All the Stars in the Sky: The Santa Fe Trail Diary of Florrie Mack Ryder (Dear America)

Rating:
Summary: A so-so read
Review: 13-year-old Florrie starts her journal as her family begins their jorney on the Sante Fe Trail from Independence Missouri. Like the title suggests, Florrie loves staring at the stars and watch for those special shooting stars. Her family also have many new experiences on the trip, such as encountering Indians, and various animals such as trantulas, and badgers. Throughtout the diary, Florrie grows into herself as she has more life experiences, such as learning Spanish and eating foods of other cultures. This books was pretty good in the fact that it described landscape very well, such as wildflowers, mountains, etc. I did feel that this diary was very similar to other accounts such as the Oregon Trail, etc. It is still a very good read for any lover of Dear America.

Rating:
Summary: A thought provoking picture.
Review: Florrie Ryder is having a hard time leaving everything she has ever known behind. Her best friend, her grandparents, and even the grave of her father must all remain in Arrow Rock, Missouri. Florrie, her younger brother Jem, her mother, and her mother's new husband are going to travel down the Santa Fe Trail to begin a new life in New Mexico in the town of Santa Fe. Unlike the Oregon Trail and others that went towards the west coast, the Santa Fe Trail was used mostly by traders rather than by settlers.

Nevertheless, it was still a grueling journey and Florrie witnesses more than her fair share of suffering and hardship. She develops friendships that come to mean a great deal to her and that sustain her. We are drawn into the story as Florrie and her family battle their way down the trail, and we are charmed by Florrie's likable and determined personality. Florrie sees things with a clarity that can be quite startling at times, even to her. For example, she comments early in the journey that she feels lost "like a stick figure drawn in the dust, erased by wagon tracks." Later she remarks, "I am lonely and have fallen under the cloud of my own bad weather."

Written in a style that suggests Florrie's own speech, Megan McDonald has created a wonderful character and has gone to great lengths to study the times and the people she writes about. Her inclusion of Spanish words, as Florrie begins to learn the language, is a particularly effective device. Both sad and at times humorous, Florrie's story provides us with a thought-provoking picture of a time and place not often written about.

--- Reviewed by Marya Jansen-Gruber ([e-mail])

Rating:
Summary: Another Great Dear America
Review: I have been reading Dear America books for a long time, and I've had a hard time trying to stop! I started in fifth grade, and I am a senior now. I normally read adult books, but there are just some series that I can't let go!

Florrie (Florence) Mack Ryder sets out from Missouri to travel in a wagon to Santa Fe. Along with her come her pregnant mother, stepfather, brother, and dog, Mr. Biscuit. The journey is harder than they thought, filled with hardships and losses. The tragedies were not in vein, for it made Florrie a stronger person, as you will find in the end.

I enjoyed The Wild and Lonesome Prairie, so I thought I would enjoy this. I did. As with most Dear America books, it was well written, it kept me turning pages, and it was educational. For instance, did you know Santa Fe means "holy faith"?

Rating:
Summary: An excellent new Dear America book.
Review: Twelve-year-old Florrie barely remembers her father, who died when she was very young. Now her mother has remarried, and Florrie's new stepfather, who is a trader, has decided to take his new family to Santa Fe, where he is part owner of a store. Florrie begins her diary as she, her younger brother, mother, and stepfather set out from Missouri on the Santa Fe trail. She describes the hardships they face crossing rivers, mountains, and deserts, but also the joys, as she makes new friends and experiences the wonders of the beautiful wilderness. This wasn't one of the best Dear America books, but it was still very good, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the series. I particularly enjoyed that it covered a subject not written about that much in historical fiction.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting historical read
Review: When Florrie's widowed mother remarries, she and her brother Jem must become a part of a historical event rarely depicted in young adult historical fiction. The Mack Ryders are uprooted in 1848 from their peaceful home in Arrow Rock, Missouri, embarking on the Santa Fe Trail to start a new life in New Mexico Territory. Though it is exciting to have such an adventure, Florrie can't help but worry about the rigors of trail life, meeting girls her own age, and the mysterious Indians she hears so much about. There is also her budding career as an artist to consider, and the state of her pregnant mother - so much to think about between all the camps and forts!

Megan McDonald has created a beautiful story in diary format, woven together by legends, folk stories, and tall tales of the era. It is easy to become immersed in the believable characters, their relationships and conflicts. As is the case with most Dear America books, I found All the Stars in the Sky difficult to put down.

Rating:
Summary: All The Stars In The Sky
Review: When I first went to Borders, I picked any books at random, and happened to get my hands on "All The Stars In The Sky". And I have to admit...when I first started reading it, it took me a while to understand. I even considered taking it back. However, after turning page after page, I finally came to an understanding with this book, and I ended up loving it after all. I recommend it to all fans of the Dear America series.