SOLVED. YA Historical Western series. The journey of a young boy the lone survivor of a wagon/ caravan raid while traveling to western America on Oregon Trail. Mysterious one-armed gunslinger teaches him how to fight. Read 2010-2012. Spoilers ahead. [s]

[Carl]

My apologies in advance for the uncertainty of pretty much every following sentence in this post. I read this book series between the years 2010 and 2012, and I remember no names of anything or anyone, whether of characters, places, or events. However, I can remember some important plot details which may or may not be spoilers(???). The first book in the series was published by a male author in America, possibly in the late 1990s or early 2000s. I remember the cover art having a head-to-toe depiction of the boy in the story, probably with some natural scenery behind him. He may have been leaning on a rifle. I picture some kind of gun-toting Tom Sawyer with a straw hat, overalls, and bare feet.

Plot details of the first book and POSSIBLE SPOILERS below:









In the age of west-seeking pioneers (probably 1830s to 1850s), a young boy, about 12 or 13 years old, is the lone survivor of a raid on his family's caravan that was on the Oregon Trail. With no help in sight, he is forced to learn how to survive on the frontier. Using what he can salvage of the covered wagons, he teaches himself the basics and navigates through increasingly dangerous situations. Eventually, he meets a mysterious one-armed (and one-eyed?) gunslinger who teaches him how to fight and catch bigger prey than blueberries. Unfortunately, this is all I can recall of the first book. Below this are the details that are probably from later books in the series and which are the most likely to contain spoilers, so watch out.

PROBABLE SPOILERS below:









The one-armed gunslinger and the boy, now a young man (probably at least a couple years older) have traveled further south throughout each book, until finally they reach the Deep South, on the border of Mexico (the reason for traveling south, I wish I knew. Perhaps to escape the harsh winters further north?). Their relationship has grown deeply into a father-son dynamic. (Speculation: perhaps a plot point is that the gunslinger lost his wife and son to some tragic event and now thinks of this boy as his son. If so, both characters have found formerly lost relationships through each other, which is especially touching.) The gunslinger knows that there are large groups of bandits in this area, and informs the boy of this information. They decide it is safest to travel through this dangerous area at night, but they are somehow still spotted. This begins a thrilling horse-riding chase in which near misses are commonplace. The two almost escape, only to be beset on all sides by the highwaymen. The gunslinger comes up with a plan that will allow the boy to escape while he remains to take down every last one of the assailants. He succeeds, but at the cost of his own life. Following this would be purely speculation on how the author may have wrapped up the story, so I'll leave it out to keep from confusing anyone.








Thanks in advance for any help you can provide! I remember devouring this series and would love to revisit it soon. I am writing a list of books I read a while back, and this is one I don't want to forget.

[Kris]

Carl, I added some details to the header/topic title. You can update it by clicking the small "edit" link after the header. This only works on the full Desktop website - not the Mobile website or app. (On the Mobile website, click the "Desktop version" link at the bottom of the page.)

[Carl]

Thank you, Kris! I appreciate your help.

[Kris]

You're welcome.

[Tab]

Mr. Tucket ?
Here is the link to the series.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

Here is a short description from Booklist:
Francis Tucket is 14 years old when he strays from his family's wagon on the Oregon Trail and is captured by the Pawnee. With the help of Mr. Grimes, a one-armed trapper who maintains an uneasy truce with the Pawnee by trading them guns and ammunition, Francis escapes and spends a winter learning to survive by living off the land.

[Carl]

That's it! Definitely Mr. Tucket by Gary Paulsen. Seems I was pretty off synopsis-wise, but I'm glad you still were able to find it! Thank you very much for your help.

[Tab]

Glad you found it!

You gave a really good description of the book :)