A story set in the old west, The Runaway by Nancy Vo is book three in The Crow Stories trilogy.

When his mother dies, Jack takes to the road. He is searching for someone. When he is found in a forest by a couple of riders, he is brought back to a camp where he is fed and put to work. It is at the camp that he finally finds what he has been looking for.

Nancy Vo’s simple, spellbinding narrative transports readers to the wild west. Incidentally, with themes that are relevant today. Jack’s ma dies of cholera and we still continue to experience illnesses and diseases that make their way through the population uncontrolled.. 

The Runaway is the third book in The Crow Stories trilogy and I haven’t read the first two stories so can say from an honest perspective that this story would be enhanced by reading the other two stories however holds up on it’s own for any readers in the same position as me in not having read the first two stories.

What truly sets this story apart is the gorgeous mixed media illustrations. Nancy Vo, using a grey scale colour palette with pops of yellows, creates pictures that truly evoke life in the wild west where things weren’t as colourful as we see them now. I also love how she has taken newspaper clippings and posters from the 1800s to enhance the illustrations and bring readers back in time.