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Reviews
Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie: The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell by Kristiana Gregory
cashleykate's review against another edition
3.25
Honestly one of my favorites of this series but gonna be honest, it REALLY made me want to go play Oregon Trail. So that may be a contributing factor.
disconightwing's review against another edition
4.0
Reading through these because they were some of my favorites as a kid.
lavaplant's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Audio, reread. I read this a million times as a kid. Must have been a popular title for them to carry it on audio. Narrator is in no way 13
co2lreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I read this as a child and didn't remember a lot of the plot points. But it holds up! Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie doesn't pull punches when talking about history. There are things in it that surprised me (like 14 year olds getting married and having babies) but everything seemed very period accurate. I'd recommend this series to parents any day!
danicapage's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book quite some time ago, when I was much younger. It wasn't my favorite in the series but I did love this book.
huncamuncamouse's review against another edition
5.0
This is kind of the quintessential Dear America book, and it's held up extraordinarily well. Within the first four pages, Hattie's uncle falls off a roof and dies, his casket falls into the river, a steamboat captain watches the scene unfold and feels bad, he offers the family free passage to the destination of their choice, and Hattie's dad jumps at the chance to finally head west on the Oregon Trail. We find out soon after that Hattie's family has lost several of her sisters to illness.
And who among us will ever make the mistake of serving a budding love interest hemlock soup?
People die in a variety of horrible ways in this book, and the survivors are haunted. One person responds to personal loss with kleptomania. While there's fatphobia and the expected (for the time) uncertainty/fear about what to expect when encountering indigenous Americans, the narrator confronts both biases directly in the text, and admits that she was wrong. The book is unexpectedly moving, and Hattie's growth is evident. The community that forms is fascinating.
The back matter makes it quite clear that some white Americans believed they had a God-given right to "settle" the West, but that this was not their land to take. Further, many of them unnecessarily villainized indigenous Americans. This is one of the most rich and deep books in the series so far, and I have a feeling it will be one of my favorites when I'm finished and rank them.
Dead parent count: 0. But we have multiple dead relatives and many others who drop along the trail. Plus literally all the livestock.
And who among us will ever make the mistake of serving a budding love interest hemlock soup?
People die in a variety of horrible ways in this book, and the survivors are haunted. One person responds to personal loss with kleptomania. While there's fatphobia and the expected (for the time) uncertainty/fear about what to expect when encountering indigenous Americans, the narrator confronts both biases directly in the text, and admits that she was wrong. The book is unexpectedly moving, and Hattie's growth is evident. The community that forms is fascinating.
The back matter makes it quite clear that some white Americans believed they had a God-given right to "settle" the West, but that this was not their land to take. Further, many of them unnecessarily villainized indigenous Americans. This is one of the most rich and deep books in the series so far, and I have a feeling it will be one of my favorites when I'm finished and rank them.
Dead parent count: 0. But we have multiple dead relatives and many others who drop along the trail. Plus literally all the livestock.
malus's review against another edition
4.0
Its ok, I learned alot about this book and i read it years ago for my school.
musiquedevie's review against another edition
4.0
An informative look into life on the Oregon Trail. One of my favorite 'Dear America' books.