A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple, Mayflower, 1620

Dear America

by Kathryn Lasky

The diary of a young Pilgrim girl who makes the dangerous journey on the Mayflower to America is filled with her thoughts about her new friends, her contact with Native Americans, and her love for her new land.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Fiction, Historical, Childrens, Young Adult, Diary

173 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Kathryn Lasky, also known as Kathryn Lasky Knight and E. L. Swann, is an award-winning American author of over one hundred books for children and adults. Best known for the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series, her work has been translated into 19 languages and includes historical fiction, fantasy, and nonfiction.

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rereading this as a nostalgic adult and ho boy are the interactions with the indigenous tribes HARD TO READ

I want to review this in two ways. As my young self, and my current self.

As a kid, I think these books are awesome. I'm learning about history from the eyes of someone like me. I even write my journals like this too! I also get totally mad when someone pushes me at recess, just like Mem.

As an adult, these books are the reason I became a journalist. (someone who journals, not a writer for a news source lol) I thought, in my innocence, that these were Fact and that by writing in my journal I'd also be preserving history for future girls like me. And to be fair... plenty has happened in my millennial life that I've written and recorded because of these books, so I have literally recorded history. This series will always hold a special place in my heart for that reason.
As for the book itself, the language inconsistencies with historic accuracy bothers me. (but as a librarian I know that this language level is perfect for young readers.) I'd still fully recommend this to a kiddo today. As for the actual history, I had a hard time reading the interactions between Mem and the local Wamponoag and Paxutet because, even though Mem, as the main character has respect and kindness towards these neighbors, the violent interactions between the pilgrims and locals are mentioned only briefly or as non-existent. A classic white-washed joyful happy fun-times version of the first Thanksgiving is also presented.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

RTC

[Ana Mardoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Journey to the New World (Mayflower) / 0-590-50214-X

Like so many of the Dear America series, this book has wonderful history; the journey across the sea is so real, you can almost feel the narrator's sea sickness. The arrival in the New World is presented realistically: full of hope, joy, and gratitude for the safe arrival, and yet with hunger, fear, and dread quickly setting in. Will they be able to build homes in time for the winter? Will they be able to find, grow, and hunt enough food to keep from starving to death? And what new illnesses assail them here, in this new world?

I particularly appreciate the fairness with which the author treats the American Indians. A host of historical research shows that the settlers were remarkably impressed with the visage, bearing, and abilities of these people. Dear America correctly portrays the settlers as being grateful for the help they receive from the Americans. The diarist in particular is entranced at the American Indians' swimming abilities - she wonders if she could learn such a thing, or would she instantly die from exposure to so much water?

Parents should be aware that there is a great deal of illness and death here. The colonists are weakened by the cold weather and long crossing. The diarist is particularly downcast when her best friend has to pack up and head back to England because her father is too disheartened to continue after his wife's death. The colonists' hunger and desperation are tangible, and small children may be disconcerted when reading.

~ Ana Mardoll

[Regina Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was pretty okay, but there was just some flaws in the plot line that I found. So, here are the following things which is what I consider plot holes.
1. Wording: A young girl like Mem wouldn't write words like didn't, wasn't, and can't. It's 1620, they didn't start using those words regularly until the early twentieth century, almost three hundred years AFTER the Mayflower landed in Plymouth. And because she's from holland, there should be more Dutch dialogue in her diary.
2. Bad Writing: At the beginning of the book, there were entries about something about the dining hall and oh yeah. I despise John. Wouldn't she state that at the beginning of her entry?
3. Character Development: The diary, most of the time, didn't seem like it was written by a young teenager, it seemed like it was written by an author. And they also seem to praise America a lot, when they would have had England as their hero. who else is confused by this?
I know a lot of you would say I was bias, but really, you can stick to your review, and I'll stick to mine.
PS: The first thanksgiving wasn't in America. It was celebrated in Europe centuries before. And the First thanksgiving in North America was on Baffin Island in Canada with Martin Frobishore in 1578, long before the pilgrims arrived.
Sincerely,
Regina Mary Smith

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm glad this book includes the religious reasons behind the founding of the Plymouth colony, and presents the Christian faith in a positive light.

However, too much wasted space, excessive repetition, and journal entries that really didn't say anything messed this up for me. I've read better entries in this series than this mess.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

After more than two months and over 2,900 miles, Remember Whipple and her family arrive in the New World with the rest of the passengers and crew aboard the famed Mayflower. The Whipple family is part of a religious group known as the Saints that left Holland to find religious freedom in this far away place.

The Mayflower first came ashore off Cape Cod. Women and children were left on the ship while the men explored. It was determined that the area was not their true destination, and they set sail for a neighboring region. The Pilgrims finally settled in a place Remember refers to as Plimoth.

At the start of the voyage, Remember's mother gives her a handmade diary and encourages her young daughter to record the events of the journey. What follows is a fascinating account of the treacherous trip across the Atlantic. The sea voyage was extremely uncomfortable and deadly. Many passengers didn't live to set foot in the New World. Remember was one of the lucky few whose entire family survived the journey.

Once in the New World, the settlers were faced with even greater challenges. They arrived at the start of winter, so sickness continued to decrease their numbers, and the shortage of food presented further problems. Although Remember writes of being excited to see and meet the Indians, the men of the group prepared to deal with a possible unfriendly welcome from the natives.

Author Kathryn Lasky paints an incredible picture of these brave pioneers. She describes the investors who gambled that the pilgrims would make the voyage, create a settlement, and then produce products that would be returned by ship to repay their investment. Lasky turns this well-known story into a suspenseful adventure told by a courageous young girl. A JOURNEY TO THE NEW WORLD is a welcome addition to the DEAR AMERICA series.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of all the Dear America's that I have read this is the first one that made me somewhat angry. I mean logically I knew what was going to happen in the story how the pilgrims would meet the Indian's and how Myles Standish was so sure that they were all murderers or thieves of some kind. I still can't believe that any of the pilgrims from the Plymouth settlement actually survived that first year. I mean they basically had nothing and no idea what they would find when they got to the New World. The whole expedition was just ludicrous if you ask me. I imagine if I had lived during the 1600's and had heard about this little adventure to such a unknown and hostel land I would have giggled at whomever decided they ought to go. The whole thing is pretty amazing when you think about it because without those first settlers and that horrible first year at Plymouth there is a good chance none of us would even be here and the Americas would still be uncharted forests.

[Katherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I teach social studies and try to provide historically accurate information for my students. Even though this is a historical fiction, I would not use this to accompany the Founding of America unit. There are several mistakes throughout the book. The writing style and the grammar does not match the time period, "Oh dear, I'm feeling pukish... I must lay my pen down before I puke all over you". Some historical accounts were not accurate... "There are no buildings or streets and the only people are feathered men and feathered women and feathered babies, I suppose, who do paint their faces 'tis said, and live in most uncommon shelters." I have a problem with this statement... This is written on the ship. They did not know about the Indians until AFTER they arrived. How would a child know about Indians anyway? Adults don't share that information with children and especially with a young girl. Women were lucky if they access information, typically men kept things from women. Also another bit... they measured and allocated lots among families. They did not. They shared land and worked together but their homes were different to reflect their status. Disappointed in this book and I liked some of the other series.

[Tarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fictional diary tells the story of a girl named "Remember Patience Whipple" (known as "Mem"). Her family is traveling on the Mayflower to the New World in 1620. It's quite a voyage lasting for weeks--Once they arrive on the land, they are overwhelmed with questions. They discover that their voyage was only the beginning of the journey. The Pilgrims will have to learn how to live a totally new life like they've never lived before in Europe.

Through the whole book, you can see this historical journey through the eyes of a young girl. Even through death, illness, and other tragedies that take place, this group of people must stick together and strive to live in this new land. Remember Patience Whipple is a young girl stuck in the midst of all this chaos, and this book is her diary.

"A Journey to the New World" is a part of the Dear America series. Recommended for ages 9-12.

[vanessa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super nostalgic to go back and read a Dear America book, since these WERE my childhood haha.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids’ favorite school pick of the year, so far. Mayflower voyage and Plymouth settlement story, complete with heartbreaking details. Plenty of places to fact check and have side bar discussions and research.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple (Mayflower, 1620) is the story of a young pilgrim girl making her way across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World with her family. I thought this book would be really appropriate for my Thanksgiving edition of Throwback Thursday! I remember this series from when I was in elementary school, this book came out while I was in 4th grade just discovering Backstreet Boys, *NSync, and Spice Girls! I read a few of the books from the Dear America series, but I don't remember which ones, it was so long ago. There's only one I'm entirely sure I read and it's not this one. I'll likely work my way through the series again for various Throwback Thursdays and the books can be found on Amazon used for about $4.00, which is the great thing about older books!

This was actually the first in the Dear America series, but in my opinion not such a good start. I think this was probably one of the books I read when I was 10 to help me feel better about my life. This book was so depressing, ugh! Basically all Remember does is catalog every person who died either on the Mayflower or while settling Plymouth. There's hardly any story outside of "x person died today" or "x person is very ill, hopefully they won't die soon" (they almost always do die). So, that's a lot of death. In case you aren't familiar with the story of the Mayflower, the pilgrims weren't exactly the healthiest or luckiest brood.

As usual, I found myself annoyed with the Puritan's society too. They were so uptight and judgmental no wonder the Church of England didn't like them! I know it goes way beyond just the Puritan's personalities, but seriously, ugh. Perfect example, would be how Remember puts down the ways of Dutch people. The pilgrims fled to Holland and then she wants to bitch about what the Dutch do on the Sabbath? Really? If you don't like Holland then GTFO. I guess that's what the pilgrims did... but it's just the principle of it. I wouldn't flee to a foreign country because my own country wants to execute my people and then stick my nose up at that country's culture and customs.

I'm getting upset about a fictional person, I know.

The story did get a bit better after they found the New World and people for the most part gradually stopped dying, or Remember just had other things to write about. I remember this series being really good so I hope this one is just a fluke. I'm trying to determine if I didn't like it because I'm 27 and not 11 anymore, but that can't be it because there's plenty of books I re-read from my childhood and they're just as good to me now as then.

I'm giving A Journey to the New World 2 out of 5 stars.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the review from my third time reading this book. I got it from the library because it’s November and I’m sharing facts about the pilgrims every few days on social media. Along with a non fiction, I’m comparing facts. What I found interesting about this book is how the author wine a fictional character into a story containing real events. Mem may not have been a real person, but there was a girl on the boat named Remember and I believe she was the daughter of the real man who went on to marry Hannah Potts. They were the first to get married in the Plymouth settlement. The character of Mem is a separatist from Leydan, Holland who sails across the Atlantic on the Mayflower with her mother and father. She talks of many real people such as John Carver and Myles Standish, even Francis Billington when he discovers the Billington Sea and John Billington getting lost in the woods and being taken care of by the Nauset Indians. There’s fictional characters thrown in too like her friend Hummy. A lot of the information about life at the Plymouth settlement was learned from the written accounts of William Bradford. I don’t know if there were any writings saved by children or other pilgrims.
As a character, Mem is fascinated by the Native Americans and is so excited when Samoset visits their settlement and introduces them to Squanto and the other Indians. Her diary tells us of the harsh winter where nearly half the settlers died of illness, the building of their houses and how they learned to grow crops from the Indians leading up to the first thanksgiving that lasted for three days. I thought the author did a great job creating a fictional story based off real events. This book teaches you a lot, and the Historical Note at the end really ties it all together.
I’ve always been very interested in this time in history, maybe because it all happened just a few hours from where I live. I still haven’t gotten to visit Plymouth yet! I’ve spent a lot of time this month reading and learning about the early days of the Plymouth settlement so hopefully sometime soon I can get up there and visually tie it all together 🤞🏼

[Katieb (MundieMoms) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kathryn Lasky captured the rich history from the 1600's and the treacherous journey from England to America on the Mayflower brilliantly. She wrote Remember Patience Whipple, or Mem for short, story so vividly that I was able to grasp more of what it was like growing up during this time. She detailed the events on the Mayflower, to landing at Plymouth rock, to what is like to settle the land that first year, to their clothing, crops, what they ate and what the land was like. I felt like I was part of Mem's story, which reads like a journal.

Mem is such a wonderful character and I was really drawn to her inner strength. She has to deal with harsh conditions both on the ship and once they reach land. Traveling across the Atlantic during the fall and winter months isn't a walk in the park. They can't immediately leave the ship when they arrive, as the men need to scout out the land, build shelter and they also have Indians to worry about. This small group of Pilgrims who want nothing more than to be free to worship God how they choose, and not be ruled by a King, have sacrificed so much in coming to a land of freedom. They have dwelt with a lot of death, disease and are having to learn by trial and error how to go crop in this new land. Luckily for them, they befriend two Native Americans, Squanto and Samoset who teach them all they need to know about the land.

This is a fantastic cross over for both middle grade readers and adults. It's a book I was completely fascinated with and wanted to read more about when I was done. This wonderful historical book will be a great tool for teaching middle graders early American history, and life as an early settler of America. I highly recommend picking up this story! You will become part of the story, as you're transformed back into the year 1620. This is the first in the Dear America series we'll be featuring on Mundie Kids this week.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remember Patience Whipple, called Mem by her family, is twelve years old in 1620, when her family and other pilgrims in search of religious freedom set sail for the New World on the Mayflower. Mem is a bit frightened at the prospect of living in this wild new land, having heard tales of strange and frightening native people who attack the settlers. The sea voyage is long and tedious, full of seasickness, daily boredom, and teasing from the mean Billington boys.

When the pilgrims arrive in the new world, Mem finds it is not the wild Indians they have to fear; rather, the danger they face is from hunger and disease. The first winter is long and cold, and many of the settlers become sick and die. Mem must deal with her fears for her family and friends, and eventually the loss of her mother, which leaves her struggling to find the strength and courage to go on.

I first read A Journey to the New World in 1996, when it was first published as one of the first books in the Dear America series. Each book in the series is the fictional diary of a preteen or young teenage girl living during an important time in American history. Mem’s fictional diary is both entertaining and educational, bringing to life the journey on the Mayflower and the settling of Plymouth Colony, as well as the hopes, dreams, and fears of a young girl settling in a strange new land. The Dear America series truly brings history to life and helped me develop a love for historical fiction, and I am glad to see the series is being brought back into print for a new generation of readers. Highly recommended.

[Carolynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kathryn Lasky's books are always high quality (I've also read _Dear America Dreams In the Golden Country The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl_, another entry in the Dear America series)and this book is no exception. She takes her protagonist, named Remember Patience Whipple (thankfully nicknamed Mem, though I think I'd have chosen Pat) from a harrowing voyage on the Mayflower to the so-called first Thanksgiving (possibly first for the Europeans, but surely not for the Wampanoag Indians who appeared). Lasky tries to balance the points of view of the beleagured English settlers and the Native Americans whose traditional lands were being invaded, but the documents are pretty sketchy about interactions with the local Indians. Mem is tough and courageous; the story is dramatic and compelling; but there are enough historical details for it to be a useful supplement to classroom history lessons. As always in this series, there is end matter that includes pictures and historical information. The Lexile measure is 900, which puts it at the upper end of elementary reading. For more information about Thanksgiving at Plimoth, see National Geographic's _1621 : a New Look at Thanksgiving by Catherine O'Neill Grace and Margaret M. Bruchac, among others. For a book about the Indian point of view of this time, see _Tapenum's day : a Wampanoag Indian boy in pilgrim times_ by Kate Waters. And don't miss a stop at Plimoth Plantation and Hobbamuck's Village, if you have the opportunity to visit the Plymouth area in Massachusetts.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is told from the perspective of a young 13-year-old girl, Remember Patience Whipple. Remember recounts her memories and experiences of her journey of immigrating from England to the New World. I like that this book was in a diary entry format, because the dates made it easy to follow the time frame in which the events took place. This story explains the reasons why the pilgrims wanted to immigrate to a new land in the first place, and describes in detail the hardships the pilgrims faced on the Mayflower. I liked how graphic the story was and the language the author used, because I felt like I was on the boat with her when she would describe the death of someone else or the screams of pain of the other passengers. I thought this story did a great job of highlighting some very important events which occured during the colonial era, such as the Mayflower Compact, and the arrival at Plimoth Rock. Although the story is very graphic and involves some very sad events such as frequent death, destruction, conflict, and starvation, I feel that the auhtor does a wonderful job of exposing young students to the reality of what happened to the Pilgrims in a language and manner that young adolescents can appreciate and understand. As a future teacher, I would incorporate this book when teaching a social studies unit about the Pilgrims and the Indians. I might also use this book during the Thanksgiving holiday to help students understand how the pilgrims influenced this holiday. Overall, a very good, informational, historical fiction novel.

[The other John · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book of the Dear America series that I have read. My elder daughter has loved the series for years, but apart from peeking at some of the historical information in the back of the book, I've never read one. Until now, of course. My younger daughter is learning about the Pilgrims, so as a dutiful teacher, I feel obliged to read the same books she has to read. This one's the diary of a Puritan lass named Remember Patience Whipple. She's sailing aboard the Mayflower with her parents and young sister, heading toward a new life in America. I had mixed feelings about the book. On one hand, it was a bit heavy handed with the history. In the first entry, Remember gives us the dimensions of the Mayflower as well as a definition of the "Saints", the group to whom she belongs. I find it hard to believe that a twelve-year-old girl would bother to record this information unless, of course, she was secretly trying to entice her reader to learn some history. On the other hand, a few entries later, Remember lists synonyms for vomit--something I would expect to find in a pre-teen's diary. So the story's not a perfect disguise for the history lesson, but Ms. Lasky has made a good attempt. The story is good enough for me to let my girls check it out.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not my favorite of the Dear America series, I really enjoyed this one. Mem is a likable girl and her voice sounded very believable for a twelve year old girl. I love that Dear America chose to have one of their books feature a pilgrim girl because the pilgrims' journey on the Mayflower is an essential part of American history despite the fact that it happened some 150 years before America was founded.

The best part of this book of this book is the beginning when Mem and her family are still on the Mayflower. Not only was it interesting and exciting but also very informative. Unfortunately I felt that the storytelling gradually lost steam once the pilgrims reached the New World. By the end of the book it seemed like Mem had very little to say. The First Thanksgiving especially was neglected when it should have been a special event for Mem and therefore an important part of the story.

Despite that, I still enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it.

[Nielson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A part of the Dear America series, this particular book focuses on the the journey from Europe to the New World on the Mayflower. It also focuses on what early life was like for the pilgrims. These books are a wonderful way for students to learn more about these specific times in American history. The writers' stories make past events come alive for the readers and help instill a greater appreciation for our predecessors. Also included at the back of each book is a historical note about the time period as well as reproductions of important documents and paintings during that era. The only downside to these books are the new covers they are coming out with. The new covers take away from the diary feel and look too modern...hate the new look but love the stories within

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dear America series is a great way to introduce tweens to American history by telling about famous points in history by way of a young girls' diaries. This entry is one of the earlier ones.

Remember Patience Whipple (Mem) is a child, one of the 102 Pilgrims on board the Mayflower heading to America. It begins on the Mayflower and ends several months after they've landed.

This isn't an indepth exploration of the Pilgrims via fiction. Everything is told through Mem's eyes which don't see everything. In that way it makes in more realistic.

It's an excellent entry in the now cancelled book series and I do recommend it for ages 8-12.

[Robin (Saturndoo) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! This series of books are really quick and easy to read but yet are very good stories. I did find a few things in the plot line that didn't seem quite right BUT the characters and story was still really good. Lots of info on historical events as well as some things these settlers dealt with such as starvation,death,and conflict. I am really enjoying these books and highly recommend them. Now I am off to read the next one :)

[Audrey Henning · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book!

It's more geared toward younger teenagers and I'm almost 23, but it was very descriptive and took you right back to that time period! I read this during my lunch hour at work one day and even though the break room was super noisy at work, I was still completely sucked into this book.

It reads very quick, so it's a great book to read if you'd like to know what it was like sailing on the Mayflower and settling at Plymouth Rock.

[Kristal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book in one sitting. It's not the best Dear America/Canada book; I really preferred Alone in an Untamed Land for a story of coming to the New World because I felt like the descriptions of the new world were richer and there was better reflections on Aboriginal people with regards to breaking down stereotypes and fostering relationships. I felt as if this book made the "Indians" to be a bit stereotypical and downplayed how significant their role was to the pilgrims survival.

[Siri Kollati · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give book a rating of 4 stars because over all, the book was pretty interesting and it gave you so many historical details which helped me picture what was going on in my head. The book was pretty digusting and was very sad. The sad part was when the main character (Remember Patience Whipple, a.k.a Mem) was going through a hard time when her mother died of illness. I feel so bad for her and her father.

[Kelsey Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good but definitely had some sad parts. It doesn't shy away from the hardships, sickness and death that the pilgrims faced. I do admire that both the Dear America series and My Name is America books covering this topic have included the names of actual pilgrims who traveled on the Mayflower including Will Butten, Miles Standish, Priscilla Mullin and John Alden.

[AF · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for museum research project.

It was pretty hard for me to get through. I think it's because I am 24 and this is written for middle-grade. However, I've had to read some middle-grade in college when I had been (stupidly) pursuing early childhood education (phew, I lucked out of that nightmare just in time), and some of the books we were assigned were written so well that you didn't notice the youthfulness of the book too much. It wasn't a grueling process to finish, unlike this book (which had, surprisingly, been recommended to me by museum peers).

One moment sticks out to me--something that bothered me. The character, Remember, wastes almost two pages of her 'diary' writing that she's bored. Bored, bored, so bored, oh so bored. Yes, the journey from Holland to Massachusetts would have been very trying for a young girl, and perhaps Lasky was trying to capture child-like thoughts, but it seemed really (for lack of a better word) BORING to come across Remember's boredom. She could have described more of her setting or used other characters as a means of story; Lasky already started to, by pulling in the Billington brothers.

I wouldn't recommend this to children wanting to read and empathize with a Pilgrim child. Not only was the writing tedious and jarring, but some of the information left me scratching my head, wondering if she used certain terms because it'd be easier for children to understand or that she didn't actually know the history and terminology as well as she should. Although this story takes place in the Mayflower, by Provincetown, and in Plymouth, I never felt grounded with the character. Everything, and even everyone, was written with a vagueness, as if you could sort of get a hazy sense of the seventeenth century world Remember lived in (who wasn't even an actual Pilgrim child on the ship) but not the full picture.

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ‘Dear America’ series consists of some of my favorite historical fiction books. This is one of the few I hadn’t read yet and was not disappointed. The story followed a young girl, Remember (Mem) Patience Whipple, and her journey on the Mayflower to the new world. Mem and her family experience many difficult things, some of which I feel children, or even adults, could relate to on a personal level.
My only complaint is that I did feel the book was a bit rushed at certain points. Especially towards the end. Something that happens to Mem that I feel should have gotten a good bit more attention then it did, but instead it happens, then the book ends.
You were left with closure, though, which I did appreciate. At the end of every ‘Dear America’ book, it explains what happened to the characters after the entries end (as any epilogue does), but I still wish that that closure had come from the diary entries as well.
Nevertheless, a beautiful story which is enjoyable for all ages. I highly recommend.

[Kat Saunders · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, but I'm rounding down simply because I remember enjoying this as a kid a lot more than I did now. It makes sense to start the Dear America series with a young pilgrim's voyage to the New World. However, the boat ride becomes tedious/repetitive, and it dominates half the novel. There's a lot of clunkiness with the diary format--including how characters are introduced (or not). Some sort of character chart in the frontmatter would have been helpful.

I remembered being horrified by the descriptions of torture (I learned what being hung, drawn, and quartered was from this book), but what I'd forgotten was just how much death dominates this narrative.* There's very little reflection about it; there are glimpses that Remember is skilled at providing comfort to others who are sick and/or dying. Remember has a surprisingly friendly, open attitudes toward the indigenous people she meets. However, it's a fine line between friendliness and exoticism, and this book falls into that a bit. I also seriously doubt that Remember's parents were just letting her go exploring all the time on her own and chatting with Squanto and other adult men (native or otherwise).

The biggest weakness of this book is the lack of character development for Remember's parents. The father is barely even mentioned until the second half, and it just seemed like a curious choice to have so few interactions between Remember and her family. All in all, this was a perfectly fine beginning to the series, but I know better ones are up ahead.

*Dorothy Bradford definitely dies intentionally, right?

Dear parent count: 1. Bonus: tons of people die in the first year of the "settlement."

[Ashton Noel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's really hard as an adult to give a rating to a book written for children. I love the Dear America series and I read this one in particular for Nostalgiathon where we read books from our childhood. This one in particular was hard to get through. The writing was very good, simple enough for the young age group it's written for yet not so simple that an adult can't enjoy as well. However the overlying themes of hardship and constant death the pilgrims faced was so sad to read. It did pick up toward the end and I would have liked to have read more about the first Thanksgiving. I felt the ending was a bit rushed. 3.5/5 stars from me.