The Ballad of Lucy Whipple

By: Karen Cushman

Lucy's mother moves their family from the east coast to California. Moving west had been a dream of Lucy's parents before her father died, and Lucy's mother chose to still pursue that dream. Their family runs a boarding house in Lucky Diggins, California, for the miners of the Gold Rush. Lucy's real name is "California", but she doesn't want to be called that because it's a place - a place that Lucy hates. She wants desperately to return home to Massachusetts.

Mrs. Senechal says:

The most interesting part of this book was the descriptions of the tough, challenging conditions these early California settlers had to face. They had to haul water, hunt their own food, plant and harvest a garden, and do all of the cleaning chores as well. At times, Lucy and her family live in tents! I liked that Lucy loved to read and even lent her books to the local miners. The author gives many historical details about what it was like to live at that time in the mining towns of California. While I liked this book, I think it would be more enjoyable for students in fifth grade or older.