This is an ideal text for shared and guided reading for Key Stage 2 pupils within the framework of the National Literacy Strategy. It is set in the 1840s and casts the reader as a farmer setting out on the journey of a lifetime seeking the fertile farmlands of Oregon. Travelling overland as part of a wagon train from the east coast of America to Oregon on the west coast, you face dangers including high mountains, lack of food and water and the prospect of catching various diseases. The cartoon-style illustrations and the narrative approach encourage readers to get emotionally involved with the characters and to follow the story right across North America. Will the wagon train succeed in reaching its goal? The book includes handy hints and informative captions to keep you alive on this dangerous journey!