WHEN SALLY O'MALLEY DISCOVERED THE SEA

Orphan Sally O’Malley exudes gumption as she makes her way across 1894 Oregon in the company of a spoiled kid, a plucky donkey, and a wise woman.

Sally doesn’t mince words, not even when she’s talking to herself. “Nobody was wanting me. Never had,” she reminds herself as she runs away from the mineral spring hotel where she’s worked since the orphanage sent her there at age 10. Following the suggestion of a store clerk, 13-year-old Sally, eyeing a brighter future, heads westward. All manner of obstacles hinder her path, but the offer of a ride with an older woman on her wagon, pulled by Mabel the donkey, leads to relationships that soften Sally’s mistrustful heart. She and the woman, who goes by Major, take on a sniveling 7-year-old boy named Lafayette and make their way toward the coast over land and by riverboat. Sally’s colorful vocabulary evokes the time period, and her irascible first-person narration, coupled with Major’s sensible good nature and brook-no-nonsense attitude, are an appealing combination. The well-developed secondary characters and adventure-filled plot provide opportunities for highlighting gender restrictions of the time and accentuating Sally’s growth. The short chapters are laced with historical tidbits, from saloons and dime novels to dungarees. The central characters present white; during her journey, Sally encounters people of other races for the first time in her life.

An engrossing historical journey, filled with shenanigans that support trust and growth.