The Tragic Tale of Narcissa Whitman and a Faithful History of the Oregon Trail (Cheryl Harness Histories)
This offering from the Cheryl Harness Histories series for middle-graders, which includesThe Adventurous Life of Myles Standish(2006), introduces a nineteenth-century pioneer and missionary. Born in 1808, Narcissa had a strict religious upbringing that made her dream of bringing Christianity to those who lived in far-off places. Her 1836 marriage to Marcus Whitman helped her toward her goal. The couple journeyed along the Oregon Trail to the Waiilatpu Mission, where they ministered to the Cayuse. Unfortunately, their religious zeal did not include much understanding of local culture, and the Whitmans lost their lives in a massacre. Harness' chatty, conversational style makes the pair accessible to modern readers, and frequent quotes from Narcissa's diaries and letters and a time line help to frame the story in light of world and national events. Harness' black-line illustrations, which include captioned maps, double-page-spread insets, and period-style drawings, help to break up the text for younger readers. The lack of color is unfortunate, but this is, nonetheless, a lively account that will be a good addition to history units.Kay WeismanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved