Historical Fiction: Traveling West

[This is a subtopic of The West and also part of an ongoing series of historical fiction book lists for students and teachers. For the full list and to see more info, click here.]

 Lower Grades (K-3)

1. The Adventures of Laura and Jack-Wilder (3.5/1)
2. Aurora Means Dawn-Sanders (4.1/0.5) (1800, OH)
3. Black Cowboy, Wild Horses: A True Story-Lester (4.5/0.5)
4. A Book for Black-Eyed Susan-Young (3.5/0.5)
5. The Buffalo Storm-Applegate (4.3/0.5)
6. Chub-Sargent (4.0/0.5) (Santa Fe Trail)
7. Covered Wagons, Bumpy Trails-Kay (2.0/0.5)
8. A Cowboy Named Ernestine-Rubel (4.3/0.5)
9. Diary of a Pioneer Boy-Massie (3.5/1)
10. The Elephant Quilt: Stitch by Stitch to California!-Lowell (3.5/0.5)
11. A Fourth of July on the Plains-Van Leeuwen (4.0/0.5)
12. Going West-Van Leeuwen (3.5/0.5)
13. Going West-Wilder (3.6/0.5)
14. The Golly Sisters Go West-Byars (2.1/0.5)
15. The Golly Sisters Ride Again-Byars (2.7/0.5)
16. Hooray for the Golly Sisters!-Byars (2.4/0.5)
17. The Josefina Story Quilt-Coerr (2.7/0.5)
18. Kisses on the Wind-Moser (2.3/0.5)
19. The Klondike Cat-Lawson (3.1/0.5)
20. Little Chief-Hoff (2.1/0.5)
21. Minnow and Rose: An Oregon Trail Story-Young (4.1/0.5)
22. Missouri Bound-MacBride (3.5/1)
23. The Mormon Trail-Landau (5.1/0.5) NF
24. Next Spring an Oriole-Whelan (4.5/1)
25. Nine for California-Levitin (2.9/0.5)
26. Old Crump: The True Story of a Trip West-Lawlor (2.8/0.5)
27. An Outlaw Thanksgiving-McCully (3.6/0.5)
28. Papa and the Pioneer Quilt-Van Leeuwen (3.0/0.5)
29. Pappy’s Handkerchief-Scillian (4.9/1)
30. Pioneer Cat-Hooks (3.3/1)
31. Red Flower Goes West-Turner (3.8/0.5)
32. Roughing It on the Oregon Trail-Stanley (4.3/0.5)
33. Sunsets of the West-Johnston (2.7/0.5)
34. Train to Somewhere-Bunting (2.8/0.5)
35. Wagon Train: A Family Goes West in 1865-Wright (4.0/0.5)
36. Wagon Wheels-Brenner (2.6/0.5)
37. Wagons Ho!-Hallowell (2.9/0.5)
38. Wagons West!-Gerrard (5.6/0.5)
39. Warm as Wool-Sanders (4.9/0.5)
40. Westward Ho, Carlotta!-Fleming (3.8/0.5)

 Middle Grades (4-8)

1. Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie:  The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell-Gregory* (5.5/4)
2. All the Stars in the Sky: The Santa Fe trail Diary of Florrie Mack Ryder-McDonald (5.3/5) (Santa Fe Trail)
3. Anna Sunday-Keehn (4.6/9)
4. As Far as I Can See: Meg’s Prairie Diary-McMullan (3.8/2) (1856 (MO to  KS)
5. Away to the Goldfields!-Derby (4.5/9)
6. Betsy’s River Adventure: The Journey West-Jones (4.9/5) (Boston to Ohio)
7. Boston Jane: An Adventure-Holm (4.9/8) (1854, Pacific NW)
8. By the Great Horn Spoon-Fleischman (5.1/6)*
9. By the Shores of Silver Lake-Wilder (5.3/9)
10. Children of the Westward Trail-Stefoff (6.8/3) NF
11. Charlotte’s Rose-Cannon (4.1/6) (1856, Mormon Trail)
12. Clara Morgan and the Oregon Trail Journey-Figley (4.3/1) Nonfiction
13. Courage on The Oregon Trail-Francis (3.5/1)
14. Daniel’s Walk-Spooner (4.7/6)
15. Doe Sia: Bannock Girl and the Handcart Pioneers-Thomasma (4.6/4)
16. Donner Party: A Diary of a Survivor-Olson (2.6/0.5)
17. Exiled! From Tragedy to Triumph on the Missouri Frontier-Jackson (4.1/7) (1837)
18. Get Along, Little Doggies: The Chisholm Trail Diary of Hallie Lou Wells: South Texas, 1878-Rogers (4.9/4)
19. How to Get Rich on the Oregon Trail: My Adventures Among Cows, Crooks & Heroes on the Road to Fame & Fortune-Olson (6.1/1)
20. Jenny of the Tetons-Gregory (4.8/3)
21. Jo and the Bandit-Roberts (6.2/9) (1860s)
22. Jo’s Journey-Tate (5.4/3)
23. The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds: The Donner Party Expedition-Philbrick (5.7/4)
24. The Journal of Jedediah Barstow: An Emigrant on the Oregon Trail-Levine (5.3/5)
25. Katie and the Mustang: Book 1-Duey (4.7/4)
26. Katie and the Mustang: Book 2-Duey (4.5/4)
27. Katie and the Mustang: Book 3-Duey (5.1/4)
28. Katie and the Mustang: Book 4-Duey (5.1/4)
29. The Last River: John Wesley Powell & the Colorado River Exploring Expedition-Waldman (6.4/1) NF
30. Mississippi Mud: Three Prairie Journals-Turner (4.6/0.5) (OR Trail)
31. Mr. Tucket-Paulsen (5.0/4) (OR Trail)
32. Orphan Journey Home-Ketchum (3.7/3) (1828, IL to KY)
33. Patty Reed’s Doll: The Story of the Donner Party-Laurgaard (5.7/4)
34. A Perfect Place: Joshua’s Oregon Trail Diary-Hermes (3.8/2)
35. Perilous Passage-Bayle (6.4/7)
36. The Plain Prairie Princess-Bly (3.6/4) (OR Trail)
37. The Quilt Walk-Dallas (4.8/7) (1860s)
38. Rachel’s Journal-Moss* (5.6/2) (OR Trail)
39. Ransom’s Mark: A Story of Based on the Life of the Pioneer Olive Oatman-Lawton (5.8/5)
40. Rodzina-Cushman (4.8/6)
41. Seasons of the Trail-Glaze (4.5/3)
42. Silver Dollar Girl-Ayres (4.3/6)
43. Through the Open Door-Hulme (4.7/5.0) (1910, Mormons traveling from Utah to NM)
44. Tree in the Trail-Holling (5.2/1)
45. Trouble for Lucy-Carla Stevens (3.8/1) (OR Trail)*
46. Tuckers’ Gold-Owens (4.4/3) (OR Trail)
47. Weaver’s Daughter-Bradley (4.0/4) (1791, Pennsylvania to SW territory)
48. West Against the Wind-Murrow (4.6/8)
49. West to a Land of Plenty: The Diary of Teresa Angelino Viscardi, New York to Idaho Territory, 1883-Murphy* (5.2/6) (Idaho)
50. Westward to Home: Joshua’s Diary-Hermes (3.1/1)
51. The Wind Wagon-Lottridge (4.8/1) (1860’s KS to CO)

Middle Grades+ (6+)

1. The Devil’s Paintbox-McKernan (4.8/13) [May want to pre-read/skim for language and content]
2. The Long Way West-Nixon (5.7/7) (OR Trail)

Upper Grades (9-12)

1. Glory-Copeland (5.2/11)
2. Hope-Copeland (4.5/9)
3. The Journey Home-Holland (4.6/6) (late 1800’s NY to west, orphan train)
4. The Voyage of the Continental-Kirkpatrick (5.0/10) (1866, Mass to Seattle on ship)
5. Push to the West-Reiff (2.8/1)