 to make a fresh start seems like pure adventure to Jericho Wetherby. But as he and his family travel across the country with a few animals and a covered wagon loaded with possessions, they endure rain, muddy roads, bitter cold, and illness . . . and the fast approach of winter's blinding snowstorms. Can they make it to their new home before winter strikes? And is Jericho brave enough to survive the trip?

"[A] fast-paced, action-packed pioneer story."—Kirkus Reviews

"The book's great local color and folksy, personable narrator . . . will carry readers along for the trip."—Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780140370652
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	07/01/1995
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	933,484
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.72(h) x 0.39(d)
Lexile:	810L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

About the Author

G. Clifton Wisler is the author of more than sixty-three books, many of them historical fiction for young adults. His ability to bring history alive in accessible and engaging ways make him a popular author for young readers.Mr. Wisler lives in Plano, Texas, where he continues to work on his doctoral dissertation on the history of the Ninth Texas Infantry Regiment in the Civil War.

Editorial Reviews

In 1852 the Wetherby family leaves Tennessee to set off for Texas--a land of opportunity for some, the site of disaster for others. Jericho, small for his 11 years and timid, narrates a journey marked by struggles with muddy roads and snowstorms. He also relates his own journey toward self-reliance, as he learns to cross bridges without fear and helps his younger brother do the same. As Jericho's taciturn father uncharacteristically expounds to him at the end of the trail, ``A journey tests the makings of a man.'' Drawing from an actual settler's diary, Wisler ( Red Cap ) provides plenty of detail, from toll-road overcharging to horse-doctoring with spirits of turpentine. Though flawed by the characterization of older sister Mary Jane as a single-minded shrew, this otherwise sound, traditional historical fiction furnishes a ground-level view of western expansion. Ages 10-14. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 4-8-Another worthy historical novel from the author of Red Cap (Lodestar, 1991). Here, Wisler offers an episodic account of the Wetherby's journey from Tennessee to Texas in 1852. Family relations between 12-year-old Jericho, his bossy sister, adventuresome older brother, and two younger brothers are well drawn and provide plenty of humor. While there is some suspense-Jericho rescues his dog from a train, and the family worries about the oncoming winter-there's little doubt that they will make it through. An afterword states that many details are taken from a pioneer's diary. The historical accuracy, as well as Jericho's slightly old-fashioned first-person narrative, create an authentic feel of time and place. There's nothing too deep here, but it's a good, lively read.-Sally Bates Goodroe, Houston Public Library

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