By Tod Olson. Illustrated by Scott Allred. Undoubtedly the year's most fun new Gold Rush book, this "recently discovered manuscript" mixes genuine and made-up historical illustrations and anecdotes as charming, witty, fictitious Thomas Hartley advises readers how to travel to the gold fields, survive the hardships, and end up earning a tidy fortune. Challenge students to figure out which illustrations are real primary source documents and which are fictional. The publisher recommends this book for grades 5–9, but California fourth graders will love it. 8½" x 10½". National Geographic. 48 pages. ©2008.
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