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I don't remember much of these books as individual books, but I remember reading them all as a young, avid reader. I think that ultimately these books are the reason why I love historical fiction novels so much. They all did such a great job of taking me to a different time and place and making it come alive, seeing the world through an older, historical lens. I highly recommend any of the Dear America books to younger readers who love history and need to get hooked on reading! ( )

This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not. ( )

This was another great Dear America book. Libby West is fourteen and lives in Denver, Colorado. Her father is a newspaper reporter and he buys a printing press, then heads north to cover the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. Libby, her mother, and her six-year-old brother go with him. Libby makes a friend, Ellie, who is her age. She falls in love with her father's young assistant, Pete. She writes about watching the railroad being built in her diary. This was one of the best Dear America books. ( )