June Behrens Includes missions Santa Barbara, La Purisima Concepcion, and Santa Ines. Emily Abbink Includes missions Carmel, Santa Cruz, and San Juan Bautista. The final book in this series provides directions for using a variety of materials to make mission models. Also shows floor plans for all missions. Many remain undiscovered today.
Readers meet a variety of characters from California's rich past.
This biography of Serra handles well the controversy about his impact on Indians. Taking Serra's life from priesthood to the founding of San Diego mission, it shows Serra as sympathetic but lacking understanding of other cultures. Very few books talk about the soldiers who guarded the missions. This book tells of a sargent and his family who risked moving to California for land promised by Spain. They find nothing but horrible conditions and broken promises.