Kaya: The Journey Begins (American Girl® Historical Characters)

Thought the book would be fun for my 8 year old with a friend named Kaya.

Wonderful stories, as always, from the American Girl series. Grandkids love them!

Really great book! Tricky reading though. I'd say 5th grade level. I'm reading it to my K and 2nd grader. We are loving it.

Kaya is my favorite doll in the American Girl Group. Thank you for having this book so that I could read it. Easy transaction!

Fabulous book for girls and boys. Tremendous depth for a novel for children. We need more of these!

7 yr old loved

The Journey BeginsKaya #1By Janet ShawKaya is constantly being told boasting is wrong, but she can't help it if the truths she tells sound like boasting. After all her Appaloosa mare is the most beautiful and the fastest horse in the herd. But when Kaya's boasting leads her to neglect her assigned task of watching her younger brothers all the children suffer as a result of her boasting and disobedience. Worse her actions have earned her a nickname she would rather not have.When her sister Brown Deer is hurt, Kaya's quick thinking and Steps High speed are the only things that prevent a tragedy from occurring. But Kaya still bears the nickname that she despises.When enemies raid their camp during the night Kaya fears that Steps High will be stolen away and she leads her sister Speaking Rain into danger. Worse both girls are captured and taken for from their family and friends. When they arrive in the raiders camp Kaya and Speaking Rain are put to work as slaves - is there any hope of rescue or escape? And with Speaking Rain's blindness is there any way the two girls could escape together? Or will Kaya be forced to leave her sister behind?This book is set in 1764 and focuses on Kaya's way of life with the Nimiipuu, today we know them as the Nez Perce. The importance of following instructions is stressed as is the need to avoid boasting (which as Kaya proved leads to actions one later regrets). The story is well-paced and the characters well developed. The illustrations work well to help bring the story to life. There are 6 pages after the story portion of the book that focuses on what Kaya's world was like giving historical facts that will help the reader further understand the context of the story.I received this book via Amazon's Vine Program with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion.

Bought it to complete a set. Good story for girls.