My daughter and I read together every night before bed. She loved this one and it generated wonderful questions. The main characters are children and they are real in their attitudes, fears and frustrations. While many parts were gripping page-turners, the tone is fairly light. This is the best book I've seen to help children deal with the death of a loved one. Some of their raw questions are asked by the main character and answered gently by the adults in the story, yet there is much comic relief sprinkled throughout. It's a good adventure story. Though my daughter is seven years old, we typically read high school level classics together. She eagerly wants me to find the other books in this series now. And I was appreciative of the great discussions it generated for us prior to her having to deal with the actual death of a loved one. Highly recommended.

We're a homeschooling family, and I picked up this book while looking for ideas for a Unit study on pioneers and immigration. I loved it! Not only was the story engrossing, but I learned so much about how my ancestors got from Germany to America. I also liked reading a story where Christians were portrayed in a positive light.