Parents' Guide to Like a River Glorious: Gold Seer Trilogy, Book 2

Book Rae Carson Historical Fiction 2016
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Common Sense Media Review

Carrie R. Wheadon By Carrie R. Wheadon , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 13+

Tense Gold Rush tale shows harsh reality of slavery.

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What's the Story?

In LIKE A RIVER GLORIOUS, Lee and fellow wagon train travelers have arrived in California, and it's time to stake some claims and get digging and panning. With Lee's ability to sense gold, she settles them near a pond in a floodplain. Of course, they're instantly successful, but Lee can't celebrate. Claim jumpers with guns in the dark had already threatened them once, and it won't be long before her villainous uncle and his men come looking for her. So she decides to tell everyone her big secret and the danger they're in. One family decides to leave right away to protect themselves while the others stick it out and befriend some other miners, hoping for strength in numbers. It doesn't help in the end: Their camp is set on fire, and someone is shot and killed on watch. Now Lee knows she must find a way to face her uncle to keep her friends safe.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
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Readers who made the harrowing cross-country wagon trip with Lee in Book 1 may be expecting less drama in Book 2, but this satisfying sequel is full of nail-biting moments. Even before Lee's greedy and corrupt Uncle Hiram enters Like a River Glorious, claim jumpers and Hiram's henchmen are a constant threat.

And then we reach Hiram's camp. The contrast between Glory, California, where Lee's friends settle, and Hiram's Gulch is jarring. Lee's awakening to the injustice of slavery tempers her response to her own pretty serious troubles, making her an even more enviable character. Author Rae Carson lets things get pretty grim at Hiram's Gulch, steeping the story in the harsh reality of the times, but that allows her the room to work toward justice in an even more profound way.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the two very different mining camps in Like a River Glorious. How did the characters' feelings about race influence how the camps were run?

  • How was life for women different on the frontier? Would Lee be able to have the same life back in Georgia?

  • There are few clues about what will happen in the final installment of the Gold Seer trilogy. Will you see it through to the end? Why, or why not?

Book Details

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