The book follows Charley’s determination to ride and care for horses, then to build a life as a stagecoach driver. Her disguise and pursuit of her ambitions sit within a story of restricted opportunities for girls and women.
More about this book
A reissue of Pam Munoz Ryan's bestselling backlist with a distinctive new author treatment. In this fast-paced, courageous, and inspiring story, readers adventure with Charlotte Parkhurst as she first finds work as a stable hand, becomes a famous stage-coach driver (performing brave feats and outwitting bandits), finds love as a woman but later resumes her identity as a man after the loss of a baby and the tragic death of her husband, and ultimately settles out west on the farm she'd dreamed of having since childhood. It wasn't until after her death that anyone discovered she was a woman.
Gender expectationsThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.AmbitionThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.DisguiseThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.
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Family disruptionViolence and harmViolence
Personalised Fit
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Charley is banned from the stables, runs away, disguises herself as a man and becomes a stagecoach driver.Provisional readingProvisional: the reviewed evidence does not establish how the book treats this theme. The evidence gap is listed under Confidence & Basis.Provisional: the reviewed evidence does not establish how the book treats this theme. The evidence gap is listed under Confidence & Basis.
Talk about: What choices might Charley have had if she had not needed to disguise herself?
Adventure and historical detail
The story is set in the mid-1800s and includes stable, ranch and stagecoach life, followed by additional historical information about Parkhurst.Exploratory / explanatoryExploratory / explanatory: the book explains or explores the subject without an established evaluative position.Exploratory / explanatory: the book explains or explores the subject without an established evaluative position.
How the book presents it: The historical details support the adventure setting, and the after-story material provides further information about Parkhurst’s life.
Talk about: Which details feel like part of the adventure, and which help explain the historical setting?
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Why It May Be Worth Reading
Horse and stagecoach details give the adventure a strong working-life setting. The story may also prompt reflection on how gender expectations shape which roles and ambitions are open to someone.
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What Deserves Attention
Charley runs away from an orphanage, is seriously injured and loses sight in one eye. These events may be worth knowing about if separation from care or physical injury is a sensitive subject for your reader.
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A Conversation Worth Having
What does Charley’s disguise make possible for her, and what does it suggest about the choices available to girls and women in her world?
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Reading Approach
Read together in manageable sittings, pausing after the injury or other difficult passages to check how your reader is feeling. The historical information after the story can offer a separate opportunity to compare the fictionalised account with Parkhurst’s life.
Confidence & Basis
Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.
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