Sterling Point Books(r) the Stout-Hearted Seven: Orphaned on the Oregon Trail

Very interesting and well researched book on one family's story about the hardships on the Oregon Trail. Enjoyed it very much. Recommend it to anyone who has an interest in history, especially the Oregon Trail.

I bought this book for my 8-year old son and I to read together because we are both interested in the Oregon Trail. The story is all the more interesting and emotional because it's based on the true story of seven kids who lose both parents as they move west as part of a wagon train. The trials and tribulations of the family and their adoptive parents brings history alive in a way children can relate to, albeit with sadness and tragedy involved. Some very emotional children might have a hard time with the deaths and killing in the story, but the characters' ability to survive it is a great lesson in human resiliency and courage. The fates of the children are included at the end of the book, so the reader's attachment to them is fulfilled by learning of their lives after the story ends.

The most famous book about the Sager family is probably "On to Oregon!" by Honore Morrow, on which the movie, "Seven Alone," is based. But "Stout-hearted Seven," is based on more thorough research and is more accurate. This is the one our fourth grade teachers usually read aloud as part of their curriculum on Washington State, and it's the title that most students will come into the library to check out and read again.While there are many good fictional accounts about the Oregon Trail, this is the one I'd recommend first for upper elementary grades, simply because of its basis in actual events. I'd also recommend visiting the Whitman Mission in Walla Walla, if for no other reason than to see the wagon wheel ruts and the Sager names on the gravestone. Our family did this a few years ago as part of a quick 5-day trip along the Oregon Trail, starting in Independence, Missouri. If we ever go again, I'd prefer to take at least two weeks.

What I love about this book is it is historically accurate, gripping, and interesting to children. While it is not written with fantastic literary flourish, it is an engaging and amazing story. As a teacher, it fits with the fourth grade Washington curriculum perfectly and that is where I have used it. It sparks interest in readers (both young and old) about the Oregon Trail, history, and the Sager family.

I read this book many, many years ago while in middle school (?) and I couldn't put it down. Having been from Oregon, I found the tail of the Sager family incredible, and the Oregon Trail has always intrigued me. I ended up reading the whole in book in two days because it was so great.