Victoria McKernan has written a gripping survival story published by Alfred A. Knopf. It’s April 1865, the Lynch farm has been devastated by fire and drought, the last survivors of the family are Aiden, 15, and his sister Maddy, 13, and although they survived the winter, starvation is now inevitable. .

The unlikely savior, Jefferson J. Jackson, arrives just as the last of the cornmeal mush is about to expire and offers a chance at survival if Aiden is hired as a logger. The orphans see a chance at a new life, but that chance is 2,000 perilous miles away. Mr. Jackson agrees to take them across the country in his caravan, but before they leave he warns them, “Any way you can think of dying is waiting.”

Aiden is cautious but will do anything for his sister’s survival and happiness and Maddy is eager to see what life holds for them. Her exploits naturally include new friends like the young Nez Perce, Tupic, educated at a mission school but now reunited with his tribe and Doc Carlos, who helps the caravan stave off an epidemic of “devil paint.”

Victoria McKernan portrays both the danger and the beauty of the developing west while skillfully depicting the adventure-filled, hopeful and heartbreaking story of the orphans, with exciting and dramatic characters. Besides “The Devil’s Paintbox”, Victoria McKernan has written “Shackleton’s Stowaway”, another historical novel for young adults and four novels for adults. She lives in Washington, DC.