Cassie Lockwood grew up in a travelling Wild West Show and became with her parents a star attraction as a trick rider and sharpshooter. Even when first her mother then her father died life seemed as if it would go on in just the same way: travelling as a group, eating together, reliant on each other, with her father?s partner ?Uncle? Jason in charge. But Jason is not a good manager and one day announces out of the blue that they are all to be laid off, the animals and props, everything but their personal possessions now belong to someone else and they need to leave quickly before even those are re-possessed to pay his debts. Jason is the first to leave, taking with him Cassie?s savings and any money he had been able to squirrel away. Cassie is left with a few dollar bills and Micah a simple young man who has spent most of his life with the show. Gathering together all that they can salvage,they set out westward towards Chief?s old reservation and the valley Cassie?s father always talked about, the Valley of Dreams. Understandably the journey is not without incident, and a parallel story is told of the Engstrom family who have a ranch in this same valley. It is not uninhabited as Cassie has always believed. This book ends with Cassie?s arrival in the valley and being welcomed by Mrs Engstrom who seems to know Chief from of old. There is obviously much more to tell ? and I for one can?t wait!

Cassie Lockwood grew up in a travelling Wild West Show and became with her parents a star attraction as a trick rider and sharpshooter. Even when first her mother then her father died life seemed as if it would go on in just the same way: travelling as a group, eating together, reliant on each other, with her father’s partner ‘Uncle’ Jason in charge. But Jason is not a good manager and one day announces out of the blue that they are all to be laid off, the animals and props, everything but their personal possessions now belong to someone else and they need to leave quickly before even those are re-possessed to pay his debts. Jason is the first to leave, taking with him Cassie’s savings and any money he had been able to squirrel away. Cassie is left with a few dollar bills he ‘kindly’ gives her, her father’s wagon, her horse, dog and two faithful friends an elderly Indian known as Chief, and Micah a simple young man who has spent most of his life with the show looking after the animals and willingly doing anything Cassie asked of him. Gathering together all that they can salvage, horses for the two men, George the buffalo bull and a small herd of cattle, food for themselves and the animals, ammunition, cooking utensils and other tools, they set out westward towards Chief’s old reservation and the valley Cassie’s father always talked about, the Valley of Dreams. Understandably the journey is not without incident, and a parallel story is told of the Engstrom family who have a ranch in this same valley. It is not uninhabited as Cassie has always believed. This book ends with Cassie’s arrival in the valley and being welcomed by Mrs Engstrom who seems to know Chief from of old. There is obviously much more to tell – and I for one can’t wait!

Cassie Lockwood?s life is turned upside down when the Wild West show she?s been a part of her whole life shuts down. With no family and nowhere to call home, Cassie leaves with Chief and Micah and several of the show?s animals. Their goal is to find Cassie?s father?s valley of dreams in South Dakota, a place she has heard about as a child but has never seen. Meanwhile, the Engstrom family is trying to make ends meet on their South Dakota ranch. Times are tough in 1906, and Mavis and her sons Ransom and Lucas must run everything alone. Gretchen, 12, helps, but she?s busy with school most days. The narrative swings between the two stories, and it soon becomes clear that the two deceased fathers had a plan for their families. As Cassie makes her way toward the Engstroms, both groups endure hardship, relying on their faith to get them through.