To the Discussion Leader
Young readers in the seven to ten year-old range are introduced to nine year-old Joshua McCullough and his family as the boy recounts his 1849 adventures on the Oregon Trail in his first diary Westward to Home. In A Perfect Place, diary two, the McCulloughs try to begin life anew out west but clearing the land and building cabins is almost impossible in the endless rains and floods they endure. The kindness of others keeps hope alive even when the flooding claims the life of Josh's beloved grandfather.
In The Wild Year, Josh looks ahead to his tenth birthday and marvels as he looks back on all that he has experienced during this wild year of his life. Spring means new beginnings and Josh can't wait for his chance to go back to school. He's proud of his father's new work writing laws for the Oregon Territory. Even Ma seems to be ready for a new start as she learns to accept the inevitability of change in their lives.
Amidst the pages of The Wild Year, readers learn of the Whitman Mission massacre, the broken dreams of returning families who sought their fortunes in the California Gold Rush, and the courage, resilience, and goodness found in the people who settled the Oregon Territory.
Summary
"Soon I will be ten years old, almost a man." These are the words of Joshua McCullough, writing in his diary in 1849. He and his family have settled in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Josh is restless; he feels Ma won't let him do anything, not even have a gun like his cousin Charlie. Josh dreams of going to Canada or California, but if he can't go there, he wants to go to school.
Josh may not be allowed to go farther than the woods, but he is still considered grown up enough to keep some important secrets. Josh tries to show his parents he's responsible by tending the garden and offering to watch his baby brother and sister Becky when the whole family goes to town. When Becky wanders off in the woods and Josh cannot find her, he is frantic and says, "I have never been so scared. I was even more scared today than even the time I got lost on the trail and I was plenty scared then." After hours of frantic searching with all the neighbors involved, Josh finds Becky, dirty, wet, and crying, with a huge bear lying dead nearby. Josh is convinced his parents are angry, but they are mostly thankful everyone is safe, and they are very proud of Josh's courage.
Josh's birthday arrives, and not only does he get his gun, he learns that he will get to go to school. When September comes, Josh gets ready to ride off to town and notes, "Now comes the biggest adventure of my life, the most exciting thing that has happened over, well, since Pa first said, "Let's set out for Oregon."
Thinking About the Book
1. Do you think Joshua McCullough is the kind of person you would like to have as a friend? Explain your answer by mentioning some of the things Joshua does in The Wild Year.
2. What happened to cause the massacre at the Whitman Mission?
3. Why is Ma so worried about her husband getting involved in Oregon Territory government?
4. What secret did Miss Emmaline ask Josh to keep? What secret did Pa ask his son to keep? Think of a time when you were asked not to tell something. Did it make you feel like Josh when he said, "I feel I have so many secrets I will burst."?
5. After Josh finds Becky, he says he feels happy, mad, and scared all at the same time. What does he mean?
6. Joshua McCullough is a boy filled with dreams of adventure and a love for books and learning. What do you think Josh will be when he grows up? Explain?
7. Why is this book titled The Wild Year?
Student Activities
1. One of the animals Josh sees in the woods is a lynx. To see a photo of this animal go to http://www.nenature.com/LynxPhoto.htm. What can you tell about this animal from its picture? See what information you can find out about the lynx.
2. Why are the following important in Josh's diary The Wild Year?
John McLoughlin
James K. Polk
Joseph Lane
Hudson Bay Fur Company
3. The animal that frightened Becky was a black bear. See
http://www.americanbear.org/cub1521a.html
for a photo of this animal. To find out some interesting facts about
bears go to the related site http://www.americanbear.org/Cubscorner.htm.
4. What opinion does Josh and his family have of Mrs. Meany? Why? Why does their opinion of her change? With the members of your Discussion Group share a story about a time when your opinion of someone changed once you got to know him or her better.
5. Read the other two books in the Joshua series -- Westward to Home and A Perfect Place. Which of the three diaries was your favorite. Why?
Discussion Guide written by Richard F. Abrahamson, Ph.D., Professor of Literature for Children and Young Adults, University of Houston and Eleanore S. Tyson, Ed.D., Clinical Associate Professor, University of Houston, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Houston, Texas.
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