I heard about this book at the virtual NCTE/ALAN 2020 conference and was lucky to get a copy in my box of books. Thank you Candlewick Press! To be honest the title was what captured my attention. When I learn it was about the Donner Party, I was even more intrigued.
The book is a fictional account of the treacherous journey from Nebraska to California. Based on facts that were recorded and uncovered over time, the book tells of the emigrants' journey through multiple voices of members of the groups that made up the party.
Another interesting part to the tale is the narrator of the journey - Hunger. Hunger's portion of the story is told in prose in a voice that is matter-of-fact with no excuses for the part it plays in the deaths of many due to the environment and other circumstances related to the more than year long, perilous adventure. The voices of the Donner Party members is told through verse which leaves the reader with a lasting impression of the harsh, deadly conditions many didn't survive.
The haunting cover art illustrates the people huddling around a fire in the life-threatening cold and snow. Imagine 18 feet of snow, little to no food, inadequate clothing, and poor shelter for months on end. Author Allan Wolf captures the fear, the pain, and the lack of hope felt by these brave folk as they struggled to trudge their way to what they were promised would be a better life. Miraculously some did survive due to the bravery of their fellow travelers and their pure will to see the journey to its end.
THE SNOW FELL THREE GRAVES DEEP is definitely the YA historical fiction title of the year as far as this reader is concerned.
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