Waiting on Wednesday: Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that book bloggers are eagerly anticipating.

Under A Painted Sky
Author: Stacey Lee
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (Penguin Canada)
Expected publication: March 17, 2015

A powerful story of friendship and sacrifice, for fans of Code Name Verity

Missouri, 1849: Samantha dreams of moving back to New York to be a professional musician—not an easy thing if you’re a girl, and harder still if you’re Chinese. But a tragic accident dashes any hopes of fulfilling her dream, and instead, leaves her fearing for her life. With the help of a runaway slave named Annamae, Samantha flees town for the unknown frontier. But life on the Oregon Trail is unsafe for two girls, so they disguise themselves as Sammy and Andy, two boys headed for the California gold rush. Sammy and Andy forge a powerful bond as they each search for a link to their past, and struggle to avoid any unwanted attention. But when they cross paths with a band of cowboys, the light-hearted troupe turn out to be unexpected allies. With the law closing in on them and new setbacks coming each day, the girls quickly learn that there are not many places to hide on the open trail.

This beautifully written debut is an exciting adventure and heart-wrenching survival tale. But above all else, it’s a story about perseverance and trust that will restore your faith in the power of friendship.

At first glance, this looks like a totally out-of-left-field pick for me: it’s historical, it’s about something I know nothing about (the gold rush and the Oregon Trail), and I’ve never been a huge fan of cowboys. But as a Chinese girl who wanted to be a musician in high school, I was immediately drawn to Samantha’s story.

Add to that a ton of adventure, and what sounds like an amazing friendship, and well, at the very least, I’m intrigued. All of the elements in the synopsis for Under A Painted Sky are supposed to work together, and I am so darn curious as to how author Stacey Lee is going to pull this thing off.

Also, how often do you hear about a YA western? Um, never? The early Goodreads reviews for this book are amazing, and I’m looking forward to delving into something completely new for YA.

Are you interested in reading UNDER A PAINTED SKY? Are you into westerns and cowboys? Do you sometimes read a synopsis, and like me, just want to read the book because you need to know how the whole thing is going to work? What are you waiting for this week? Let me know in the comments!