I loved this book! First, the illustration of Elizabeth on the front cover is engaging to the readers. For example, the image portrays a girl, in colonial clothing that look sad. Second, the character is well-developed, and believable through journaling. For example, in one journal entry she writes, "Here is my first secret. I am making a list of people who could be my friends." The main idea of this book is experiencing grief, and also the history of Jamestown. ( )

In Pat Hermes' sequel to Our Strange New Land, Elizabeth faces harsher times as she records the colony's daily struggle for survival. The My America series will be relaunched with new covers.The story of the feisty, determined Lizzie of Pat Hermes' Our Strange New Land continues in this installment with the departure of both Captain John Smith and Lizzie's dear friend, Jessie. Facing new challenges, Lizzie records in her new diary all of the challenges that face the struggling colony. As a result of starvation and disease, Lizzed watches hopelessly as many of the settlers die. She records all of this, but even more, she records the intimate lives of the children who remain there, along with that of her new baby sister.

This book is Elizabeth’s Barker’s journal of the living conditions in Jamestown, Virginia from October 1609 to August 1610. Elizabeth tells her story of how hard life was and what they had to eat to survive during this time period.
I enjoyed reading this book. It provides good insight as to how people lived and survived. I’m not such that children or adults these days could live this way and survive. The way it is written you could picture it in your mind easily. It takes place in the Fort of Jamestown Virginia during 1609. Will Elizabeth and her family survive the weather until the supplies that they need arrive in the spring from England?
I would give students materials like the ones Elizabeth and Mary used to make gifts, to see how creative they could be with making a gift for someone. I would ask them if they could eat food with bugs in it to survive.

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. ( )