Boston Jane: an Adventure

by Jennifer L. Holm

Jane Peck has enjoyed a relatively unconventional upbringing in the mid-1800s in Philadelphia until she attends Miss Hepplewhite's Young Ladies Academy to learn how to be a proper lady so she can impress her childhood idol, William Baldt. Her life changes when she turns sixteen and she receives a proposal from William who has left the East Coast for the Washington Territory. A long and trying journey by sea lands her on his doorstep, but he's not there. Quickly dubbed, Boston Jane, by the Chinook Indians, she learns that her finishing school education is no help at all and she must rely upon her own wits and intelligence. Jane emerges as a strong, self-reliant young woman who not only survives but thrives in the wilderness. An enjoyable tale written by an author with a gift for storytelling. Grades 6 to 9.

Reviewed by Mrs. Reinhart (10/2007)