One Big Open Sky

A Newbery Honor Book

Three women narrate a perilous wagon journey westward that could set them free--or cost them everything they have--in this intergenerational verse novel that explores the history of the Black homesteader movement.

1879, Mississippi. Young dreamer Lettie may have her head in the stars, but her body is on a covered wagon heading westward. Her father, Thomas, promises that Nebraska will be everything the family needs: an opportunity to claim the independence they've strived for over generations on their very own plot of land.

But Thomas' hopes--and mouth--are bigger than his ability to follow through. With few supplies and even less money, the only thing that feels certain is danger.

Right after the war ended/and we were free/we believed/all of us did/that couldn't nothing hurt us/the way master had when we were slaves/Couldn't no one tell us/how to live/how to die.

Lettie, her mother, Sylvia, and young teacher Philomena are free from slavery--but bound by poverty, access to opportunity, and patriarchal social structures. Will these women survive the hardships of their journey? And as Thomas' desire for control overpowers his common sense, will they truly be free once they get there?

Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author Lesa Cline-Ransome's striking verse masterfully portrays an underrepresented historical era. Tackling powerful themes of autonomy and Black self-emancipation, Cline-Ransome offers readers an intimate look into the lives of three women and an expansive portrait of generations striving for their promised freedom.

A Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book
Winner of the Virginia Library Association Cardinal Cup Award
A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
One of Evanston Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids
A CSMCL Best Multicultural Children's Book of the Year
An ALSC Notable Children's Book
A CLA Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts
Selected for the Rise: Feminist Book List
Shortlisted for MPIBA's Reading the West Book Award
A BCALA Best of the Best Title

Author: Lesa Cline-Ransome
Publisher: Holiday House
Published: 03/05/2024
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.01lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.06w x 1.26d
ISBN: 9780823450169
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.8
Point Value: 7
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 553286 / One Big Open Sky


Award: Newbery Medal - Honor Book
Award: Coretta Scott King Award - Honor Book


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 12/18/2023
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2024
Booklist 02/15/2024 pg. 67
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2024 pg. 84
School Library Journal 03/02/2024 pg. 1
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2024 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style

About the Author
Lesa Cline-Ransome is the author of more than twenty books for young readers including the award-winning Finding Langston trilogy. Her work has received a plethora of honors, including dozens of starred reviews, NAACP Image Award nominations, a Coretta Scott King honor, the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction and a Christopher Award. Her work has been named to ALA Notable Books and Bank Street Best Children's Book lists and she lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York.