Ocean State Libraries

Lee Westfall, a young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold, must flee her home to avoid people who would abuse her powers, so when her best friend Jefferson heads out across Gold Rush-era America to stake his claim, she disguises herself as a boy and sets out on her own dangerous journey.

"The story of a young boy who lives with his proper Bostonian aunts and their very correct butler. When their money runs perilously low, the boy and the butler stow away on a ship bound for the gold fields of California and many adventures follow." --

After her harrowing journey west to California, Lee Westfall has finally found a new home, one rich in gold, thanks to her magical power, a power that seems to be changing every day. But this home is rich in other ways, too: with friends who are searching for a place to be themselves, just as she is, and with love. Jefferson, her longtime best friend, hasn't stopped trying to win her heart. And Lee is more and more tempted to say yes. But her uncle...

In 1849, twelve-year-old California Morning Whipple, who renames herself Lucy, is distraught when her mother moves the family from Massachusetts to a rough California mining town.

Describes the discovery of gold in California and its impact on the development of California and the West.

"Victoria (Tory) Blaisdell longs to live a life as adventurous and independent as that of her heroine, Jane Eyre. When Tory's father loses his job and decides to seek a share of the newly discovered gold in California, Tory stows away on the westbound ship carrying her father and younger brother, Jacob. Though San Francisco is mud-caked, frenzied, and full of wild and dangerous men, Tory quickly finds friends and independence - until her father leaves...

Winner of the Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction
The remarkable tale of two young men during the Klondike Gold Rush, told through first-hand diaries, letters, and more—“excellent reading” for middle grade fans of The Call of the Wild and adventure stories (School Library Journal)
 
As thousands head north in search of gold, Marshall Bond and Stanley Pearce join them, booking passage on a steamship...