Do you love Westerns?
The Curse of the Neverland is definitely not a western. I usually call it “middle grade fantasy adventure” when I’m asked to classify by genre. But today’s book recommendation, one I would call a western, has some strong common bonds with Piper Pan and Her Merry Band.
Under a Painted Sky, by Stacey Lee, will be found in the Young Adult fiction section of your library (or bookstore.) It’s a beautiful story featuring courageous heroines on an enormous adventure, not unlike Piper and her fellows. There’s a sentence on the book flap that applies easily to both stories:
“[…]above all else, it’s a story about perseverance and trust that will restore your faith in the power of friendship.”
Here’s the summary of Under a Painted Sky:
“In 1845, Sammy (Samantha), a Chinese American girl, and Andy (Annamae), an African American slave girl, disguise themselves as boys and travel on the Oregon Trail to California from Missouri.”
The girls are on the run from the law. Their courage is enormous, their survival skills barely adequate. Sammy and Andy are joined by 3 young cowboys who prove themselves to be unexpected allies. It’s western, historical novel, and a little bit of romance, all in one.
The tale is told through Sammy’s eyes. The author, Stacey Lee, is also a Chinese American, and whether through research or personal knowledge, the character Sammy is wonderfully rooted in traditional Chinese philosophy. Her cultural perspective brings an engaging twist to the western tale. Ms. Lee’s descriptions of the setting, time, place, morays and behaviors of the old west are also beautifully rendered.
Under a Painted Sky made me think about girls (and women) and courage. Women have always been courageous. It’s certainly not something that’s recently appeared with women’s lib. What women and girls have had to apply their courage to, changes with time and place and cultural context, but the courage has always been there, a great wealth to be drawn on.
Courage is a quality I admire—I hope you gathered that in reading The Curse of the Neverland—I enjoy stories that call a character’s courage into play. I believe reading such stories helps each of us summon and draw on our own courage.