Review: Blue Skies West from Appaloosy Books

Mattie Richardson has written the fifth book in the Horses in History series.  This newest one is about the adventures of Blue, a blue roan colt, and his boy, Charlie as they travel the Oregon Trail.  Blue and Charlie’s family live happily in a small town in Iowa until the prospect of a better life in Oregon calls to them.  Pa decides it would be best to move to better farmland as well as where there is more air and freedom.  When his family has doubts he says, “Why else would so many people be going there?  Three hundred and twenty acres of the best land you can imagine.  Trees, wildlife, and farmland.  Only a few hundred miles from the coast.  You might even get to see the ocean…I’ve never been there myself, but I know it has to be a wonderful place, if this many people are going.”  Blue soon realizes that in order to get to this wonderful place called Oregon it’s going to take a lot more than he expected.  Charlie and Blue are going to have to be brave and withstand things such as sicknesses, crossing rushing rivers, stampedes, and dangerous wagon train robbers.  Will they reach the end of their journey or will they succumb to weakness like the ones who turned back or died?  Read this historical fiction book to find out.

This book is the perfect length and level for upper elementary and middle school ages kids who love horses and history.  It’s about the 2,000-mile-long Oregon Trail that so many trekked so many years ago in hopes of a brighter future.  I think kids will like reading about history from a horse’s point of view especially one as spunky and fun as Blue.  This is probably my favorite book in the series so far because I find the Oregon Trail so fascinating already but to add in my favorite animal is just an amazing thing.  Jacob, Blue, and Charlie are my favorite characters.  Blue is the main narrator of the story and he brings such beautiful genuineness to the story.  Charlie is Blue’s rider and he is slightly mischievous which brings joy and silliness into the storyline.  The trail guide for the wagon train is young Jacob and he is the one that knows a lot of facts and can be somewhat of a good role model when he’s wise.  My favorite part of the book is when Charlie and Blue sneak out at night and accidentally start a stampede of buffalo.  Thankfully nobody was hurt but Charlie sure learned a lesson about staying at camp when told especially after his hero, Jacob, had to save his life.