The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming

I love historical fiction! It’s my favorite genre. It’s also a great way for me to teach my children history through literature. I picked this up one day to preview it and couldn’t put it down. So good!! I haven’t read a lot of books about life in the PNW during this time period. I loved Jane and wish I could read more stories about her. Highly recommend not just for teaching but just enjoyment.

This well-researched and engaging Pacific Northwest historical fiction follows young Jane Demming as she joins the second group of "Mercer girls" to settle in the Seattle area. Along the way, Jane faces numerous unexpected challenges, and her adventures compel her to learn, adapt, and mature as she fights for friendship, education, and self-determination. Readers will root for Jane at every turn as they immerse themselves in the details of the time and place. Highly recommended!

As an adult retired teacher, I had the background knowledge that allowed me to understand the motives and decisions made by the characters. However, if a ten year old reads The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming, the book may become confusing due to the exciting twists and turns in the plot that an older reader would understand. I think this book is more appropriate for an older audience. Perhaps twelve and above would be more appropriate. It is well written and interesting, and I recommend the book to older readers or as a directed reading in a group, class, or at home.

A must read for upper elementary and middle school students in Washington state. Based upon the second trip that Mercer made to bring more brides out to Washington Territory. The second trip also contained widows and their children from the aftermath of the Civil War. Jane is brought along with her stepmother and half brother. She is excited about the trip having no background to see the lies that Mercer put in his pamphlets. Her stepmother, only a little older than her, sees no reason for Jane to continue schooling or do anything else other than take care of her little brother. Other travelers on the journey manage to distract her stepmother. Upon arrival in Seattle, the lies are revealed. Many of the men don't wnat ready made families, and money is running out. We need more history that will come alive for our children.

Couldn’t put it down

Jane's step-mother (a Civil War widow) is enticed to join the second Mercer Girls group heading from New York to Washington Territory. They quickly discover they've traded a bad situation in New England to what seems to be a worse one in muddy Seattle. Jane meets the challenges with courage and pluck, learning practical pioneer skills, from skinning an otter to building a canoe, and gaining emotional maturity as she encounters a wide range of people from giggly, husband-hunting young women to the neighboring local Native American family. I cheered for Jane as she adjusted to her new home and discovered her own strengths! Since I'm from the NW, I especially enjoyed reading this well-researched historical fiction about the early days in Seattle.

I loved Jane and her adventures in Washington territory!

Read this with my daughter for Washington history homeschooling. She and I both loved it. Not only does it truthfully cover the history of the Washington territory and Seattle, it portrays a young woman who learns how to live and learn through all circumstances. Beautiful read.