Seeds of Hope: The Gold Rush Diary of Susanna Fairchild, California Territory, 1849

Seeds of hope was one of my favorite books in the Dear America series!!! I find a lot of great history in them! I would have read in one sitting if time permitted!!! Can greatly relate too. A great read!!! Samantha

The book is one of a much larger number I sent to my speed-reading eight year-old granddaughter for her birthday. She just sent me a very happy review: she had read two of the eight and has five to go and is very pleased, which is the reason I sent her the books as birthday present. Perhaps one criticism: the books ended up being individually shipped to my her mother,my daughter in San Francisco. They kept trickling in and there was separate shipping for each, I believe. Still, I'm very satisfied. I want to encourage the young and enthusiastic reader. She devoured Harry Potter.

Seeds of Hope / 0-590-51157-2 Another wonderful addition to the Dear America books. I continue to be surprised at how fascinating and readable these books are for adults, even as I review them for children. The Good: Once again, the Dear America formula has rendered complex and difficult history into an entertaining and personal portrayal. When Susanna's mother dies en route to Oregon, her grieving father turns to gold fever to dull his loss and Susanna and family turn gold miners. In this way, Susanna is able to note carefully the follies of those stricken with gold fever and is able to describe, in detail, how the only people who reliably struck it rich were those who provided services and goods to these fever-struck hopefuls. My favorite aspect of the Dear America books - their even-handedness - is displayed beautifully here, with Susanna distressed by the fact that immigrants and Mexicans are discriminated against and murdered for their gold claims, with no legal recourse. A fine line is walked with the treatment of the narrator's father - although he is clearly very foolish to run after a goose chase and drag his daughters along after him into danger (they are the only two women in a mining camp of hundreds of lonely men!), nevertheless his love for his daughters is clear and he is portrayed as a good, kind man who learns when enough gold is enough. The Bad: Here are the things you may want to watch out for, as a parent. Several hangings and murders occur here, including the hanging of a "dancing lady" from town. Although it's abundantly clear that the lady is a local prostitute, the book is careful to define her only as a dancer and entertainer. Children may wonder what money was to be had in dancing on the frontier... Also be aware that the narrator's love interest loses his leg in a mining explosion, and has to have the bone sawed through by her physician father. The scene is rushed through fairly quickly, but may be disturbing for small children. ~ Ana Mardoll

This book is incredible! It has a fascinating story line and gives a sad but accurate picture of what the gold rush was like. In a way, it also studies human nature and how greed can corrupt even the nicest of people. It was nearly impossible to put down and I would give it many, many more stars if that were possible!

It's 1849, and the Gold Rush has begun. Susanna, her sister, and her father are off to California in the search for gold and the competition is ablaze. Susanna wants her family to find gold, too, but she also doesn't want her family to forget about the love they must share with each as a family. Along the way, she must confront her feelings, even as the craze for gold increases. There are more dangers to her family other than the loss of money, and Susanna must react bravely to whatever happens. Will she and her family be victorious in the Gold Rush, and will their family values fade? Seeds Of Hope is a well --written and nice addition to the Dear America series by Kristiana Gregory. It wasn't the best in the series, but I enjoyed it a lot.

I loved Susanna's diary,in 1849 fourteen-year-old Susanna and her family including her parents and her sixteen-year-old sister Clara, are traveling from New York City to Oregen, so that her father can establish a medical practice.While traveling Susanna and her family experience a horrible, emotional blow. While on the trip a storm hits in the chaos of it all, her mother goes overboard and drowns,along with the money they saved for years.When the ship decides to let off miners in California, her father desperate and willing to do anything, he decides to mine and regain all the money he lost, and then follow his dream again. Writing in the diary her beloved mother left behind Susanna records of the ruff and tough camps they live in and the wilderness and the danger of being left alone for weeks at a time.Despite it all they have bad times, the sisters grow closer and make thier relationship work, they make new friends like Rosa Sepulveda, a young girl from Peru who is traveling with her Husband and 7 brothers to California to become rich.They discover secerts about people they thought they knew and could trust be were betrayed and hurt. They find thier first loves.I recommed this Dear America book to anyone, Kristianna Gregory has captured the true feelings of a family and the hardships they faced in the west, and despite all the hard times, family and friends are always there to help and plant the seeds of hope within you.