A review by bargainbinkazbrekker
Boston Jane - An Adventure by Jennifer L. Holm

2.25

While this wasn't as offensive as I feared, I still felt it left a lot to be desired. I hated the continuous use of savages to describe indigenous peoples and the very little rebuking of the term when used by our main character, I also am not a fan of the romanticized relations between colonists and indigenous peoples, especially in the Washington/Oregon territories. I know this is technically children's fiction (I would say it falls into the middle-grade category) but I still think children's fiction, especially middle-grade, is fully capable of providing critique while not diving into the complete horrors of history. Holm's felt the need to add smallpox, multiple character deaths, and hints of sexual harassment but couldn't find a way to critique the colonist and indigenous relations? Everyone was super homey and they all got along like buddies, even the new recruits and travelers (except for this one guy when he has smallpox), which is not realistic at all.
Also, all of the characters are so annoying. But the writing is not bad, I will admit.