The Courage Test

August 1, 2016

Gr 4-7-William Meriwether Miller-named after Lewis and Clark-is not happy about embarking on a wilderness adventure with the father who walked out on him and his mother. It's not what he had in mind for his summer (he's missing the chance to play on the All-Stars baseball team), but his mother insists. So he and his father, a history professor working on a book about the famous explorers, set off from Minnesota to North Dakota, driving, camping, rafting, and hiking along the Lewis and Clark Trail. As they work together to overcome obstacles and help a pregnant 15-year-old runaway, Will slowly gains a better understanding of his father. When he finally learns the reason behind the trip-his mother has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is starting treatment-he comes to appreciate his family as they are and not as he wishes they could be. The lively narrative is interspersed with Will's entries for a school writing assignment, which contain lots of facts about the original journey, as well as postcards to his mother. Despite the emotional heft, thereis plenty of action, including white-waterrafting and a close encounter with a bear. VERDICT A middle grade winner to hand to fans of history, adventure, and family drama.-Laurie Slagenwhite Walters, Brighton District Library, Brighton, MI

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2016
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Preller stirs doses of American history into a first-rate road trip that does traditional double duty as plot device and coming-of-age metaphor. Will is initially baffled and furious at being abruptly forced to accompany his divorced father, a history professor, on a long journey retracing much of the trail of Lewis and Clark. The trip soon becomes an adventure, though, because as the wonders of the great outdoors work their old magic on Will's disposition, his father and a Nez Perce friend (who turns out to be a Brooklyn banker) fill him in on the Corps of Discovery's encounters with nature and native peoples. Also, along with helping a young runaway find a new home, Will survives a meeting with a bear and a spill into dangerous rapidstests of courage that will help him weather the bad news that awaits him at home. Despite the many plot threads, the story never seems overstuffed or weighed down by agendas. Leading a cast of appealing characters, Will and his father are both vulnerable sorts who share a damaged, uneasy bond that firms up with realistic slowness and occasional backsliding. Additionally, not only does the author slip cogent historical facts and insights into his simply told narrative without disturbing its flow, he offers more detail, plus sources of information, in an afterword.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)