An OK book that I'm rounding up to four because the characters and historical perspectives are so underrepresented in other books, not to mention other YA or other Westerns. At the same time, I wasn't in love with this book, and I hope it paves the way for bigger and better ones.

Unfortunately, it was pretty obvious Andy's brother was a Broken Hand Gang member: Lee hammers Chekhov's Gun hard. I liked that Andy pushes back on Sammy's Broken Hand obsession---just because they're both Black doesn't mean that they're related! Sammy meets Badge and the Broken Hand subplot temporarily becomes something else---a story about the unjustness of the law and of slavery, and about Sammy's expanded view of the world. To go back on that at the very end, in a sequence that doesn't quite make plot sense (how does Andy suddenly know where Harp Falls is, way off the beaten path, when the entire problem was that she had no idea where to find it and it wasn't on their map? why didn't Isaac recognize Andy before?) is a letdown. ( )

This is exactly the kind of girls dealing with shit adventure that I stayed up too late reading as a youth, and here I am doing it again right now. I love Oregon Trail novels. I love girls pretending to be boys. I love boys being really stupid and and yet gallant about it. Plus, what a great friendship between Andy and Sammy. It's great to see historical themes of race and gender explored in a historical context and while being expertly buoyed up by themes of growing up, figuring out life, and friendship that make YA great. Do rec. ( )

A diverse historical fiction book with adventure, romance, and humor. Its also a bit graphic at times and deals with some pretty heavy topics. Overall I enjoyed it, although I think it could have been a bit more cohesive. Complex characters and the emotional and physical journey the protagonist takes make this a good read. ( )

Good read, rushed ending. ( )

In 1849, Chinese-American girl Sam and her runaway slave friend Annamae disguise themselves as boys and head west to California to escape what's chasing them and to find key elements of their pasts.

An excellent potato chip YA book, where the premise is a bit unlikely and some of the background is spoon-fed/lacking depth, and you can kinda guess what's coming, but it doesn't matter because the story and character voices and especially pacing are so well done. (I think the author put a lot of herself into Sam.)

If you like complex, this book probably isn't for you -- but if you're a fan of YA escapism and the premise tickles you, I'd encourage you to go for it. ( )