The Francis Tucket Books Series

Francis Tucket, Lottie and Billy have survived extraordinary, hair-raising adventures in their quest to find Francis’s family, lost when he was kidnapped from a wagon train on the Oregon Trail. Now they meet up with a British explorer, bloodthirsty soldiers, and in a tragic, heroic encounter, with Jason Grimes, the mountain man. Their way is made more treacherous still by the secret they carry, the ancient gold they discovered in a Spanish grave. In this final adventure they head home at last, and an epilogue tells what happens to them on the Oregon frontier.

Gary Paulsen’s popular Western saga continues in the fourth novel about Francis Tucket.

Things look grim for Francis and his adopted family, Lottie and Billy. Without horses, water, or food, they’re alone in a prairie wasteland, with the dreaded Comanchero outlaws in pursuit. Death can strike at any moment — but so can good fortune. When they stumble upon an ancient treasure, it takes teamwork, courage, and wit to hold on to it. By sticking together, Francis and his family wind up rich beyond their wildest dreams, and ready to head west to find Francis’s parents on the Oregon Trail.

Francis Tucket and his adopted family, Lottie and Billy, are heading west in search of Francis’s parents on the Oregon Trail. But when winter comes early, Francis turns south to avoid the cold, and leads them right into enemy territory–the Mexican War of 1848. Francis and the children are captured by desperadoes, but loyalty, courage, and the element of surprise offer hope for survival.

Fourteen-year-old Francis Tucket is heading west on the Oregon Trail with his family by wagon train. When he receives a rifle for his birthday, he is thrilled that he is being treated like an adult. But Francis lags behind to practice shooting and is captured by Pawnees. It will take wild horses, hostile tribes, and a mysterious one-armed mountain man named Mr. Grimes to help Francis become the man who will be called Mr. Tucket.