Hope

Hope is a girl who is strong physically and emotionally and wishes to be a doctor when she grows up. Her brother John is a quiet, respectful boy who looks up to Hope and trusts her to make decisions for him. Their mother died and they haven't seen their father in more than a year because he is searching for gold in California. They were living with their uncle's family until he had to send them to live with the Shakers. The Shakers are a group of religous people who believe that men and women shouldn't live together in the same building. Hope doesn't like the ways of the Shaker family and wishes she could escape from them and search for their father. John however likes living with the Shakers and hopes to stay with them for the rest of his life. Read the book to find out what happens in the end. This book taught me that I should be grateful for what I have, especially my family . It showed me that there are people around the world who don't have families and there are families that have been seperated from each other. Now I know that whenever I am feeling jealous of somebody or if I want something I can't have, I can think of Hope and John and realize how lucky I really am. I really would recommened this book to anyone who likes historical fiction or anyone who is feeling that they don't have enough in life. This book taught me a really important lesson about life and I really enjoyed it.

I enjoyed this book, i think i qould also have enjoyed finding out what happens to the heroine(Hope) in her travels with her father into the west, I also think i would like to read a book that tells us of her brothers journey as a young shaker child through adulthood. it was enjoyable even if it was meant for young adults. i bought this book at Hancock shaker village in the berkshire mountains of Mass.the reason i only gave this book 4 stars is simple i wanted to know more.

12 year old Hope's father set off for California to find gold, and then their mother died. She and her younger brother and sister are on their own. Their uncle won't take care of them. He forces them to go live with the Shakers. Hope hates living with the Shakers. The Shakers won't allow brothers or sisters to see each other. Men and boys are separate from girls and women in everything. Will Hope's father ever return or will she have to stay in this awful place until she is an adult and the Shakers will allow her to leave on her own?