Product Description

Twins Jessamine and Will must set off on their own across the endless sand and heat of Death Valley when their father's bullheadedness separates the family from their wagon train. A new story in the series that combines disaster and historical fiction.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1749459 in Books
• Published on: 1998-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-Jess and Will's family is traveling across the American West in a wagon train bound for California and dreams of gold. Their journey, however, is anything but a dream. There's the constant battle to find enough food and water, the struggle to keep tired animals moving, and the threat of Indian attacks. Along the way, Jess and Will's father is injured in an accident that Will believes he caused. Then Pa decides to take a short cut that separates them from the rest of their party. When an axle breaks on their wagon, he is too sick to move, and Will and Jess set off through Death Valley to seek help. While stories of families in danger in the Old West are nothing new, what makes this one a standout is how the children take matters into their own hands to save their family. What also sets this apart is the succinct detail, from the siblings' cracked lips and parched throats as they search for water to the hard-baked ground that crunches beneath their feet. The action moves quickly as each day becomes a more desperate attempt to survive and conquer the elements around them. This excellent addition to the series delivers on its promise of adventure.
Kristen Oravec, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Strongsville, OH
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Another great Survival! book.
Death Valley was another great book in the Survival! series by Kathleen Duey and Karen A. Bale. This book was about a brother and sister, Will and Jess Brantcourt. Mr. Brantcourt has decided the family will go west to search for gold in California, even though no one else in the family wants to go. Then he decides they will take a shotcut that will supposedly get them to California faster - one that goes through the cruel, unrelentingly hot desert of Death Valley. Then Pa gets sick from an injury, and the Brantcourts' wagon breaks an axle. Now, it's up to Will and Jess to go find help for their stranded family - for they are the only hope the Brantcourts have left. But can they survive in the desert with only scant food and water, and get help for their family before it's too late? Read this exciting book to find out!

My review
I recommend this book to any one who likes excitement or good adventure. It's very exciting because you don't know if Will or Jess will find water or food. It has a lot of adventure because Will and Jess have to travel through sand storms, quick sand, and desert. When Will and Jess go through the sand storm they have to take shelter in an abandoned cave. It's a very tight space and it's hard for them to breathe. They have to go without meat for days before they find a weak ox, which they then cook over an open fire. I like the characters in the book because they are very independent and different. Will shows his self-sufficiency when he tries to go ahead to look for the rest of his party in the valley. In conclusion, if you like good adventure and great excitement, this is the book for you.

A gripping tale of survival in the deserts of Death Valley.
Twelve-year-olds Will and Jess Brantcourt are a twin brother and sister travelling west with their family to California in 1849. Because of their father's stubborness, the Brantcourts end up being separated in the desert from the rest of the wagon train. Now their wagon has broken down and their father is seriously ill, and the family is unable to continue. Now Will and Jess are the only ones that can save their family from death. So the determined twins set off across the desolate, dry, and unforgiving deserts of Death Valley. The valley threatens to live up to its name every moment of Will and Jess's desperate journey to find help as they encounter heat, thirst, hunger, and dangerous creatures. But they're determined to carry on and not give up, because their family is counting on them. This was another great book in the Survival series. I highly reccomend it if you like historical or survival stories.