What do you think?
Rate this book
The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party
On April 14, 1846, the Donner Party set out from Springfield, Illinois, in search of a better life in the largely unsettled California territory. The trip started well but eventually questionable choices and infighting delayed pioneers' attempt to cross the Sierra Nevada until winter. As the impassable snows closed in and their supplies dwindled to nothing, the group faced an almost hopeless struggle for survival that would push some toward the final taboo of cannibalism. Nearly half the members of the Donner Party were children. This account, filled with selections from the survivors' letters and diaries, focuses on the children's experiences, making it uniquely compelling and accessible to young readers. Index, bibliography, chronology, group rosters, suggestions for further research.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
8 people are currently reading
284 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
September 12, 2024
This author, Marian Calabro, must be like the middle-grades equivalent of Laura Hillenbrand; it's been a long time since a work of juvenile non-fiction has taken me to this panting, page-turning place.
This story quite literally invaded my sleep, in the form of dreams and wakefulness, and I was Johnny-on-the-spot, every morning, for our combined American history/language arts lesson. (I'm currently home-schooling my youngest, Child #3).
Granted, the story itself, the real-life truth of this story, is enough to stop most people dead in their tracks (pun intended), but this author's approach to her non-fiction storytelling was so utterly engaging.
In case you aren't American, or you're, like, really young (I stand corrected. In this week alone, I've mentioned the Donner party to a 30 year-old, a 49-year old and a 59 year-old, and not one of them had ever heard the story). . . you may not know the famous story of “The Donner Party.”
In short: “The Donner Party” was a party of roughly 90 people. Approximately 15 of them were actual “Donners” and their employees; the rest of the group was made up of multiple families and their hired hands.
This large group of new “pioneers” left Springfield, Illinois (land of Lincoln) on April 15, 1846, and traveled together, by covered wagon, to California.
Many things went wrong, starting with their self-declared leader, James Reed, deciding to take a “short-cut” advised by an ego-maniacal self-made “author” and “wannabe president or emperor of California,” Lansford Hastings.
And. . .
Not letting any of the women in the party have any say on minor and major decisions.
Leaving “ailing” members of the group to die, alone, in the wilderness.
A wife beater in the group who most likely also committed murder.
Murder.
Loss of sooo many oxen, along the way.
Twenty-two feet of snow in the mountains.
Being stranded all winter.
More murder.
Cannibalism.
This is a carefully researched work of non-fiction, one that includes an index and a BIBLIOGRAPHY, something that is disappearing now from our schools and current middle-grades history books. I refuse to read any book to my child written by any author who CAN NOT PROVE where they found their information.
And. . . it was obvious to me that the author had a helluva good time researching it and writing it.
Highly recommended to any teenager who accuses history of being "boring!!"
This story quite literally invaded my sleep, in the form of dreams and wakefulness, and I was Johnny-on-the-spot, every morning, for our combined American history/language arts lesson. (I'm currently home-schooling my youngest, Child #3).
Granted, the story itself, the real-life truth of this story, is enough to stop most people dead in their tracks (pun intended), but this author's approach to her non-fiction storytelling was so utterly engaging.
In case you aren't American, or you're, like, really young (I stand corrected. In this week alone, I've mentioned the Donner party to a 30 year-old, a 49-year old and a 59 year-old, and not one of them had ever heard the story). . . you may not know the famous story of “The Donner Party.”
In short: “The Donner Party” was a party of roughly 90 people. Approximately 15 of them were actual “Donners” and their employees; the rest of the group was made up of multiple families and their hired hands.
This large group of new “pioneers” left Springfield, Illinois (land of Lincoln) on April 15, 1846, and traveled together, by covered wagon, to California.
Many things went wrong, starting with their self-declared leader, James Reed, deciding to take a “short-cut” advised by an ego-maniacal self-made “author” and “wannabe president or emperor of California,” Lansford Hastings.
And. . .
Not letting any of the women in the party have any say on minor and major decisions.
Leaving “ailing” members of the group to die, alone, in the wilderness.
A wife beater in the group who most likely also committed murder.
Murder.
Loss of sooo many oxen, along the way.
Twenty-two feet of snow in the mountains.
Being stranded all winter.
More murder.
Cannibalism.
This is a carefully researched work of non-fiction, one that includes an index and a BIBLIOGRAPHY, something that is disappearing now from our schools and current middle-grades history books. I refuse to read any book to my child written by any author who CAN NOT PROVE where they found their information.
And. . . it was obvious to me that the author had a helluva good time researching it and writing it.
Highly recommended to any teenager who accuses history of being "boring!!"
January 21, 2021
"Unless you pass over the mountains early in the fall, you are very liable to be detained, by impassable mountains of snow, until the next spring, or, perhaps, forever." - Lansford Hastings, writer of the guide book the ill-fated Donner Party took to heart.
This is the fourth book I've read concerning the hapless Donner Party, so I was already familiar with the players and their deeds both heroic and unsavory, though it was the first title to contain photos of the unforgiving terrain.
Rock upon rock, snow upon snow.
Holy smokes! I'm amazed anyone made it.
This volume is aimed squarely at middle-grade readers, yet I found it in the adult section of the library where I work. Perhaps one of my well-meaning predecessors thought the subject matter too dark for the younger set. I happen to know that when it comes to history's gorier details like murder and cannibalism, well . . . kids eat that stuff up. I plan to redistribute this title pronto. Children will come for the cannibalism, true, but they'll be exposed to all sorts of human drama, including the fact that in times of crisis, adults frequently behavelike worse than children. There are two nice concluding chapters on what became of the survivors. and, yes,indeedelidoo - one of the accused cannibals opened a restaurant. The author also provides an excellent afterward section including a chronology, a roster of the dead, and a bibliography. In all, a good examination of an American tragedy for ages ten and up.
I'll have a breast and a thigh, please.
This is the fourth book I've read concerning the hapless Donner Party, so I was already familiar with the players and their deeds both heroic and unsavory, though it was the first title to contain photos of the unforgiving terrain.
Rock upon rock, snow upon snow.
Holy smokes! I'm amazed anyone made it.
This volume is aimed squarely at middle-grade readers, yet I found it in the adult section of the library where I work. Perhaps one of my well-meaning predecessors thought the subject matter too dark for the younger set. I happen to know that when it comes to history's gorier details like murder and cannibalism, well . . . kids eat that stuff up. I plan to redistribute this title pronto. Children will come for the cannibalism, true, but they'll be exposed to all sorts of human drama, including the fact that in times of crisis, adults frequently behave
I'll have a breast and a thigh, please.
June 1, 2010
Here are the types of children who will benefit from reading this book, although a combination of all three types would probably be best.
#1. The Precocious And Brave History Nerd. Fearless pioneers partaking in manifest destiny forge through the unforgiving wilderness of the Wild West. Will they hack through the impenetrable Wasatch Mountains in time? Should they befriend the Natives? Will the forty-mile desert destroy or invigorate the pioneers? The first two-thirds of this book is for you , PABHN!
#2. Language Geeks. Get ready to salivate (poor choice of words, I agree) over the lush language, particularly in the ominous and liberal foreshadowing that Calabro so heavily relies on. It's effective, too, in that the horror around the corner always seems to be nipping at the party's heels. Like your buddy the History Nerd, Language Geek will love the first 2/3 of The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party.
#3. The Child With A Cast-Iron Stomach. And then, as we all know, cannibalism arrives. Although Calabro handles the subject gently - or as gently as one can handle describing the consumption of human flesh - it is very much not for the weak-willed. Even incidents preceding the cannibalism (like Edgar Breen's sickening fall from a horse) are horrifically blunt. As the desperation of the Donner Party mounts, so too does the tension, and Junior Gorehounds will probably enjoy the ride.
Calabro thoughtfully includes brief descriptions of the lives of the survivors in their later years and peppers the retelling with historical documents, photographs, and drawings that add to the humanity - and inhumanity - of the journey.
#1. The Precocious And Brave History Nerd. Fearless pioneers partaking in manifest destiny forge through the unforgiving wilderness of the Wild West. Will they hack through the impenetrable Wasatch Mountains in time? Should they befriend the Natives? Will the forty-mile desert destroy or invigorate the pioneers? The first two-thirds of this book is for you , PABHN!
#2. Language Geeks. Get ready to salivate (poor choice of words, I agree) over the lush language, particularly in the ominous and liberal foreshadowing that Calabro so heavily relies on. It's effective, too, in that the horror around the corner always seems to be nipping at the party's heels. Like your buddy the History Nerd, Language Geek will love the first 2/3 of The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party.
#3. The Child With A Cast-Iron Stomach. And then, as we all know, cannibalism arrives. Although Calabro handles the subject gently - or as gently as one can handle describing the consumption of human flesh - it is very much not for the weak-willed. Even incidents preceding the cannibalism (like Edgar Breen's sickening fall from a horse) are horrifically blunt. As the desperation of the Donner Party mounts, so too does the tension, and Junior Gorehounds will probably enjoy the ride.
Calabro thoughtfully includes brief descriptions of the lives of the survivors in their later years and peppers the retelling with historical documents, photographs, and drawings that add to the humanity - and inhumanity - of the journey.
July 7, 2022
On April 16, 1846, nine covered wagons left Springfield, Illinois on the 2,500-mile expedition to California, in what would become one of the greatest tragedies in the record of westward migration.
In 1846 George and Jacob Donner, James Reed, and their families left Illinois for the yet unpopulated unsettled terrain of California. Of the ninety travelers, teenagers and children made up half the party.
Using chronicles, diaries, and letters, the author of this nonfiction account shows the delight at the commencement of the journey, and then the resentment and malice that surfaced as catastrophes began to occur.
Much of the experience is conveyed through the eyes of Virginia Reed, who turned thirteen on the trek; Virginia's powerful letter at the conclusion of the torment appears in its whole.
Marian Calabro discusses many of the awful decisions that the party made and how the survivors ended up resorting to "the last taboo," cannibalism, which made these settlers an object of revulsion in their own time.
Illustrated with maps, drawings, and etchings, the skillful narrative unfolds a disastrous experience in the history of the West.
In 1846 George and Jacob Donner, James Reed, and their families left Illinois for the yet unpopulated unsettled terrain of California. Of the ninety travelers, teenagers and children made up half the party.
Using chronicles, diaries, and letters, the author of this nonfiction account shows the delight at the commencement of the journey, and then the resentment and malice that surfaced as catastrophes began to occur.
Much of the experience is conveyed through the eyes of Virginia Reed, who turned thirteen on the trek; Virginia's powerful letter at the conclusion of the torment appears in its whole.
Marian Calabro discusses many of the awful decisions that the party made and how the survivors ended up resorting to "the last taboo," cannibalism, which made these settlers an object of revulsion in their own time.
Illustrated with maps, drawings, and etchings, the skillful narrative unfolds a disastrous experience in the history of the West.
September 13, 2022
I was searching for local history, found this book in the library, and realized my knowledge of this tragic event in history was less than a fleeting footnote in my mind. All I remembered was that the party had left late and found themselves trapped in the mountains.
As a history buff, I found the book enjoyable and, as it was intended for younger readers, it was a quick read (mostly due to the book being less than 200 pages). Author Marian Calabro didn’t mince words, pointing out the errors of the leaders as well as the dangerous advice imparted by people who had their own interests at heart and barely considered the potential catastrophic effects. Whenever possible, Ms. Calabro inserted the thoughts or actions of the children in the Donner Party, which should allow younger readers a chance to identify with their peers. Reflecting on the choices of adults and how they affected teens and children in the traveling group will give them much to think about.
Many pictures of those involved are featured, as well as pictures of documents, maps, and drawings will help bring this story to life. It was a nice touch to also include future generations of the survivors. Highly recommended. Five stars.
As a history buff, I found the book enjoyable and, as it was intended for younger readers, it was a quick read (mostly due to the book being less than 200 pages). Author Marian Calabro didn’t mince words, pointing out the errors of the leaders as well as the dangerous advice imparted by people who had their own interests at heart and barely considered the potential catastrophic effects. Whenever possible, Ms. Calabro inserted the thoughts or actions of the children in the Donner Party, which should allow younger readers a chance to identify with their peers. Reflecting on the choices of adults and how they affected teens and children in the traveling group will give them much to think about.
Many pictures of those involved are featured, as well as pictures of documents, maps, and drawings will help bring this story to life. It was a nice touch to also include future generations of the survivors. Highly recommended. Five stars.
November 12, 2022
The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party by Marian Calabro is a non-fiction book about the Donner-Reed Party who started out for California in 1846 and were led astray onto a path called the Hastings Cutoff. From November 1846 until March of 1847, nearly half of the party of eighty-one people perished of starvation and illness in the snowy mountains.
"Unless you pass over the mountains early in the fall, you are very liable to be detained, by impassable mountains of snow, until the next spring, or, perhaps, forever." - Lansford Hastings (born and raised in Ohio) in his book, The Emigrants' Guide to Oregon and California
I never tire of reading about the journey of the Donner-Reed Party, as it is one of the most fascinating tales of emigrant migration to the west, where bountiful land and prosperity was all but promised to them.
Calabro's account focused more on the children of the party, including twelve-year-old Virginia Reed, whose diaries and letters Calabro frequently quoted. I enjoyed all of the pictures and illustrations included, and although this book majorly lacked in the amount of detail from other books I've read about the Donner Party, this book was clearly aimed at a younger audience and did a great job explaining the basics of the journey.
One tidbit I hadn't read before was that a group of Native Americans from the Paiute tribe in the area actually knew that the Donner Party were at Truckee Lake, but did not help them as they were fearful of them. One Native American man brought them soaproot to bathe with, but they ate the soaproot instead.
"Unless you pass over the mountains early in the fall, you are very liable to be detained, by impassable mountains of snow, until the next spring, or, perhaps, forever." - Lansford Hastings (born and raised in Ohio) in his book, The Emigrants' Guide to Oregon and California
I never tire of reading about the journey of the Donner-Reed Party, as it is one of the most fascinating tales of emigrant migration to the west, where bountiful land and prosperity was all but promised to them.
Calabro's account focused more on the children of the party, including twelve-year-old Virginia Reed, whose diaries and letters Calabro frequently quoted. I enjoyed all of the pictures and illustrations included, and although this book majorly lacked in the amount of detail from other books I've read about the Donner Party, this book was clearly aimed at a younger audience and did a great job explaining the basics of the journey.
One tidbit I hadn't read before was that a group of Native Americans from the Paiute tribe in the area actually knew that the Donner Party were at Truckee Lake, but did not help them as they were fearful of them. One Native American man brought them soaproot to bathe with, but they ate the soaproot instead.
November 1, 2018
The pacing of the book is what makes it a perilous read! I wish that the writing approach was different to keep the book moving and more active as readers follow along on this horrid journey across the "American" landscape that was yet to be all the United States. The tediousness, the family, the in-fighting between groups, the lack of food, the terrain. It all makes for a fascinating read that ends in a horrible tragedy that is what makes the Donner family so famous, but I'd take a documentary rather than this book unfortunately because the book doesn't do the story justice.
August 3, 2025
Absolutely loved loved loved this book. So interesting to live right next to all this history! I can’t wait to go visit all of the museums and see the landmarks. Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more. I enjoyed the pictures and the maps and the personal accounts.
May 8, 2017
This book is slow book and if you like an action packed book with constant action then don't read this book.
August 4, 2024
Reviewed for THC Reviews
The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party tells the story of this ill-fated group of pioneers. If you’re unfamiliar with their story, on April 15, 1846, three large families, two Donner families and the Reeds, along with their hired help, set out from Springfield, Illinois, headed to California. Along the way, fifty-nine others joined them. While most pioneers of the day took a well-traveled route to reach the west coast, the Donner Brothers and James Reed had consulted a book titled The Emigrants Guide to Oregon and California written by Lansford Warren Hastings, which touted a “short-cut” that would reportedly shave 350-400 miles off their trip. Unfortunately Hastings had limited experience with traveling in the west and had never led a wagon train via that route. The Donner Party’s journey from Illinois to Wyoming territory went pretty smoothly. However, before they reached the so-called Hastings cut-off in Wyoming, a vote was held with those who favored taking the lesser-traveled route winning, even though many women in the party (who weren’t allowed a vote) opposed it. From there, they encountered numerous unexpected hardships and a run of very bad luck that delayed them, meaning that they reached the treacherous Sierra Nevada Mountains much later than anticipated. Still, they thought they’d have time to cross, but an early winter snowstorm blew in and never really relented, trapping them in the mountains. Though fifteen brave souls set out, searching for help, and rescue efforts were mounted by a couple of men who’d forged ahead before the storm hit, none of the Donner Party made it to safety until several months later. During that time, provisions ran out and with wild game hard to find in the high elevations, eventually many in the party resorted to cannibalism to survive. In the end, only about half the party made it out alive, but the sensational nature of their story has kept it alive in the American historical lexicon for well over a century and a half.
I first recall learning about the Donner Party while watching a movie on television when I was a kid. I’d always been interested in pioneer stories and admired the brave people who risked everything for a chance at a better life on the frontier. With this particular story, my sensitive childhood self was enthralled by the adventure of it all while simultaneously being horrified and morbidly fascinated with the dark turn it took. Not having seen that movie since childhood, I only remembered the basics of what happened to the Donner Party, and with it being a dramatization, I’m sure it was probably somewhat short on facts anyway.
The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party helped fill in a lot of information that I never really knew. I have to admit that while I always sympathized with pioneers taking risks for a place to call their own, I’m somewhat baffled by the decision of a wealthy and prosperous businessman like James Reed to uproot his family and take such a dangerous journey. I’m also not sure I understood his and the Donner men pushing so hard to take an untried route either. Sure it’s great to get there sooner if everything works out, but as we see in their story, it was a serious lapse in judgment. I also found it interesting that most of the women didn’t want to take that chance, but they unfortunately didn’t get a say. It’s interesting, though, that more of the women survived than the men, so maybe that was a bit of karma. While I don’t think that I could do it, I don’t necessarily fault the settlers for resorting to cannibalism in the face of starvation. I don’t think that we can know what we’d do in such a stressful situation unless we actually experienced it, and who wants to do that? However, what I couldn’t abide was the killing of some people by others on the train. Two Native American guides were murdered for sustenance (an extreme case of racism). A couple of other people died much earlier in the journey, either under mysterious or unsettled circumstances, and in the case of one elderly man, he was forced off the train and left to die simply because he couldn’t walk. It seemed like there were some cold-hearted people on that wagon train, and unfortunately none of them were ever held accountable for their actions. I do commend the women, though, for working hard to keep their families alive in the face of impossible odds, as well as the men who didn’t do highly questionable things.
The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party is aimed primarily at middle-schoolers, but I think it could definitely be of interest to older teens as well. I think older teens should be able to handle the material, but the appropriateness of the book for middle-schoolers could vary from one child to the next, depending on their sensitivity level. I was around middle-school age when I first encountered the Donner Party story, and it didn’t scar me for life. If anything it created an interest in learning more about it, which is why I chose to read this book. I didn’t find anything overtly graphic within its pages, but the overall gruesomeness of people resorting to cannibalism and the relating of certain acts of violence might be troubling to some kids. However, others might be morbidly fascinated by it in the way that I was to some extent. I’d simply say know your child and choose for yourself based on what you think they can handle, and be there to discuss any questions they might have. I think this story could lend itself well to deep conversations about critical thinking and judgment, as well as “what if” scenarios. The book itself is very well-researched and written in an engaging way that draws readers into the story of these pioneers who were placed in an untenable situation. I like that the author showed sensitivities toward women and minorities within the text. I also like that she was clear about who the survivors were and talked about what happened to them after they were rescued, even years later. I appreciated that she drew material directly from the journals and letters of actual members of the party, particularly those of Virginia Reed who was only twelve when they first set out on their journey (she turned thirteen along the way). I think having the first-person perspective of a child the age of those at which the book is aimed could make it even more interesting to young readers. Overall, The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party was a very well put together book that I learned a number of things from about this sordid little piece of American history and I think that kids definitely will as well.
The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party tells the story of this ill-fated group of pioneers. If you’re unfamiliar with their story, on April 15, 1846, three large families, two Donner families and the Reeds, along with their hired help, set out from Springfield, Illinois, headed to California. Along the way, fifty-nine others joined them. While most pioneers of the day took a well-traveled route to reach the west coast, the Donner Brothers and James Reed had consulted a book titled The Emigrants Guide to Oregon and California written by Lansford Warren Hastings, which touted a “short-cut” that would reportedly shave 350-400 miles off their trip. Unfortunately Hastings had limited experience with traveling in the west and had never led a wagon train via that route. The Donner Party’s journey from Illinois to Wyoming territory went pretty smoothly. However, before they reached the so-called Hastings cut-off in Wyoming, a vote was held with those who favored taking the lesser-traveled route winning, even though many women in the party (who weren’t allowed a vote) opposed it. From there, they encountered numerous unexpected hardships and a run of very bad luck that delayed them, meaning that they reached the treacherous Sierra Nevada Mountains much later than anticipated. Still, they thought they’d have time to cross, but an early winter snowstorm blew in and never really relented, trapping them in the mountains. Though fifteen brave souls set out, searching for help, and rescue efforts were mounted by a couple of men who’d forged ahead before the storm hit, none of the Donner Party made it to safety until several months later. During that time, provisions ran out and with wild game hard to find in the high elevations, eventually many in the party resorted to cannibalism to survive. In the end, only about half the party made it out alive, but the sensational nature of their story has kept it alive in the American historical lexicon for well over a century and a half.
I first recall learning about the Donner Party while watching a movie on television when I was a kid. I’d always been interested in pioneer stories and admired the brave people who risked everything for a chance at a better life on the frontier. With this particular story, my sensitive childhood self was enthralled by the adventure of it all while simultaneously being horrified and morbidly fascinated with the dark turn it took. Not having seen that movie since childhood, I only remembered the basics of what happened to the Donner Party, and with it being a dramatization, I’m sure it was probably somewhat short on facts anyway.
The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party helped fill in a lot of information that I never really knew. I have to admit that while I always sympathized with pioneers taking risks for a place to call their own, I’m somewhat baffled by the decision of a wealthy and prosperous businessman like James Reed to uproot his family and take such a dangerous journey. I’m also not sure I understood his and the Donner men pushing so hard to take an untried route either. Sure it’s great to get there sooner if everything works out, but as we see in their story, it was a serious lapse in judgment. I also found it interesting that most of the women didn’t want to take that chance, but they unfortunately didn’t get a say. It’s interesting, though, that more of the women survived than the men, so maybe that was a bit of karma. While I don’t think that I could do it, I don’t necessarily fault the settlers for resorting to cannibalism in the face of starvation. I don’t think that we can know what we’d do in such a stressful situation unless we actually experienced it, and who wants to do that? However, what I couldn’t abide was the killing of some people by others on the train. Two Native American guides were murdered for sustenance (an extreme case of racism). A couple of other people died much earlier in the journey, either under mysterious or unsettled circumstances, and in the case of one elderly man, he was forced off the train and left to die simply because he couldn’t walk. It seemed like there were some cold-hearted people on that wagon train, and unfortunately none of them were ever held accountable for their actions. I do commend the women, though, for working hard to keep their families alive in the face of impossible odds, as well as the men who didn’t do highly questionable things.
The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party is aimed primarily at middle-schoolers, but I think it could definitely be of interest to older teens as well. I think older teens should be able to handle the material, but the appropriateness of the book for middle-schoolers could vary from one child to the next, depending on their sensitivity level. I was around middle-school age when I first encountered the Donner Party story, and it didn’t scar me for life. If anything it created an interest in learning more about it, which is why I chose to read this book. I didn’t find anything overtly graphic within its pages, but the overall gruesomeness of people resorting to cannibalism and the relating of certain acts of violence might be troubling to some kids. However, others might be morbidly fascinated by it in the way that I was to some extent. I’d simply say know your child and choose for yourself based on what you think they can handle, and be there to discuss any questions they might have. I think this story could lend itself well to deep conversations about critical thinking and judgment, as well as “what if” scenarios. The book itself is very well-researched and written in an engaging way that draws readers into the story of these pioneers who were placed in an untenable situation. I like that the author showed sensitivities toward women and minorities within the text. I also like that she was clear about who the survivors were and talked about what happened to them after they were rescued, even years later. I appreciated that she drew material directly from the journals and letters of actual members of the party, particularly those of Virginia Reed who was only twelve when they first set out on their journey (she turned thirteen along the way). I think having the first-person perspective of a child the age of those at which the book is aimed could make it even more interesting to young readers. Overall, The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party was a very well put together book that I learned a number of things from about this sordid little piece of American history and I think that kids definitely will as well.
April 3, 2012
This book makes me want: puke cry hide puke shudder not take for granted the invention of cars, airplanes and trains puke. They EAT! PEOPLE! HUMANS! Who used to be alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gasp! Barf! Faint! I have a strong stomach, but this? This was revolting. Too much snow for me. It snows so much in the mountains, which from the cover obviously makes you know something went horribly wrong there. Too wrong for me. This book had me wondering what it was like to eat people, people you knew, and that's just not me. This book makes me feel like screaming why me!?!? at the sky, why did I have to read it? If I could give the book half a star for true facts and pictures I would. I wish I had never read it. I hope I never remember it for the rest of my life. I only read this for school, and I'm kind of wondering if getting an F would be worth not reading it. Wait no, I've thought about it and it would be worth it.
May 29, 2019
I was happy to read it to get a glimpse of the trek the Donner party made. I thought the flow of the narration could have moved along a little better.
November 16, 2018
I continue to be fascinated by every book about the Donner Party that I can get my hands on. And I also continue to come out of them with the same singular thought:
"Okay, but why do we let white men decide anything?"
"Okay, but why do we let white men decide anything?"
December 13, 2021
The Perilous Journey Of the Donner Party was pretty interesting, the thing was that I saw the statue that shows the Donner Party. The book was well written and I liked the book a lot. I don't dislike anything about the book. I enjoyed it we usually go up to Donner Lake in the Sierra Nevadas. I liked the book a lot other than the eating each other freaked me out.
April 11, 2016
I bought this book in a tiny mountain town in the middle of nowhere, mainly because I'd always wanted to read more about the infamous Donner party and to find out whether this children's book published by Scholastic would actually mention the cannibalism.
Kudos to the author for writing about a tricky subject with responsible sensitivity. I'm curious and surprised that this book was written and published (was it commissioned?) for middle grade students, though--I hope most kids get to last beyond elementary school before they have to learn all the gory details of what human beings can be pushed into. Probable futile hope, but still.
Anyway, this gave adult-reader me just the right amount of information and even gives this sad period in history a bit of context and hope. One of the photographs also mentioned that Donner party survivors put items into a time capsule buried at one of the memorial sites back in 1918, and it's supposed to be unearthed a hundred years later. That's just two years away, and you can bet I'll be watching to see what that capsule contained.
Recommended for fans of The Long Winter if you are weirdly drawn to awful stories of survival, if you like the pioneer era, or if you just have a somewhat morbid curiosity in general. I'm always interested in learning about people pushed to their limits and how they cope, and this is an extreme example of that for sure.
Kudos to the author for writing about a tricky subject with responsible sensitivity. I'm curious and surprised that this book was written and published (was it commissioned?) for middle grade students, though--I hope most kids get to last beyond elementary school before they have to learn all the gory details of what human beings can be pushed into. Probable futile hope, but still.
Anyway, this gave adult-reader me just the right amount of information and even gives this sad period in history a bit of context and hope. One of the photographs also mentioned that Donner party survivors put items into a time capsule buried at one of the memorial sites back in 1918, and it's supposed to be unearthed a hundred years later. That's just two years away, and you can bet I'll be watching to see what that capsule contained.
Recommended for fans of The Long Winter if you are weirdly drawn to awful stories of survival, if you like the pioneer era, or if you just have a somewhat morbid curiosity in general. I'm always interested in learning about people pushed to their limits and how they cope, and this is an extreme example of that for sure.
September 6, 2012
This is a child's book, so I selected it because I expected it would treat the subject gently enough for children. I didn't want to read something that would dwell on the repulsive. What I really wanted to learn was the entire story from beginning to end. I got what I was hoping for. It begins in Illinois explaining why the families decided to go and how they packed to leave. The last chapter tells how all of the survivors spent their lives until they eventually died. While it didn't dwell on the horror, it treated it in a very straightforward manner. It explained what was known and what was conjecture. It described conflicting reports of what happened. It examined motivations, and seemed to try to support the reader to make it through reading about the almost unfathomable. Kudos to the author for her sensitivity in telling such a difficult story. I had been camping at Donner Lake, and felt that I just had to learn the story. Up until then I'd never wanted to read about it because I knew I would be nauseated. This book makes it pretty clear that eating human flesh was the only option, and in context of the rest of the misery may not have even been the worst or most disgusting of their experiences. Eating mice and shoelaces doesn't sound that great either.
March 31, 2019
Love the cover. I'm a cover person and had to get that out of the way.
If I were rating this for myself I would give it a 4 or 5. I've been to the Donner Memorial, so I know the story. I'm fascinated with the pioneer days. Seems to me it was perilous for anyone alive in the 1800s. But to set off across the country into the relative unknown, traveling 2000 miles at walking pace is hard to imagine. Knowing you are going to cross deserts and mountains with covered wagons is crazy.
I'm giving 3 stars because the beginning is a little slow for kids. They are setting off from Illinois and there's not much exciting about it. I suppose narration like a Laura Ingalls Wilder book would have helped. There are a lot of kids who will give up on the book early. If they can make it to chapter 3, where the group decides to take Hasting's shortcut, they'll probably make it to the end. The shortcut ends up being a disaster in every way. Tragedy upon tragedy happens and it all culminates in the group being stranded in the Sierra Nevada mountains just as the snows begin.
The cannibalism doesn't make this story unsuitable for middle grades. In fact, the Donnor Memorial is a popular field trip destination for schools in California. This is a case of good, religious people starving to death, boiling cow hide for food, realizing that if they don't eat a human corpse that will decompose to bones anyway, death is a certainty. When people are pushed to that limit, you know they are experiencing the worst in human suffering.
The Donnor story is fascinating. I'm just not sure this is the book that is going to grab a kid's attention.
If I were rating this for myself I would give it a 4 or 5. I've been to the Donner Memorial, so I know the story. I'm fascinated with the pioneer days. Seems to me it was perilous for anyone alive in the 1800s. But to set off across the country into the relative unknown, traveling 2000 miles at walking pace is hard to imagine. Knowing you are going to cross deserts and mountains with covered wagons is crazy.
I'm giving 3 stars because the beginning is a little slow for kids. They are setting off from Illinois and there's not much exciting about it. I suppose narration like a Laura Ingalls Wilder book would have helped. There are a lot of kids who will give up on the book early. If they can make it to chapter 3, where the group decides to take Hasting's shortcut, they'll probably make it to the end. The shortcut ends up being a disaster in every way. Tragedy upon tragedy happens and it all culminates in the group being stranded in the Sierra Nevada mountains just as the snows begin.
The cannibalism doesn't make this story unsuitable for middle grades. In fact, the Donnor Memorial is a popular field trip destination for schools in California. This is a case of good, religious people starving to death, boiling cow hide for food, realizing that if they don't eat a human corpse that will decompose to bones anyway, death is a certainty. When people are pushed to that limit, you know they are experiencing the worst in human suffering.
The Donnor story is fascinating. I'm just not sure this is the book that is going to grab a kid's attention.
January 5, 2018
Previous to reading this title, all I knew about the Donner party is that they got stuck in the mountains in the winter and resorted to cannibalism.
Now I know that there were eventually 90 people total on the trip from Illinois to California, they left late and took longer than planned, and tried to take a shortcut that added many days to their trip. They were stuck on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountains when they decided to stay there over winter. The snow eventually was 20 feet deep, which made fishing and hunting impossible. They resorted to boiling strips of the hides of the butchered oxen, which they were using for shelter. The group was actually split up, with two encampments and a scouting group, and it seems that each group resorted to cannibalism.
About half of the group survived the trip.
Now I know that there were eventually 90 people total on the trip from Illinois to California, they left late and took longer than planned, and tried to take a shortcut that added many days to their trip. They were stuck on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountains when they decided to stay there over winter. The snow eventually was 20 feet deep, which made fishing and hunting impossible. They resorted to boiling strips of the hides of the butchered oxen, which they were using for shelter. The group was actually split up, with two encampments and a scouting group, and it seems that each group resorted to cannibalism.
About half of the group survived the trip.
November 29, 2017
I picked this one up at the library when I was looking for some non-fiction books. This is thoroughly researched and written so teens and up can understand it.
There were so many mistakes made that become understandable given what the people expected to happen and why they made the choices they did.
It made me realize that I have many 'what ifs' in my own life and inspired me about the necessity for turning back when I see that I've made a bad choice.
I especially liked this excerpt from a letter written by Virginia Reed (a young survivor) to her cousin in Illinois: [I left the spelling as it was printed from the full letter] "Never take no cutoffs and hury along as fast as you can."
There were so many mistakes made that become understandable given what the people expected to happen and why they made the choices they did.
It made me realize that I have many 'what ifs' in my own life and inspired me about the necessity for turning back when I see that I've made a bad choice.
I especially liked this excerpt from a letter written by Virginia Reed (a young survivor) to her cousin in Illinois: [I left the spelling as it was printed from the full letter] "Never take no cutoffs and hury along as fast as you can."
May 14, 2017
I first chose this book because I'd heard a little about the Donner's in social studies. It wasn't exactly my first choice for a nonfiction book, and that made it even worse. It was almost 200 pages of slow writing. It was absolutely boring and it lost my attention from the very first page. I was desperate to get a nonfiction book over with, so I decided to finish. It was a horrible decision, I even fell asleep reading it. I now know about just as much as I did before I read this book. The writing was boring and hard to follow. I'm proud that I got it over with, but I wouldn't recommend this book at all.
March 27, 2023
Based on a true story, The Perilous Journey of The Donner Party is about a couple of families in 1846 that traveled from Illinois to California in search of better land. While traveling, the two leaders of the group, James Reed and George Donner, persuaded the group to take a shorter route instead of the one that they were advised to take. A series of bad choices and unfortunate incidents forced the group to suffer through a terrible winter in the Sierra Nevada mountains because of the time spent on the “shorter route”. After everything that happened, the only families to survive and get to California were the Donner and the Reed family.
August 2, 2020
This book comes up on a lot of middle school reading lists, but I’m not sure about it as a middle school book. This retelling doesn’t dwell too much on the gruesome, but it’s definitely in there; and all the death and starvation is hard to read. However, it does end on a hopeful point, follows up with accounts of the survivors, and honestly the fact that any of them survived was probably a miracle. It certainly makes me very grateful for my comfy lifestyle. I’ll never let me children say “I’m starving,” after reading this book.
March 4, 2021
This book tells the story of the infamous Donner Party disaster. It's written for youth but it's a good book for introducing the story to any interested reader. There are lots of quotes from primary sources and plenty of photographs, plus information about the survivors' lives in California. An excellent book for middle grade kids, if they are ready to handle the challenging details of this disaster.
April 27, 2022
I enjoy the point of view from the author and do recommend this book for a very strong understanding of what happened along the entire way to Ca. not simply focusing on time between November thru March.
This is a gripping story of the unbelievable determination of survival. The book is loaded with authentic pictures and diary entries. You won't believe the sacrifices these people made to settle unknown land in America. A great piece of historical work!
This is a gripping story of the unbelievable determination of survival. The book is loaded with authentic pictures and diary entries. You won't believe the sacrifices these people made to settle unknown land in America. A great piece of historical work!
February 27, 2024
This book was for February 2024 book club. This was an interesting read. I was familiar with the Donner Party but didn’t know much about the details. I thought this book went over the details really well and I feel that I learned so much about what they went through! This was a nice, quick, read and I recommend this book!
August 1, 2018
For my PowerPoint on the Donner Party. This is one of the better books.
August 19, 2018
Fascinating and well told. I would recommend this for middle school and up.
October 18, 2018
For this book being over 20 years old, it still packs a punch; I will not be forgetting this book, any time soon!
March 26, 2019
Amazing part of US history.
August 13, 2019
Although I've heard of the Donner party, I have never before learned about it. Marian Calabro does an excellent job of telling the story based on the facts and takes it right into the 21st century.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews