Valley of the Shadow by John Soennichsen - Free

In the year 1849, after both of Will Barlow's parents die, the 14-year old farm boy departs his family farm in Michigan and travels with a neighboring family to California, where he hopes to make his fortune in the gold fields. During his travels, he must endure the rigors of overland travel and the forces of nature. Moreover, he is exposed to the tension and unexpected dangers of sharing a wagon and the road with a dysfunctional family whose patriarch rules with an iron fist and accepts Will as a traveling companion only because of the boy's strong back and full wallet. To read, start at the bottom of the web page.