Summary: This children's chapter book is one of the books in a series featuring Elizabeth Barker and her family. This story is a reflection of Elizabeth's life in the Jamestown colony and the struggles she and her family face trying to survive off the land. It is a personal story about promise and hope told from the eyes of a young girl.

Argument: I really enjoyed this children's chapter book and would highly recommend it for teachers to use in their elementary school classrooms. The first reason I liked this book was because it is written like a diary. Each entry is short, sweet, and dated. It gives the readers a sense of connection with Elizabeth because it is told from her point of view. The second reason I enjoyed this book was how each diary entry was set and formatted. It captured certain aspects of Elizabeth's day in chronological order. For example, on page 6 the caption says "nighttime" and then on the next page it says "later" and "midnight". This helps the readers create a mental image in their minds of Elizabeth writing in her journal during the days on the Jamestown colony. Lastly, I like that even though the story is written like a diary, the author includes letters Elizabeth gets and puts them in letter format on the page. For example, on page 87 there is a letter to Elizabeth from Anna Whistler.
The main idea or message of this chapter book is to inform others of the hardships of settling in America during the early colonial time period. It helps readers connect to the text and imagine what life was like long ago. ( )

This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not.