Illuminations Year 4, 3rd-8th Grade

Seaman, the Newfoundland dog belonging to Meriwether Lewis, proves his value as a hunter, navigator, and protector while accompanying the Corps of Discovery, led by his master and William Clark, on its two-year journey exploring the western territories. 

Marianne, heading west with fourteen other children on an Orphan Train, is sure her mother will show up at one of the stations along the way. When her mother left Marianne at the orphanage, hadn't she promised she'd come for her after making a new life in the West? Stop after stop goes by, and there's no sign of her mother in the crowds that come to look over the children. No one shows any interest in adopting shy, plain Marianne, either. But that's all right: She has to be free for her mother to claim her. Then the train pulls into its final stop, a town called Somewhere . . .