News of the World by Paulette Jiles

In 1870, Captain Jefferson Kidd is asked to return ten-year-old Johanna Leonberger to her aunt and uncle. Four years ago, Johanna was kidnapped by the Kiowa tribe, the rest of her immediate family brutally murdered. Now, the Kiowa have traded her to the U.S. Army for blankets and silverware. However, Johanna doesn't remember anything or anyone from her life before she was taken. Taking a journey fraught with danger and dealing with the unpredictability of Johanna is quite a challenge for the 71-year-old Captain Kidd, but slowly, during the long trip through the middle of Texas, they bond, and Kidd is able to teach Johanna some aspects of how the white people live. With lots of details of daily life at the time and a descriptive setting, News of the World is an intriguing tale. Give to people who enjoyed Jim Fergus' One Thousand White Women and Nancy Turner's These Is My Words.