Sarah and her father travel together to build a new home for their family in early 18th century America. The house is built and it is time for Sarah’s father to collect the rest of the family and bring them to their new home. Sarah must remain near the new home, with a Native American family. It is a good experience for Sarah as she comes to care for the family almost as much as her own, as she sees the commonalities of the Native American family with her own. There is a general feeling of condescension, but that has to be placed in the context of the time in which this book was written. In addition, the experience of discovering the ways the families are alike makes the book worthy of reading despite the book’s flaws. Newbery Honor.
