Hannah’s Journey

Carmen Peone's expert horsemanship and knowledge of northeast Washington territory shines through in the second of her Gardner Sibling Trilogy, Hannah's Journey. At sixteen, Hannah is the oldest child of a mid-1800's pioneering ranch family. Hannah's burning desire to race horses with her adopted Indian Aunt Spupaleena is a constant worry to her parents. They fear not only that she ll be injured, but that their daughter is not preparing herself for the expected future role of wife, homemaker, and mother. Hannah's parents aren't the only ones against her racing. The Indian boys resent her barging into their sport. Not only is she a girl, but a white girl. The only encouragement she gets is from Aunt Spupaleena and Spupaleena's brother Pekam. Heedless of others opinion, Hannah participants in a difficult, dangerous race. Not only is there danger in the race itself riding horseback fast on uneven terrain but also enduring vengeful rough treatment from other racers. It’s a bold, bloody event. Hannah's parents, frustrated and worried about their daughter's rebellious behavior, threaten to send her to live with an aunt in Montana, a fate totally unacceptable to Hannah. She runs away to the Sinyekst village along the Columbia River, the village of her Aunt Spupaleena. Hannah's Journey delves into many of life's challenges, especially of a young girl with non-traditional dreams. Along the way she must learn to exercise patience, to have faith, to slow down and pray for guidance. She learns that life comes with compromise, and sacrifice. Life isn't easy and for someone with extraordinary desires, it's even more difficult. I found Hannah's Journey an absorbing, well-written book, a story intriguing to a wide audience. The author speaks with authority about Indian history, and the Sinyekst people. Peone is knowledgeable about the northeast Washington area, the Columbia River and the diverse area surrounding it. Many of this novel's characters have appeared in the author's previous books (The Heart Trilogy), but the transition into this second book of the Gardner Sibling Trilogy is smooth and stands alone.

Hannah's Journey is a coming-of-age story about a defiant young girl who seeks to follow her heart's desires. The story takes the reader on Hannah's struggle for equality and dignity as she fights for the right to race horses with the boys. Details of tribal culture, food and daily life bring to life what it was like to be a young Native American in southwestern Washington in 1870, forced to share the land with white settlers. The story is more powerful because while these young people attend to the serious business of survival, they retain a playfulness and humor that is contagious and entertaining. This story flows like a western two-step; the pacing is as memorizing as the story. Clearly Carmen Peone lives within the culture she writes about, because the story is shaded with authenticity. Subtle back-story devises create a desire to read the entire series, but the story feels complete on its own. Subtle mention of sex and reproduction is expressed through the point of view of the young protagonist. Appropriate for middle grade and older readers, and adult readers who seek a deeper understanding of Indian culture.