This the first and only Gary Paulsen book I've read, but I enjoyed Tucket's Home and all of Francis's adventures despite my lack of knowledge of its predecessors. As Francis and his friends Lottie and Billy search for Oregon in hope of finding Francis's family, they are contiuously running into some type of excitement. They meet an Englishman who knows little about life on the frontier, Francis's one-armed friend Mr. Grimes, a group of murederers . . . I could go on and on. The plot never slows down; there's always a new conflict and in the end, the conflicts are all resolved. The setting is described in detail, thus becoming very realistic and believable. Also, the end of the book includes a look into the future of Francis and his friends. The only complaint I have is the fact that the characters seem a bit too adult - like. As a 9-12 year old (the book's recommended age group) I don't think I could've related well to these characters.