Jo's Triumph

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Powell,
Ohio.

Jo’s father died on the wagon train to California and her brothers
have left her behind at Carson City’s Home for Unfortunate Girls. Jo
gets a break from her boring routine when she is sent to a private home
and meets Sarah Winnemucca, a Native girl who is also living there.
Together they witness the growing hostility between the Native people
and the settlers, but they become close friends and Sarah inspires Jo to
try to go to California on her own. Jo hatches a plan to disguise
herself as a boy and run away. She decides to make money as a rider for
the Pony Express. Jo takes great risks to her personal safety and
suffers much personal hardship, but with her exceptional horse skills,
her determination, and some help from her friend, she overcomes
tremendous obstacles and succeeds in her plan.

Here is a great way for horse-story lovers to discover the pleasure of
an exciting historical novel. The turbulent Native-settler conflicts of
the times and the daring rides of the Pony Express provide a suspenseful
setting for the actions of an extraordinary girl. Jo’s character is
inspired by women who demonstrated exceptional resourcefulness and
independence to achieve their goals at a time when women’s lives were
very much limited.

Jo’s Triumph is an engaging story with plenty of interesting
historical detail and a plot that grows more exciting by the page.
Highly recommended.