Patricia J. Murphy

JOURNEY OF A PIONEER is a story about a young girl named Olivia B. Clark (yes, another family name) who travels along the Oregon Trail and shares her story with us in her diary.

To write this narrative non-fiction title, I read hundreds (and hundreds) of pages of actual diaries, including one of a young girl, and interviewed a number of Oregon Trail and pioneer experts. I feel honored and privileged to be able to share a snapshot look at life along the Oregon Trail and am grateful to the women and men who were so brave to follow their dreams...and blaze their own trails West!

I got a kick out of interviewing coaches, observing LIVE soccer games, and reading EVERYTHING I could get my hands on about this fun and fast-moving game to become a soccer expert!

Writing this reader was an amazing experience, too. I was able to craft a narrative non-fiction story to include the facts that I learned about the game, teach readers about soccer--and hopefully, encourage some to try and play the game.

The characters in the book are named after family members (Erik and Beth) and friends of mine.

Telling the story of time was a time-consuming project. Check out the spreads below to see just how I took my readers along with a timeline that crawls along the bottom of each page. Soon, you will see that time REALLY flies--when you're having fun!

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Telling Time is an engrossing history of timekeeping, from obelisks and sundials to the atomic clocks of today. Part of a multistage reading program with five graduated levels. Stunning photographs and engaging, age-appropriate stories.