The Journal of Sean Sullivan: A Transcontinental Railroad Worker

by William Durbin

Book Overview

It's August 1867 and Sean has just arrived from Chicago, planning to work with his father on the Transcontinental Railroad. Sean must start at the bottom, as a water carrier, toting barrels of it to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0439049946
• ISBN13: 9780439049948
• Release Date: September 1999
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Length: 188 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Good read for all! You should buy it, no matter what

This fictional journal centers around 15 year old Sean Sullivan. Coming from Chicago, he meets his father. His father works for the Union Pacific Railroad in Nebraska. Soon, Sean encounters Old West Towns, mean workers, and prejudice towards Chinese and Irishmen. You'll also learn about the Transcontinental Railroad, one of our history's interesting subjects. This book takes you from Omaha to the meeting of the Central Pacific at Promontory Summit. Hop on board and enjoy for yourself, The Journal of Sean Sullivan. I assure you, you won't be disappointed!

Sean Sullivan

" I saw my first scalp today and I have to admit it scared me good." That's only the begging of The Journal of Sean Sullivan. William Durbin wrote the book. It's a book about boy who writes in it and the book is his journal. He tells what happens on different days. What I liked about the book was that it was interesting and it was like no other book I have read before. What I didn't like was it kept skipping days and it made it hard to follow. The style the author writes is both diary and journal style. He also writes about things in the past. This book is a journal and it has some historical fiction in it. I'd recommended this book to any one who likes to read about someone's experience or history. Some of his other work is The Journal of Collin Pendleton. It's about World War two and a guy writes in his journal. You should try to read one of these books because you can learn about what people did in the past to make your life easier. Who knows you might even like the story.

good story for all my name is america fans

This story is about all the hard and difficulties Sean went through as he helped his father to build a railroad. Some parts of the story were gross...dirty plates and people. Fun to see how different and fun life was then.

Brings History to Life

This journal describes the building of the Union Pacific Railroad in a realistic manner that truly brings history to life. With the dramatic landscape of the West as the backdrop, we see the struggles between the whites and the Native Americans, the Irish and the Chinese, and the main character Sean and his own self-doubts. This is a classic, well-told tale.

Better than I thought it would be!

I liked this book, not only because it was well written, but because some of the things in this book tied in with Libby West's diary.