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The Devil's Paintbox

Author Victoria McKernan
Ebook
RH Childrens Books | Knopf Books for Young Readers
On sale Jan 13, 2009 | 312 Pages | 9780375891625
Grade 9 & Up
Reading Level: Lexile 740L
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When orphans Aiden and Maddy Lynch first meet trailrider Jefferson J. Jackson in the spring of 1865, they’re struggling to survive on their family’s drought-ravaged Kansas farm. So when Jackson offers an escape—a 2000-mile journey across the roughest country in the world—Aiden knows it’s their only choice.

They say there are a hundred ways to die on the Oregon Trail, and the long wagon journey is broken only by catastrophe: wolf attacks, rattlesnakes, deadly river crossings, Indians, and the looming threat of smallpox, “the devil’s paint.” Through it all, Aiden and Maddy and a hundred fellow travelers move forward with a growing hope, and the promise of a new life in the Washington Territory. But one question haunts them: who will survive the journey?

In an adventure-filled and historically accurate new novel, Victoria McKernan captures both the peril and the stunning beauty of the frontier West. Shackleton’s Stowaway (“Truly thrilling” according to The Washington Post) was Victoria McKernan’s first novel for young adults. She lives in Washington, D.C..
Victoria McKernan is the acclaimed author of The Devil’s Paintbox and Shackleton’s Stowaway, a historical novel for young adults about the 18-year-old stowaway on Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 expedition to the South Pole. She has also written four novels for adults. She lives in Washington, DC, with a dog, two cats, and one boa constrictor. View titles by Victoria McKernan
  • WINNER | 2010
    ALA Best Books for Young Adults
  • WINNER | 2010
    NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies
  • NOMINEE
    New Jersey Garden State Teen Book Award
  • NOMINEE
    South Carolina Teen Book Award
  • NOMINEE
    Utah Children's Book Award
Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, December 8, 2008:
“Flawless attention to detail and steady pacing keep readers fully engaged . . . Readers will be riveted.”

Starred Review, School Library Journal, February 2009:
“This action-packed novel has all the elements of a good Western. . . Fans of wilderness survival stories or adventure sagas will appreciate it most.”

About

When orphans Aiden and Maddy Lynch first meet trailrider Jefferson J. Jackson in the spring of 1865, they’re struggling to survive on their family’s drought-ravaged Kansas farm. So when Jackson offers an escape—a 2000-mile journey across the roughest country in the world—Aiden knows it’s their only choice.

They say there are a hundred ways to die on the Oregon Trail, and the long wagon journey is broken only by catastrophe: wolf attacks, rattlesnakes, deadly river crossings, Indians, and the looming threat of smallpox, “the devil’s paint.” Through it all, Aiden and Maddy and a hundred fellow travelers move forward with a growing hope, and the promise of a new life in the Washington Territory. But one question haunts them: who will survive the journey?

In an adventure-filled and historically accurate new novel, Victoria McKernan captures both the peril and the stunning beauty of the frontier West. Shackleton’s Stowaway (“Truly thrilling” according to The Washington Post) was Victoria McKernan’s first novel for young adults. She lives in Washington, D.C..

Author

Victoria McKernan is the acclaimed author of The Devil’s Paintbox and Shackleton’s Stowaway, a historical novel for young adults about the 18-year-old stowaway on Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 expedition to the South Pole. She has also written four novels for adults. She lives in Washington, DC, with a dog, two cats, and one boa constrictor. View titles by Victoria McKernan

Awards

  • WINNER | 2010
    ALA Best Books for Young Adults
  • WINNER | 2010
    NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies
  • NOMINEE
    New Jersey Garden State Teen Book Award
  • NOMINEE
    South Carolina Teen Book Award
  • NOMINEE
    Utah Children's Book Award

Praise

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, December 8, 2008:
“Flawless attention to detail and steady pacing keep readers fully engaged . . . Readers will be riveted.”

Starred Review, School Library Journal, February 2009:
“This action-packed novel has all the elements of a good Western. . . Fans of wilderness survival stories or adventure sagas will appreciate it most.”

Additional formats

Other Books by this Author

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