Agnes's Rescue: The True Story of an Immigrant Girl

Young American Immigrants

by Karl Beckstrand (Adapter), Veara Southworth Fife (Adapter)

#1 in the Young American Immigrants (nonfiction picture book) series. Get the ebook free. Embark on a true adventure through the eyes of a child who sailed, rode, and walked it (portrayed in the motion picture, 17 Miracles ). Nine-year-old Agnes hopes for a better life in the USA--but will she survive the journey to her new home? Leaving her brother in Scotland (her father already lost at sea), Agnes sails with her Scottish-Irish mother and siblings to New York in 1856. They take a train to the edge of the Western Frontier in Iowa then walk westward 1,200 miles with little food. Somewhere near the Continental Divide, Agnes's shoes wear out. In blizzard conditions, she must now cross the Rocky Mountains--barefoot. Don't miss this inspiring account of courage and faith for children 6 - 11 years (first - sixth grades); 1,500 read-aloud words from Agnes Caldwell Southworth's autobiography set in an important era of American pioneer history; retold by award-winning author and college media instructor Karl Beckstrand (read all 60 of his multicultural books) and Veara Southworth Fife. Explore all four biographical children's books in a bundle (standalone, previous titles not required): Anna's The True Story of an immigrant Girl, Ida's Witness , Samuel The True Story of an immigrant Boy -each with online secrets and classroom lesson plan ideas-PremioBooks . You'll be glad you did! LOOK inside! Thirty-two full-color illustrations, 8.5"x8.5" hard cover, soft cover, or ebook about brave kids, families, horses, 4 th of July, travel, moving, and Pioneer Day (LDS); Premio Publishing & Gozo Books (worldwide rights (c) April 2021), libraries, schools, and all major nonfiction book distributors; 2021931888; JNF053240, JNF025200, JNF007120, JNF057000, JNF038060, JNF007080; YXG, YNMF, YNMD, soft 978-1975888831, hard 978-1951599119, 978-1005577032

Genres: Childrens, History, Biography

30 pages, Hardcover

Published April 25, 2021

About the author

Karl Beckstrand is the bestselling author-illustrator of 50+ cross-cultural children's and young adult books published through Premio Publishing and its KidsWorldBooks imprint (est. 2004, St. George, Utah). His titles have been reviewed by Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, The Horn Book, and School Library Journal, and adopted by the Library of Congress, the USDA (via Virginia Tech), and the State of Vermont for primary school curriculum. He has won the 2025 Global Book Award for Nonfiction (Abundant Paths), the 2016 International Book Award for Fiction (To Swallow the Earth: A Western Thriller), and the 2014 UP Author's Design Award (Bright Star, Night Star: An Astronomy Story). His biography Agnes's Rescue: The True Story of an Immigrant Girl is tied to the 2011 film 17 Miracles.
Raised in San Jose, California, Beckstrand earned a B.A. in Journalism from Brigham Young University, an M.A. in International Relations and Conflict Resolution from American Public University, and a film and broadcast certificate from the Film A Academy. He taught college media for eleven years and English to immigrants in North and South America. Before founding Premio, he was a technical recruiter in Silicon Valley, a Stanford Hospital chaplain, a Spanish interpreter for Angel Flight (aviator nonprofit), and a rock band front man. He consults in English and Spanish on publishing and cross-cultural education.

Reviews

[Jane]

Agnes's Rescue: The True Story of an Immigrant Girl ~ Young American Immigrants ~ Book 1, by Karl Beckstrand and Vera S. Fife, co-authors, tells the story of a young Laterday Saint that walked from Iowa City to Utah as part of the migration the Mormons made in the 1860s, This group of people used hand carts and mostly walked from Iowa City to what became Salt Lake City. Agnes and her two brothers and one sister came with their widowed mother from Scotland on this trip to join other family in Utah, Very interesting story and based on a true story of the author's ancestor.

[Barbara Ann]

Agnes was born in Scotland and lived there with her siblings. After her father's disappearance at sea, her mother turns to the Mormon faith. When Agnes turned nine in 1856, her mother had saved enough money to sail to America and become a part of the Latter Day Saints community in Utah.

Their journey contained numerous perils. After sailing to New York, they took a train to Iowa. There the hardships began. The family must walk pulling a cart with their possessions. Their food supplies became depleted, the weather turned frigid. Agnes and her family faced frostbite and near annihilation.

The story is biographical and written by a descendant. Sean Sullivan does a marvelous job with emotive illustrations. I like the interactive aspect of the book allowing readers to revisit the story by answering questions and voicing their opinions. This series is sure to inspire readers in elementary and middle school.

[Amys Bookshelf Reviews]

Remarkable journey

What a remarkably powerful story in Agnes’s Rescue: The True Story of an Immigrant Girl by Karl Beckstrand. I am a big fan of this author! This story is a true story and told through the eyes of a young immigrant, Agnes. It's 1856, and Agnes and her mother and siblings are in New York, where they landed after taking a ship from Scotland. They decide it's best to move westward, and they all encounter so many obstacles, including little food. It's a remarkable story and it is an impressive, heart-wrenching journey. I've read other titles in this series, and each one is a wonderful story of courage and bravery. Agnes’s Rescue: The True Story of an Immigrant Girl is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I look forward to reading many more stories by this author.

[Sunnie]

Little Agnes is from Glasgow, Scotland and finds herself coming to America to join a group of religious refugees as they travel west to what eventually becomes the state of Utah.
Being a modern-day immigrant and a genealogist, I just loved this children's story as it told a story that is dear to my heart, finding a path to what is hoped as a better future, although the going isn't easy. In fact, things were very difficult.

I loved the art work in this book which is richly and beautifully illustrated. It is an enjoyable read even for an adult! Loved it.

I received an ebook copy of this book from the author. All thoughts are my own.

[JRae]

This was a great book about Agnee’s it was very touching and moving to experience what she went through on her journey to America from Scotland. They moved to America for a better life but how hard it was to get there you would think they would have gave up. Agnes had to walk 1200 miles with no shoes and not the proper clothing to get to Utah. A lot of people who was traveling with them died along the way. Agnes was only 9 so I can’t imagine how this experienced changed her life but it changed her life for the good. This book is great to teach kids real journeys and experiences people had to go through in life.

[Jeanie]

Agnes is a young girl that traveled from Scotland to the United States. It tells the story of how difficult it was for families and why families wanted to come to America. A better life, to raise your children, and to worship God. Agnes is part of the Mormon Church and her family with difficulty and loss made it to Utah.

The illustrations were vibrant and help tell the story.

A special thank you to Books Go Social and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

[Susan Gleason]

What a delightful, touching story! I loved reading about Agnes and her brave family as she traveled from Scotland to Utah. The story was retold through Agnes's voice and it was as if I could hear her talking to me, telling me about the exciting, hard, and scary things she experienced in her travels. The illustrations were extremely helpful as they told more of the story and added to Agnes's simple descriptions. I felt myself cheering her on as she walked and walked through the bitter snow. The section with review questions at the end adds a great tool for discussion. Well done!!

[Marichus Real]

Agnes lived in Glasgow with her mother and siblings. Her mother works a lot to save money to sail to America to join the Saints there. It was a very long journey, first by ship, then by train and later on barefoot until they get to Utah.
An emotional true story about how was travelling as a pioneer in the nineteenth century. The illustrations are beautiful. I loved them.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rhonda]

This is a beautiful book, with a wonderful story about a little girl from Scotland and how she traveled to American. I loved the illustrations and the true story that was told about Agnes's hardships. I recommend this book to everyone.

[Mary Bronson]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an e-arc for an honest review.

I thought this a good historical fiction picture book. Agnes's immigrant story shows how hard they had coming to this new place and trying to find the right place to set up home. How dangerous their travels were.

[Sharron Bennett]

It keep my interest but I didn’t like the small pages. It was worth reading

[Crystal Anderson]

Hard to tell reader demographics

While the writing style seems suited for children around 5 years old, the questions and the topic seem more suited for slightly older kids.

[Travelmaven]

Interesting short story about one girl's adventurous travels to Utah. Teachers may need to explain the LDS and why families made this journey.

[Talea]

Ok

It was hard to stay interested. It seemed to leap from one event to the next without much direction. It was nice to see the Mormon migration in a child’s book though.

[Tracie]

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book! I thought this a good historical fiction picture book. The illustrations were extremely helpful as they told more of the story and added to Agnes's simple descriptions. I would highly recommend this book!