In the mid-1800s, life on a Vermont farm is hard work for the whole family. Crops have failed, and the rich soil far across the continent make Mama and Papa want to leave their home behind and start over. They will travel by covered wagon to a new region called Oregon. Anna wonders what life will be like so far from home. Where will the children go to school? How will they make friends?As Anna and her family make the long trek over the plains and through the mountains they face many trials. Through it all, Mama keeps the old ledger that Papa gave her for a journal. When she grows weary and drops it on the ground, Anna rescues it and begins jotting down her own thoughts. As Anna discovers the power of words to bring people together and give them courage, the family presses westward into a future full of surprises.Nancy J. Nash graduated from Mount Holyoke College and earned an M.F.A. in Writing for Children from Simmons University. She lives in western Massachusetts and has traveled extensively in Oregon.