“West to a Land of Plenty” by: Jim Murphy
Recommended Age : 9-12 208 Pages Description : The first humorous addition to the historical fiction series is narrated by Teresa, a first generation American of Italian descent, who travels by train and then by wagon with her family from New York to a utopian community in Idaho. My Rating: 2/5 To be honest, I really did not like this book very much. Generally I enjoy the Dear America books, but this one was not great. See my comments below for specific examples. Things to be aware of in “West to a Land of Plenty:” Language: A mention of “colorful language” (no elaboration) 4 “stupid” 2 “shut up” (including one instance of a teenager saying it to a grandmother) ( -1 star ) 2 “damd” (and a few other variations) Violence: A character hits another character in the shoulder. Numerous characters die via drowning, sickness and other causes A character’s clothing catches on fire Some characters are nearly shot A teenager handles a gun and haphazardly shoots it (I understand ...