At a glance
Children's fiction
The Great Railroad Race: the Diary of Libby West
208 pages · First published 1999
Libby West travels with her family across the Great Plains in the 1860s as competing railroad companies race to build the first transcontinental line. Her diary records construction camps, new towns, dangerous work, and the rapid changes the railroad brings to Western landscapes and communities. The celebrated race appears exciting from a child’s viewpoint while also revealing the enormous labor and disruption behind the achievement. Kristiana Gregory’s Dear America novel uses a fictional girl’s experience to introduce the transcontinental railroad as both technological adventure and a force transforming the American West.
Birch & Maple Coffee + Rhenian Honey Ale
Choose your bookseller
Find the Book
Print retailers offer a search when an exact edition is unavailable. Kindle links open a specific edition. Audiobook links may open an edition or a search.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Book Bartender earns from qualifying purchases. Bookshop.org links also earn us a commission on qualifying purchases. Your price is not affected. Read the full affiliate disclosure.
No surprises at chapter twelve
Content notes
Violence, weapons, and peril
Alcohol-Free Pour
Birch & Maple Coffee
Rich coffee suits rugged adventures and wide-open settings.
What you'll need
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.How to mix it
- Stir any sweetener, cocoa, or spices into the coffee until dissolved. Add milk or cream if desired and garnish as indicated.
- Garnish: Orange peel if for extra kick.
- Glassware: Mug (or highball glass if served cold).
We earn a commission from qualifying purchases through these Amazon links, at no extra cost to you.
Highball glass ↗Mug ↗Cocktail Pour · 21+
Rhenian Honey Ale
For adults of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly.
A mellow, malty pour suits rugged adventures and wide-open settings.
What you'll need
- 12 oz amber ale
- 1/4 oz honey syrup ↗
- 1 wide strip lemon peel ↗
Alcohol-shopping links are not shown on children's or young-adult book pages.
How to mix it
- Pour the ale into a pint glass, stir in honey syrup gently, and express the lemon peel over the top.
- Garnish: Lemon peel.
- Glassware: Pint glass.
We earn a commission from qualifying purchases through these Amazon links, at no extra cost to you.
Pint glass ↗Set up the bar cart
Shop the Barware
Find the glasses and tools for your next pour.