Product Description

Sixteen-year-old Jane Peck has ventured to the unknown wilds of the Northwest to wed her childhood idol, William Baldt. But her impeccable training at Miss Hepplewhite's Young Ladies Academy in Philadelphia is hardly preparation for the colorful characters and crude life that await her in Washington Territory.

Thrown upon her wits in the wild, Jane must determine for herself whether she is truly proper Miss Jane Peck of Philadelphia, faultless young lady and fiancée, or Boston Jane, as the Chinook dub her, fearless and loyal woman of the frontier.

An exciting new novel from Jennifer L. Holm, author of the Newbery Honor Book Our Only May Amelia.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #850624 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-01
• Released on: 2002-09-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Amazon.com Review
Imagine being seasick for five months, two weeks, and six days as you--a girl from Philadelphia--sail farther and farther away from everything and everyone you've ever known to the unknown wilds of the Great Pacific Northwest in 1854: "I felt certain that luck had nothing to do with anything aboard the Lady Luck, a poorly named vessel if ever there was one. I had just spent the morning of my sixteenth birthday puking into a bucket, and I had little hope that the day would improve." Meet Boston Jane, a new reluctant young lady heroine from Jennifer L. Holm, author of the Newbery Honor Book, Our Only May Amelia.

Impulsive Jane, ever on the path to leaving behind her rough-and-tumble tomboy childhood to become a proper young lady, agrees to meet her very genteel fiancé on the rugged west coast of America. Unfortunately, William is not there when she arrives. Suddenly, Boston Jane, as her new Chinook neighbors call her, must cast aside her "faultless young lady" demeanor and depend on her long-suppressed pioneer spirit to survive. Holm cleverly weaves in lessons from Jane's Philadelphia finishing school, Miss Hepplewhite's Young Ladies Academy, in dramatic and often-hilarious contrast to the trials and tribulations Jane faces at sea and in Oregon country. Readers will be charmed by teenage Jane's ironic tone and inner conflicts and will cheer her on as she sheds layer after layer of decorum. Granted, the budding romance between Jane and sailor Jehu, "hidden" beneath the surface love story of Jane and the more uppity William, is an at-least-twice-told tale; but young readers will get caught up in the excitement of it nonetheless. The intricate details of mid-19th century life on an untamed frontier--complete with carefully researched Chinook tribal history and real-life incidents of white settlers--are absolutely fascinating. A thrilling, entertaining read. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
A 16-year-old blossoming society lady must abandon etiquette in order to survive on the frontier. "The series of challenges that transform Jane into an outspoken, self-reliant young woman forms a tale that readers will long remember," said PW. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Gr 6-10-Jane's doctor father has allowed his motherless daughter the freedom to do what she wants without restraints of propriety and etiquette. She enjoys a life unusual for a well-bred girl of Philadelphia in the 1840s. However, when she is 11, her conversations with a young medical student result in her decision to enroll in an academy for young ladies and learn to behave in a proper manner. William leaves Philadelphia for the Washington Territory and when Jane turns 15, he asks her to join him there as his wife. Jane and Mary, one of the servant girls, board the Lady Luck for the treacherous and unpleasant trip to the far northwest. Mary dies en route and the indomitable Jane must face the unknown alone. Things get worse when she arrives. William is off negotiating Indian treaties, there are no white women in the settlement, and she must share lodgings with men who have little knowledge of cleanliness and even less about how to treat a "lady." In the spirit of Avi's The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Orchard, 1990), the strong, believable protagonist proves her mettle in the way she handles the adversities she meets. The author's portrayal of pioneer/Chinook relationships is sympathetic as the young woman finds true friendship with them. The only jarring note is the use of Mary's ghost to let Jane know that she is making a mistake in upholding her loyalty to shallow, stuffy William. It is an unnecessary device that adds little to an exceptionally good book. As a storyteller, Holm is superb.

Janet Hilbun, formerly at Sam Houston Middle School, Garland, TX

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

To be a lady...
Sixteen-year-old Jane Peck used to be the tomboyish, unladylike sort, until she decided to enroll herself into Miss Hepplewhite's Young Ladies Academy and become a "proper lady". For Jane things couldn't be better now that she is a lady, and when her childhood crush, William Baldt, asks her to marry him and go to the Northwestern Territory, Jane consents, even against the wishes of her beloved father. Soon though, Jane begins to kinda regret her decision as she suffers seasickness, deals with the young, despicable, yet charming sailor Jehu Scudder, and sees her companion Mary die in a storm. Jane knows, however, that William will be waiting for her and she perseveres. Unfortunately when she arrives, she learns that Willliam won't be back for months after he was sent on a mission by the Governor. Soon Jane learns that the wilderness life is quite unsuitable for her ladylike ways, and she finds herself going back to her old ways, the person she truly is. In just a few short monthes Jane has had as many adventures as we might have in a lifetime, from forage for salmonberries, almost drowning, sharing a cabin with flea-bitten, dirty men, and the one thing that Jane fears the most: her growing relationship with the young sailor Jehu Scudder. Her mind tells her though that she must stay loyal to William, even though her heart says something else, so she rejects Jehu, telling him she has no choice. The hurt Jehu leaves the settlement and for the first time Jane feels very much alone...until finally William returns! However William has brought secrets back with him, and when Jane finally finds out the truth she learns how ignorant she was to her father's warning, but the thing that she regrets the most is telling Jehu she had no choice...

This is the first novel I have ever read by Jennifer L. Holm and I must say I have become a quick fan of her. Jane has the charm and wit that is hard to resist. It was also really fun to read how Jane reminded herself how to be a lady and quoted alot from her etiquette book. I can't wait to read the new book in the Boston Jane trilogy: Boston Jane: Wilderness Days!

An Adventure!
Boston Jan tell the story of Jane Peck in the 1800s. Her father is a surgeon and she gets to help him cure people. In her spare time, she enjoys spitting and throwing things. But things change when her father's apprentice, William, tells Jane that she should be a lady. Because she had a crush on him, she enrolls in a girl's school. Within a few years she is a lady. Willaim goes west to the fronteir, and sends a letter asking Jane to marry her. To her father's dismay, she goes. You have to read the book to find out what happens next. This is a fantastic book! I felt so sorry for Jane at certain parts of the book. And, this book is way better than Our Only May Amelia, the other book by the author.

Another wonderful book by Jennifer L. Holm
Motherless Jane Peck ran wild until age eleven when, against her father's wishes, she decided to become a proper young lady at the urging of her father's apprentice, William. When William leaves for the wilds of the Northwest frontier, Jane is devastated. When, at age fifteen, Jane receives a letter from William proposing marriage, she is eager to accept, even though her father does not want her to. But Jane gets her way, and she sets sail from Philadelphia on a ship bound for Washington. But the year is 1854, and sea travel is not easy. Jane faces dangers and hardships on board, and when she finally arrives at her destination, she finds that William is not there to meet her. Alone in this harsh wilderness, Jane is going to have to work to survive, even if it's something no "proper lady" would ever do. I highly reccomend this historical novel. It's very different in style from Jennifer Holm's first book, but is just as good nonetheless.