286 pages

4 stars

This book is an adventure in reading. I believe it must be set in the 1870’s or so. The Civil War has recently ended. The protagonist is Jubilee “Jubil” Walker. His father died some time ago. His mother is recently deceased. He appears to be in his late teens when we meet him.

Jubil does not like farming. It seems to be the same drudgery day after day. He longs for adventure. When he meets a teacher at the local college, he is taken with an idea.

The teacher, Mr. Powell, is a scientist who, during his summers, explores westward for flora and fauna to discover new and interesting species and to map out the terrain. Jubil badly wants to go along, but the teacher tells him the journey costs $300.00 and only students enrolled in the college are going on the expedition.

Undeterred, Jubil heads out, determined to change Powell’s mind. He lands a job at a local mercantile in Council Bluffs and waits for the Powell party there. He meets many interesting people, among them General Sherman of Civil War fame. Ultimately disappointed, he joins a wagon train that is delivering supplies to a settlement some two weeks' ride away. It is going WEst, and that suits Jubil just fine.

Jubil’s summer adventures land him with the Powell expeditions finally. Traveling West, Jubil experiences all kinds of weather, travails and terrain. He meets a variety of men, some kind, some not so kind. He meets famous personages. He has a wonderful time overall, but as relationships deteriorate, he thinks of the woman he left behind. Perhaps he has worked through his wanderlust.

This is a very good book, well written and plotted. The characters in the story are well drawn. Jubil is an especially likable young man, as is the young woman who is his love interest. I was very pleased when Jubil finally came home and found his new family.

I want to thank NetGalley and Sunshine Parade Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this very fine book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

This book caught my attention because of my love of whitewater rafting and because the main character, Jubilee had the same first name as my grandfather. (I took that as a sign because it's such an unusual name.)

This is the coming-of-age story of Jubilee Walker, a 17-year-old who is alone in the world after his mother dies. Although he has grown up on their Illinois farm, he yearns for something more than the mind-numbing routine of endless chores. Enter John Wesley Powell, a family friend who makes yearly scientific expeditions to the unexplored West. Needless to say, Jubilee gets the adventure he craves in spades. Some of the historical figures that make an appearance are General Sherman, General Grant, and General Custer.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book but I have one complaint. I wish the complete date had been included at the top of each chapter. I could figure out the month from the context but the year isn't mentioned. This is an easy read and well-researched...you should definitely check it out when it's released on 1/15/24.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for making the digital ARC available. All opinions and the review are my own.