Books like 'A Family Apart'
Readers who enjoyed A Family Apart by Joan Lowery Nixon also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical action / adventure historical-fiction family children slavery classics western coming-of-age realistic
-
Heck's Journey by John Deacon
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAn epic tale of strength, compassion, and adventure on the western frontier.Orphaned at fourteen, Hector “Heck” Martin heads west, determined to see the far country and make a man of himself.Along the way, he falls in love with bold and beautiful Hope Mullen. But Heck is too young and poor to marry, so he heads west again...Categorized as:
western historical-fiction coming-of-age industrial-era romance fiction mystery historical -
Augusta by Carolyn Brown
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAugusta "Gussie" Dulan is the only Dulan sister to make it all the way to California on the wagon train for brides. Each of her four sisters has taken off along the trail to marry up with a man they fell in love with and now Gussie is hoping to find a man to love here at the end of the trail...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure adult book female-mc -
Sun Over The Mountains by Duane Boehm
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSun Over The Mountains is the latest novel by bestselling Western author Duane Boehm.When Sammy Landon is called home by his dying mother, he returns to his hometown to find that the things he ran from all those years ago are still as much a part of him as they ever were. Central City still holds the same old heartbreak, temptations, and problems that it always had for his troubled life...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure adult book fiction historical -
On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsThe adventures of Laura Ingalls and her family continue as they leave their little house on the prairie and travel in their covered wagon to Minnesota. They settle into a house made of sod on the banks of beautiful Plum Creek. Soon Pa builds them a sturdier house, with real glass windows and a hinged door. Laura and Mary go to school, help with the chores around the house, and fish in the creek...Categorized as:
children classics coming-of-age family historical-fiction industrial-era realistic survival -
-
A Waltz for Matilda by Jackie French
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratings'Once a jolly swagman camped by a Billabong Under the shade of a Coolibah tree And he sang as he watched and waited till his Billy boiled You'll come a‐waltzing Matilda with me...' In 1894, twelve-year-old Matilda flees the city slums to find her unknown father and his farm. But drought grips the land, and the shearers are on strike. Her father has turned swaggie and he's wanted by the troopers...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age historical-fiction survival action-adventure audiobook book fiction -
Seeing the Elephant by Leah Banicki
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAfter three long years of separation Corinne Temple is heading West to see her father again. She marries Andrew Temple the day she leaves for the Oregon Trail. He is a family friend but far from friendly. Her third generation knowledge of healing herbs makes her an asset to the wagon train but her husband's iron grip leaves Corinne confused and angry...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure adult book christian -
Pillar of Light by Gerald N. Lund
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratings"You believe me, don't you, Nathan." It was not a question, but a statement, filled with wonder.It stunned Nathan."You believe it all. I can see it on your face."For a moment, time seemed suspended as Nathan probed the inward recesses of his soul. There was still the incredulousness, still the sense of hearing something that couldn't possibly be true. And yet he knew it was...Categorized as:
classics family historical-fiction industrial-era realistic western action-adventure audiobook -
The Hardest Ride by Gordon L. Rottman
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsBook 1 in the bestselling “Ride” series, which won the Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award for Best Western Novel 2014 Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award Finalist for Best First Western Novel 2014 Western Writers of America Spur Award Finalist for Best Traditional Western Novel for 2013. The Texas-Mexico border, the winter of 1886—The Great Die Up. A raw rift separates Mexicans and Anglos...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure adult book fiction -
These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Cherry Jones
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsLaura is teaching school, and it's terrifying! Most of the students are taller than she is, and she must sleep away from home for the first time. Laura is miserable, but the money is needed to keep Mary in a college for the blind. Every Friday—no matter what the weather—Almanzo Wilder arrives to take Laura home to her family for the weekend...Categorized as:
children classics coming-of-age family historical-fiction industrial-era realistic western -
McKettrick's Choice by Linda Lael Miller
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen news came that there was trouble back in Texas, Holt McKettrick left his mail-order bride at the altar and never looked back. He just hoped he'd be in time to save the man who raised him as a son and stop his best friend from hanging...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure adult audiobook book -
The Great Brain at the Academy by John D. Fitzgerald
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Great Brain faces the challenge of life at a strict Catholic boarding school with daring exploits and money-making schemes...Categorized as:
children classics family historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure boarding-school -
Oregon Disaster by Rachel Wesson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsPregnant and alone, Sarah Hughes finds herself in a village at the mercy of strangers. Along comes Bear who is determined to bring her home. She doesn’t want to leave but having killed a man she is left with little choice. On the run with an Indian who calls her a spoiled brat isn’t the best of starts to romance. Over time, she comes to see the person behind the stony face...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era survival western action-adventure adult animals book -
Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsLaura is almost fifteen. The long winter is over. With spring comes socials, dances, and "Literaries." There is also work to be done. Laura spends many hours each day sewing shirts to help send Mary to a college for the blind. But, in the evenings, Laura makes time for a new caller, Almazo Wilder...Categorized as:
children classics coming-of-age family historical-fiction industrial-era realistic western -
Two Thousand Grueling Miles by L.J. Martin
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA QUEST – STAY ALIVE, KEEP FAMILY SAFE, AND ABOVE ALL ELSE, KEEP MOVING WEST. Young but determined, the man of the family too soon, Jake Zane comes of age with the help of a massive mute escaped slave. It’s conquer the wilderness, protect your mother and sisters, or die trying...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction industrial-era survival western 19th-century action-adventure book -
-
Dreams of Eagles by William W. Johnstone
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the greatest western writers of the 21st century, the classic second adventure in The Eagles, one of the most iconic and beloved sagas of the American frontier, is back in print as legendary Scottish frontiersman Jamie MacCallister blazes through the Wild West.In peace and war, he was the soul of a nation—and the flesh and blood of the American Frontier . .Categorized as:
western historical-fiction industrial-era historical action-adventure fiction book adult -
Buddy- How far will a boy go for the dog he loves? by M.H. Herlong
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA classic boy-and-dog tale in the tradition of Old YellerTyrone "Li'l T" Roberts meets Buddy when his family's car accidentally hits the stray dog on their way to church. Buddy turns out to be the dog Li'l T's always wished for--until Hurricane Katrina comes to New Orleans and he must leave Buddy behind...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age family historical-fiction realistic survival action-adventure animals -
Sacajawea by Anna Lee Waldo
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsClad ln a doeskin, alone and unafraid, she stood straight and proud before the onrushlng Forces of America’s destiny: Sacajawea. child of a Shoshoni chief, lone woman on Lewis and Clark‘s historic trek-beautiful spear of a dying nation.She knew many men, walked many miles...Categorized as:
children classics historical-fiction industrial-era realistic western 20th-century action-adventure -
A River Runs Through it and Other Stories by Norman Maclean, Annie Proulx
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsJust as Norman Maclean writes at the end of "A River Runs through It" that he is "haunted by waters," so have readers been haunted by his novella. A retired English professor who began writing fiction at the age of 70, Maclean produced what is now recognized as one of the classic American stories of the twentieth century...Categorized as:
classics coming-of-age family historical-fiction industrial-era realistic western 20th-century -
By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe adventures of Laura Ingalls and her family continue as they move from their little house on the banks of Plum Creek to the wilderness of the unsettled Dakota Territory. Here Pa works on the new railroad until he finds a homestead claim that is perfect for their new little house...Categorized as:
children classics coming-of-age family historical-fiction industrial-era realistic survival -
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsOn the empty winter prairie, gray clouds to the northwest meant only one thing: a blizzard was seconds away. The first blizzard came in October. It snowed almost without stopping until April. The temperature dropped to forty below. Snow reached the roof-tops. And no trains could get through with food and coal. The townspeople began to starve. The Ingalls family barely lived through that winter...Categorized as:
children classics coming-of-age family historical-fiction industrial-era realistic survival -
More Adventures of the Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald, Mercer Mayer
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHas Tom, a.k.a. the Great Brain, given up his con-artist ways for a bicycle? Not for long. Soon the Great Brain is back to his old tricks, swindling and trading, even convincing the whole town there's a prehistoric monster on the loose. But when someone robs the bank, even the police are stumped...Categorized as:
children classics family historical-fiction industrial-era realistic western action-adventure -
Deadlier Than the Rest by Shirleen Davies
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“A passionate, heartwarming story of the iconic MacLarens of Fire Mountain. This captivating historical western romance grabs your attention from the start with an engrossing story encompassing two romances set against the rugged backdrop of the burgeoning western frontier.” Connor MacLaren’s search has already stolen eight years of his life...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure adult book fiction -
Harder Than the Rest by Shirleen Davies
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWill MacLaren is a hardened, plain-speaking bounty hunter. His life centers on finding men guilty of horrendous crimes and making sure justice is done. There is no place in his world for the carefree attitude he carried years before when a tragic event destroyed his dreams. Amanda is the daughter of a successful Colorado rancher...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure adult book fiction -
Stronger than the Rest by Shirleen Davies
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“Smart, tough, and capable, the MacLarens protect their own no matter the odds. Set against America’s rugged frontier, the stories of the men from Fire Mountain are complex, fast-paced, and a must read for anyone who enjoys non-stop action and romance.” Drew MacLaren is focused and strong...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure adult book fiction -
-
My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsIt seems Ken can't do anything right. He loses saddle blankets and breaks reins...but then comes the worst news yet: a report card so bad that he has to repeat a grade. How can you tame the dreamy mind of a boy who stares out of the window instead of taking an exam? Enter Flicka, the chestnut filly with a wild spirit...Categorized as:
children classics coming-of-age family historical-fiction industrial-era realistic western -
Last Hope by Duane Boehm
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLast Hope is the highly anticipated third book in the Gideon Johann Western series. It joins #1 bestseller novels on Amazon.com in Western Classics, Last Stand and Last Chance. Love, second chances, new beginnings, and dispensing justice – all set in the town of Last Stand, Colorado in 1880...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure adult book fiction -
Fiona's Lace by Patricia Polacco
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn Irish family stays together with the help of Fiona’s talent for making one-of-a-kind lace in this heartwarming immigration story from the New York Times bestselling creator of The Keeping Quilt.Many years ago, times were hard in all of Ireland, so when passage to America becomes available, Fiona and her family travel to Chicago...Categorized as:
historical-fiction family children survival realistic children-books historical fiction -
The Fields by Conrad Richter
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsConrad Richter's trilogy of novels The Trees (1940), The Fields (1946), and The Town (1950) trace the transformation of Ohio from wilderness to farmland to the site of modern industrial civilization, all in the lifetime of one character. The Fields continues the saga of the Luckett family that began in The Trees...Categorized as:
classics family historical-fiction industrial-era western 20th-century action-adventure book -
Last Stand by Duane Boehm
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsGideon Johann had been gone from Last Stand, Colorado for eighteen years, seeming to have vanished after the Civil War. He is a man running from his conscience and keeping on the move seems to be the only thing preventing it from destroying him...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure adult book civil-war -
The Velvet Room by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRobin was always wandering off (her mother's words) to get away from the confusion she felt inside her. It was not until Robin's father found a permanent job at the McCurdy ranch, after three years as a migrant worker, that Robin had a place to wander to...Categorized as:
children classics coming-of-age family historical-fiction realistic 20th-century action-adventure -
Unbound: A Novel in Verse by Ann E. Burg, Bahni Turpin
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFrom the award-winning author of All the Broken Pieces and Serafina's Promise comes a new novel-in-verse that is a gripping, transcendent story about a little-known piece of slave history. The day Grace is called from the slave cabins to work in the Big House, Mama makes her promise to keep her eyes down...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age family historical-fiction realistic slavery survival action-adventure -
Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA middle-grade novel about two enslaved children’s escape from a plantation and the many ways they find freedom.Under the cover of night, twelve-year-old Homer flees Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, unwillingly leaving their beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there’s no turning back, not with the overseer on their trail... -
A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Place: Nebraska.The time: the 1870's, when every day on the prairie brought its threat -of hostile Indians, of prairie fires, of blizzards, and the overwhelming threat of accident or illness to the little homesteading family, Will and Abbie Deal and their babies...Categorized as:
children classics coming-of-age family historical-fiction industrial-era survival western -
Blood Bond by William W. Johnstone
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThorndike Press Western Series titles are selected with the classic Western fan in mind, drawn from the work of the acknowledged masters of Western fiction and some contemporary authors writing in the traditional Western style. Also included are anthologies and collections of short works by favorite authors.Actual Large Print covers may be different from those shown...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure adult audiobook book fiction -
-
Smiling Country by Elmer Kelton
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHewey Calloway, the footloose cowboy of The Good Old Boys, is trying to adjust to the trappings of modern life springing up around him in the Smiling Country of West Texas in 1910--all the while regretting his decision for years earlier to run away from the only woman he ever loved...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure adult audiobook book -
A Tropical Frontier: Tales of Old Florida by Tim Robinson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Southern Frontier: A road-less, watery wilderness, uninviting and intimidating to all but the most stouthearted and adventurous. While great cities were springing up ih in places with names such as St. Louis, Denver, and San Francisco, the lower peninsula of Florida endured...Categorized as:
historical-fiction survival realistic western industrial-era historical fiction action-adventure -
Almost to Freedom by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLindy and her doll Sally are best friends - wherever Lindy goes, Sally stays right by her side. They eat together, sleep together, and even pick cotton together. So, on the night Lindy and her mama run away in search of freedom, Sally goes too. This young girl's rag doll vividly narrates her enslaved family's courageous escape through the Underground Railroad... -
Buffalo Gal by Bill Wallace
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt's her mother's crazy idea: a trip to Texas to save the buffalo. Amanda Guthridge just wants to ride horses with her boyfriend Philip and plan her coming-out party...Categorized as:
children historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure book fiction historical -
Amazing Grace by Faith Blum
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCaleb hurried to the post office. He had to get in and out before his sister finished at the general store. “Any mail for the Stuarts?” he asked the postmaster.The postmaster took a lazy look at him over the top of his eyeglasses and gave a heaving sigh as he turned around to check. “Yep. Somethin’ from Ohio and somethin’ from Montana...Categorized as:
children historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure book christian fiction -
Last Chance by Duane Boehm
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLast Chance is the highly anticipated sequel to the bestselling novel Last Stand. Gideon Johann is the new sheriff of Last Stand, Colorado, hoping to put roots down in the place where he grew up...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure adult book crime -
Iris by Leigh Greenwood
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMonty Randolph plans to take a herd to Wyoming. He means to start a ranch for the family and one for himself so he can get out from under the irritating and watchful eye of his older brother, George. He's determined that nothing will stop him from succeeding, especially his neighbor, Iris Richmond, who wants him to take her herd to Wyoming along with his...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure adult book fiction -
Oregon Country: The Story of the 1843 Oregon Trail Migration by T.J. Hanson
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Oregon Trail had its beginnings in 1843 beneath the wagon wheels of the Oregon Emigrating Company, a group of disparate Americans with a common goal: to seek a new land and make it their own. The trail met its end in 1869 with the completion of the transcontinental railway. Western Passage is a detailed account of the Oregon Migration of 1843 in a "historical fiction" setting...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure adult book fiction historical -
Firehorse by Diane Lee Wilson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen fifteen-year-old Rachel is forced to move to Boston in 1872, she is furious. She is also lonely, for her beloved horse, Peaches, has been sold. But Rachel soon finds a horse that needs her, and needs her desperately: The Governor's Girl, a famous firehorse, has been badly burned. Rachel gets permission to care for the Girl in a stable behind her house... -
Naya Nuki: Shoshone Girl Who Ran by Kenneth Thomasma
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAfter being taken prisoner by an enemy tribe, a Shoshoni girl escapes and makes a thousand-mile journey through the wilderness in search of her own people...Categorized as:
children historical-fiction industrial-era realistic survival western action-adventure book -
-
Caddie Woodlawn's Family by Carol Ryrie Brink, Marguerite Davis
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCaddie Woodlawn is back and there are more frontier adventures to go on in this sequel to the Newbery Medal–winning novel, Caddie Woodlawn! The high-spirited Caddie is back with her lively siblings for some amusing escapades. In these fourteen stories, learn about frontier life with the seven Woodlawn children...Categorized as:
children classics family historical-fiction realistic action-adventure book children-books -
West of the Tularosa by Louis L'Amour
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLouis L'Amour said that the West was no place for the frightened or the mean. It was a "big country needing big men and women to live in it". This volume presents eight of L'Amour's ever-popular short stories - history that lives forever.©2014 Louis L'Amour and Jon Tuska (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure adult audiobook book -
The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook by Joyce Lankester Brisley
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe stories of Milly-Molly-Mandy and her family and friends have charmed generations of children since they first appeared in 1925. This collection of twenty-one classic tales about this resourceful and thoughtful little girl reflect with accuracy the dilemmas and challenges of a child's world...Categorized as:
children classics family historical-fiction realistic 20th-century action-adventure anthologies -
Comstock Lode by Louis L'Amour
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIt was just a godforsaken mountainside, but no place on earth was richer in silver. For a bustling, enterprising America, this was the great bonanza. The dreamers, the restless, the builders, the vultures—they were lured by the glittering promise of instant riches and survived the brutal hardships of a mining camp to raise a legendary boom town. But some sought more than wealth...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction industrial-era western action-adventure adult audiobook book -
Diamond by Jacqueline Wilson, Nick Sharratt
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe fantastic new novel from bestselling author Jacqueline Wilson, starring Diamond, the little circus acrobat who first appeared in the hugely popular Hetty Feather books: Hetty Feather, Sapphire Battersea and Emerald Star.Diamond wasn’t always a star. Born to penniless parents who longed for a strong, healthy son, she was a dainty, delicate daughter - and a bitter disappointment...Categorized as:
children family historical-fiction action-adventure book children-books fiction historical -
Gentle Ben by Walt Morey
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Alaskan wilderness is a lonely place for Mark Andersen, especially after the death of his brother. But Mark finds a friend named Ben, who happens to be an Alaskan brown bear. Ben and Mark form a special bond, but the townspeople are determined to destroy it. It is only through the strength of an enduring friendship that Ben—and Mark—have a chance of being saved...Categorized as:
children classics coming-of-age family historical-fiction realistic action-adventure animals
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.