Journey to Plum Creek
Through the magic of Mr. Barrington’s mysterious trunk, modern-day middle school students Hannah, Nick, and Jackie travel to 1840s Texas. Hannah and Jackie find themselves captives of a tribe of Comanche. Jackie is adopted by a couple who has recently lost a daughter, but Hannah is beaten by the women of the tribe and given to the shaman and his son as a servant. Nick finds himself in the company of Texas Rangers who are tracking the Comanche tribe to retrieve the captives. The adventure culminates in the battle of Plum Creek, in which many Comanche were killed but the heroic Texans lost only one.
Journey to Plum Creek is the sixth book in this Texas historical time-travel series. The magic of Mr. Barrington’s trunk seemed intricate but confusing, perhaps because I hadn’t read the other books, but my confusion made suspension of disbelief difficult for me. Why did the children time travel? Were they supposed to accomplish something? Find something? I just didn’t know. The dialog was effective in presenting historical information to the reader but never seemed like real conversation. Cuate has won awards for this series, so her fans are likely to understand and be pleased with this most recent installment.
