I love a good pioneer story and this one fits the bill. It is based on President Roosevelt's project in the 1930s where he offered to send families who were on assistance during the depression to start a New Deal colony in Alaska.
Terpsichore and her family leave their Wisconsin home to become pioneers in Palmer, Alaska. When they arrive all the promises are slow to deliver but Terpsichore and her family have a pioneering spirit and make the best of their situation while they wait for their dreams to be fulfilled. Their mother is not really sure this is her dream and gets to decide after a predetermined time if their family will pack up and go back to Alaska. Terpsichore has to figure out how to make sure her mother wants to stay.
Terpsichore is the type of character I really love. She is self-sufficient, determined, funny, and spirited. She loves to read and spearheads a library committee, figures out how to grow a prize-winning pumpkin, cooks for her family, and helps her mother find a way to get Washington to send medical health to the new Alaskan community.
Her name is weird and you eventually learn why she has the name...she drops hints along the way as to how to pronounce her name but at first you are a little confused. Her name is pronounced....Terp seh core ee.
If you loved Little House books, Hattie Big Sky, or When Calls the Heart on Hallmark, this book is perfect for you! I give this a 4 out of 4 rating.
- Age Range: 10 and up
- Grade Level: 5 - 6
- Reading Level: 5.7
- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books (February 2, 2016)
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