
The appreciation she has for being free, even on the run. The hope she has at finding her brothers, cruelly taken from her as slaves. The stories of her faith, confidently spoken. – Annamae’s fear at being a runaway slave. She does not want to continue without him. She speaks to her father throughout the book, but it is heartbreaking. – Samantha’s grief at losing her father very early in the story never lessens, not once. In a story like this one – where there is so much at stake, so much emotion involved – it just makes the story leap even higher off of the pages and land even deeper into my heart. This often happens, and is why I love rereading via audio so much. When I read (listened to) this book as a reread, I was able to dig much deeper into the story and I heard more. I thought it was exciting and brilliant and lovely, and really just one of the best books that I read in 2015. They head west, meet up with other cowboys, and have to continue faking as boys in order to survive on the plains, risking everything for their freedom.

Andy and Sammy are two females that disguise themselves as cowBOYS to escape a really awful situation back in Missouri. The first time I read Under A Painted Sky I was so excited to read a book about THE OREGON TRAIL! THE OREGON TRAIL! that that is what I picked up on mostly: the setting, the trail + the amazing friendship between Andy and Sammy.

My Thoughts : I just finished a reread of Under A Painted Sky by Stacey Lee and I loved that while I read the same story twice, I essentially read a different story both times.
