Will's Race for Home

Jewell Parker Rhodes delivers a compelling middle grade historical adventure set during the 1889 Oklahoma Land Rush. Will, a young Black boy, and his father leave Texas, tired of working land they don't own, to race for a new life. Their journey is fraught with danger, including brutal bandits and challenging landscapes, and they encounter a mysterious Union soldier who adds to the tension. This story explores themes of freedom, land ownership, resilience, and the pursuit of a better life for a Black family in post-Emancipation America, offering a thrilling and thought-provoking read for ages 8-12.

Bestselling and award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes goes West in this thrilling adventure story about a son and his father who set out to win land during the Oklahoma Land Rush. It's 1889, barely twenty-five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and a young Black family is tired of working on land they don't get to own. So when Will and his father hear about an upcoming land rush, they set out on a journey from Texas to Oklahoma, racing thousands of others to the place where land is free--if they can get to it fast enough. But the journey isn't easy--the terrain is rough, the bandits are brutal, and every interaction carries a heavy undercurrent of danger. And then there's the stranger they encounter and befriend: a mysterious soldier named Caesar, whose Union emblem brings more attention--and more trouble--than any of them need. All three are propelled by the promise of something long denied to them: freedom, land ownership, and a place to call home--but is a strong will enough to get them there?