Into the Bright Unknown

July 1, 2018
Leah and friends (�cf2]Walk on Earth a Stranger�cf1]; �cf2]Like a River Glorious�cf1]) leave their �cf2]nearly�cf1] incorporated gold-rush town of Glory, California, to visit San Francisco, where Leah's gold-sensing ability brings unwanted attention from unscrupulous businessman James Hardwick. An �cf2]Oceans 11�cf1]esque climax--that rids the city of Hardwick, cements Glory's incorporation, and sees romantic satisfaction for many of the characters--leads to a well-earned, if rosy-hued, conclusion to the trilogy.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 1, 2018
This engaging trilogy ender (Walk on Earth a Stranger, rev. 9/15; Like a River Glorious, rev. 1/17) finds Leah and friends happily prospecting their nearly incorporated gold-rush town of Glory, California. With wicked Uncle Hiram out of the picture, Leah can breathe easier, but her magical ability to sense gold continues to be both a blessing and curse. A stay in San Francisco (with now-fianc� Jefferson; friend and tavern owner Becky Joyner; and the Illinois college men) brings unwanted attention from unscrupulous businessman James Hardwick and his associate, Miss Helena Russell, who may have more in common with Leah than she realizes. Characters from previous books, both welcome (the formerly enslaved Jim Boisclair, who per the author's note was a real person) and decidedly not (the nasty Frank Dilley), also reappear. An Oceans 11-esque climax that rids the city of Hardwick, cements Glory's incorporation, and sees romantic satisfaction for many of the trilogy's long-suffering characters (including two of the college men) leads to a well-earned, if rosy-hued, conclusion. elissa gershowitz

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)