"Nellie the Brave" by Veda Boyd Jones

About this book:

  “Nellie Starr’s world is falling apart.

The young Cherokee girl is caught in the political upheaval of America’s westward expansion. Forced by U.S. soldiers to leave their home in Tennessee, Nellie, her family, and thousands of other Cherokee travel the long, dangerous “Trail of Tears” to a new home in the western Indian Territory.

Will Nellie’s courage bring her through this ordeal? Can her faith lead her to forgive those responsible—the white politicians, settlers, and soldiers who uprooted her family from their peaceful, productive home?”


Series: Book #10 in the “Sisters in Time” series. Click on the numbers to be taken to that review: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, & #9.


Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are mentioned & remembered; Prayers, Blessings over food, Thanking God, & Praising God; Church services; Talks about God, peace, & forgiving; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of missionaries & Christians; Mentions of churches, services, hymns, pastors, & prayer meetings; Mentions of crosses; A few mentions of Heaven & angels; A couple mentions of blessings & being blessed;

             *Note: Mentions of shaman chants & ceremonies to ward off evil spirits; A mention of feathers that are said to have ceremonial medicine & special powers (Nellie doesn’t believe it).

Negative Content- Nellie, her family, & her people are forced off their land and she fights feelings of bitterness and hatred towards the white government; Nellie nurses a woman, but unfortunately she dies (barely-above-not-detailed); Nellie gets bit by a copperhead & feels pain (up to semi-detailed); A wagon accident, screams, & pain (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of sicknesses & deaths (including some close to Nellie, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a family owning black slaves & Nellie’s family being against it; Mentions of thieves & stolen items; Mentions of copperhead snakes, poison, & Nellie getting bit; Mentions of alcohol; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of hunting & skinning squirrels; Mentions of going to the bathroom outside; A few mentions of lies & lying; A couple mentions of draft mules being killed for their meat; A couple mentions of rumors; A mention of an assassination; A mention of animal droppings;

             *Note: A mention of an author.

Sexual Content- A couple mentions of Nellie being of marriageable age soon & wondering if a certain boy will be her future husband; A mention of a married couple kissing;

             *Note: Nellie helps deliver a baby (including cutting the umbilical cord with an ax, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a baby coming early and dying shortly after; A couple mentions of wives dying in childbirth.

-Nellie Starr, age 12
                                P.O.V. of Nellie

                                            Set in 1838-1839
                                                    141 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Even though this wasn’t my favorite story (so sad in many ways), I believe it’s important to learn about this time in history. Those interested or studying about the Trail of Tears should look into this book.

See y’all on Friday with a new review!

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.