Pioneering was unpredictable and hard work. This is evident while reading this book. Complete with dates and non-fictional facts, this story is very informative. I did enjoy learning some aspects of pioneer living. However, I did feel that certain parts of the text were a bit mature for the intended age group. ( )

I'm not a big fan of non-fiction, however this story kept my attention the whole way through. I loved how the author, Patricia Murphy inserted interesting facts and real pictures of pioneer life into the historical fiction story of a pioneer girl. Having fiction alongside non-fiction, made me feel like I was looking into the character Olivia's, real life. That being said, it felt a little too closely related to the Laura Ingalls Wilder series. The typical pioneer girl writing a diary while traveling with her caring Ma and bearded Pa who played the fiddle at night, seemed all too familiar and unoriginal.

Murphy did a good job at portraying the difficult journey pioneers faced during their long travels across the Oregon Trail. The first person point of view could have been played upon more though, as Olivia only vaguely mentions people dying, but didn't seem to be greatly affected by these misfortunes. Having a serious hardship or two of her own would have allowed the reader to feel more sympathy and understanding of pioneer life long ago. ( )

Review: This is a great beginners reading book for children. It tells a story but at the same time gives a history lesson on pioneers. There are great illustrations that go along with the story.

Summary: This children's book is about a family that is traveling on the Oregon trail. It talks about the journey that they make and the obstacles that they go through. Although the trail is very hard to travel, the families some how make it fun and throw parties where they sing and dance with each other. They finally make it to their destination and begin their new life in Oregon.

Argument: I really enjoyed reading this story. I really liked how on every page there is a little box that has real facts about the history of the Oregon trail. The facts are very interesting and have real pictures of wagons and families that traveled on the trail. There is also a facts sheet at the end of the book and an index.
I think that the lesson of this story is to teach children about the Oregon trail and the history about it. ( )

In my opinion, I think “Journey of a Pioneer” is an excellent book. The first reason I like the book is because it describes the journey of a pioneer family through the diary of a young girl. In the story, Olivia Clark and her family are moving from Missouri to Oregon in order to own more land to farm more crops. The way the story is written, it takes the reader on the journey with Olivia and her family as they travel from one location to the next. Also, the different scenarios that happen in the story, relate to real life events that actually occurred in late 1845. Olivia goes into detail about what her family is packing for the trip to Oregon, which trails they will travel, and what they anticipate when they arrive at their destination. An example would be when Olivia and her family are packing to get ready for their adventure. “We’ve been selling our furniture and anything else that won’t fit in our wagon. Ma has filled large barrels with food and packed our cooking tools, china, and bedding into a trunk. I’ve packed my doll, Johanna.” Olivia learns to appreciate the opportunity her family is taking by moving to a different part of the country. She wants her family to be happy in the new location. The big idea of the story is that even if you do not think you will enjoy a new adventure of moving with your family, it will probably end up being a great experience both for you and your family. ( )

Summary:
Olivia Clark is the main character in the book. She keeps a descriptive diary about her and her family's journey from Missouri to the Oregon Territory. She describes what they go through in this journey. She describes what they eat, how they sleep, illnesses. tragedies, special celebrations, etc.

Comments:
I like that the book not only tells a story but that it also includes important facts or vocabulary throughout in order to help children comprehend what they are reading. I also like how the book is sort of written in diary form because the main character is the one speaking and dates are also provided at the top of the page. "Indians aren't as scary as I thought they would be" portrays the mentality that Indians and Whites must be rivals but in this book that is not the case. We see how the Indian provides for the pioneers. Illustrations are very informative. For example they show the types of foods they would eat. I also liked how at the end of the book there are important facts that could help the reader comprehend better. I do think that students must acquire some background knowledge on this subject before reading this book. ( )