Black Storm Comin'by Diane Lee Wilson
Reading level: grades 5 and up
Bet you never thought of California in terms of Civil War involvement. Did you know that people worried that California would side with the South? (In the end, it didn’t.) But blacks (called coloreds) were in as much danger of capture there as they were in the Northern states. Runaway slaves weren’t really free until they reached Canada.
This is the story of Colton Wescott, a boy with determination, gumtion, and a mission. He becomes the breadwinner for his mother and sisters after his pa takes off and doesn’t return. The fastest way to make money is to ride for the Pony Express. Colton is only twelve but has the will and the guts to stick to the job, get the mail through the snow drenched Sierras, but along the way gets himself into a whole pack of situations that will keep you turning pages.
