Sorrell, Traci. Riding the Trail: Cherokees Remember the Removal. Addl. Creator Will Chavez. Charlesbridge, 08/2026. 100pp. Nonfiction. Trade $18.99. 978-1-62354-314-3. GRADES 7–12. ADDITIONAL.
Follow the experiences of the nine Cherokee riders of the 2021 Remember the Removal memorial bicycle ride as they traverse nearly a thousand miles of the Trail of Tears route. The riders, from the Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, apply to be part of the ride, then spend months training and learning more about their Nation’s past before completing the ride together, over several weeks. Sorrell and Chavez’s writing follows the riders as they prepare (physically and emotionally), then highlights the ride’s stops, lessons, and direct ancestorial connections with the riders. Readers who may be unfamiliar with the Trail of Tears will learn much about what led up to, during, and after the forced relocation of the Cherokee People, including the many who died along the way.Much more than a thousand mile bicycle ride, this journey connects the riders (and now readers) with the events of the past. Engaging, sad, informative, and at times uplifting, this work (and the Ride) is an interesting way to educate readers about the past and present.
Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library