Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

 Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

**This review is based on an ARC from Netgalley, release date is 3/17/15.

I will start this post by saying I am not usually much of a fan of Historical Fiction, but this book was able to hold my interest all the way through.  Though it was a serious topic, there were many funny moments and I could picture the characters as people I would want to be friends with.  Sammy and Andy are 2 girls disguised as boys trying to escape their own lives in Missouri by following the Oregon Trail. Sammy is trying to outrun a “crime” that she committed, which Andy is trying to outrun slavery. Shortly after beginning their journey, they meet 3 young men and join them for travels. They must survive, avoid the law, and navigate relationships…all while maintaining their status as male instead of the females they actually are. As you can imagine, this leads to some funny and awkward situations. The story gets very intense towards the end so it is a good read all the way through.  The characters are also well-developed, extremely relatable, and diverse—there are white characters, Chinese characters, black characters, and Mexican characters.  I will be purchasing for my high school library and recommending to students.

My rating: 4/5