The Far West

The Far West (2012) Patricia C. Wrede

The final book finds Eff grown up, but still unsure what to do with herself, even though she has come to terms with being a thirteenth child.

Sometimes I couldn’t help thinking that the unluckiest thing about being a thirteenth child was having all those older brothers and sisters telling me what to do.

She remains fascinated with the Far West, and wants to travel there more, but the dangers and the fears of her family make her unsure what she wants to do. But her friend William’s return helps, as he never saw her birth order as a liability.

“We’ll have to get together this week, so you can tell us all about it,” William said to me. “Letters just aren’t the same.”

“Your letters certainly aren’t,” I said, sticking my nose up in the air and pretending to be cross. “I sent you pages and pages about the trip Professor Torgeson and I took through the settlements last year, and I was lucky to get three sentences back.”

“They were very good sentences, though,” William said earnestly.

Although Eff is grown in this book, it is still a YA, so even if there is falling in love and talk or marriage, it remains acceptable for even younger teens.

I didn’t want to hurt Roger, but I had to admit that not wanting to hurt him was a terrible reason to marry a man.

Although the focus remains upon Eff, I still like Professor Torgeson.

“Bureaucrats!” Professor Torgeson said, like it was a really horrible swear word.

“This one is Stheno, and that’s Euryale.”

“I suppose there’s a certain symmetry in naming them after the three Gorgons,” Professor Torgeson said. “I presume the third one is Medusa?”

Professor Jeffries shook his head. “A medusa lizard named Medusa would be confusing, and in any case, the third one is male. So I’m calling him Fred.”

“Stheno, Euryale, and Fred.” Professor Torgeson sighed.

I really do love this series:
Rating: 8.5/10

Published by Scholastic

• Browse the archives:
  
• Blood in Her Veins » »
• « « Across the Great Barrier