Liza Ketchum’s brief biographies of eight women whose lives spanned almost 100 years describe both the challenges and the opportunities that the expanding frontier represented. Drawing on the women’s own diaries and letters as well as oral family histories, and using extensive research into other primary documents, Ketchum’s lively profiles are hard to put down. Her subjects include Susan Magoffin, who was 17 when she set off on the Sante Fe Trail with her husband in 1846; Lotta Crabtree, who went from child performer in gold rush camps to national stage star; Bridget “Biddy” Mason, a slave who sued her owner for freedom in California and won, becoming a leading Black citizen of Los Angeles; Bethenia Owens-Adair, who, after raising her child alone, went to medical school and became the first female doctor in the Pacific Northwest; Susette LaFlesche Tibbles, a member of the Omaha Nation who became a spokesperson for the rights of her people; Susan LaFlesche Picotte, sister of Susette, who became the country’s first American Indian doctor; Mary McGladery Tape, a Chinese immigrant who fought to allow Chinese children into mainstream public schools in San Francisco; and Katherine Ryan, who traveled alone to the Klondike and established her own business. One or more photographs of each woman accompany the profile. (Ages 10-14)

The history of the West has traditionally been presented in terms of the accomplishments of men. We now realize that women also played an essential role in the great changes that swept this country, as the West became the destinations of one of the greatest migrations in world history. Here are the stories of eight women from different backgrounds who exemplify the challenges and the opportunities women found as they participated in the westward expansion. Among them Susan Magoffin who journeyed down the Santa Fe trail; Lotta Crabtree who began her career as a child dancing in the camps of gold miners and wound up a nationally known celebrity; Bridget "Biddy" Mason who escaped slavery and eventually became one of the richest women in Los Angeles. Also featured are Susan LaFleche who championed the disregarded rights of Native Americans and Mary Tape, who fought discrimination against the Chinese that was so prevalent at the time. Into a New Country is a book rich in detail and adventure. It is sure to be used repeatedly by young people interested in women's contributions to our common history.