Title: Nellie the Brave: The Cherokee Trail of Tears
Author: Veda Boyd Jones
Series: Sisters in Time, book 10
Major Themes: Trail of Tears, Native Americans, American Indians, Frontier Life
Synopsis: When her family is forced to leave their homeland and move west with all the other Cherokee, Nellie must do all she can to help keep them all alive.
The Trail of Tears is one major event in American history that I have not found any historical fiction books for—until now. While the Sisters in Time series is not my favorite type of story, yet I found Nellie the Brave a great way to get a feel for that tragic event, and I will certainly add it into our historical studies when we reach that era.
Publisher’s description:
In 1838, Nellie Starr, a young Cherokee girl, is caught in the political upheaval of America’s westward expansion. Forced by U.S. soldiers to leave their home in Tennessee, Nellie, her family, and thousands of other Cherokees travel the long, dangerous “Trail of Tears” to a new home in the Indian Territory of modern-day Oklahoma. Using actual historical events as a backdrop, this brand-new children’s novel teaches lessons of American history and the Christian faith. Can Nellie learn to forgive the people who’ve turned her world upside down? Nellie the Brave is a compelling read for girls ages eight to twelve.
My thoughts:
I liked the way Nellie is portrayed in Nellie the Brave. She is shown as a strong, capable girl who obeys her parents and cares for her sisters and mother. She does not try to single-handedly save the day, as so many books show girls doing. At the same time, she pitches in and does all she can to care for those around her.
This book describes the plight of the Cherokee Indians vividly. They were definitely mistreated by the white Americans—and yet many of them did not become bitter. I appreciated the way this author portrayed the faith of the Starr family. That, too, rang fairly true to me; I remember reading that a lot of the Cherokee had become Christians before they were removed from their land. If you are looking for books about courageous girls from the past, or books about Native Americans, have a look at Nellie the Brave. It may be a good fit.
WARNING: Chapter 10: Old woman dies. Chapter 12: Girl dies. Chapter 13: Woman gives birth.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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