Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

All Samantha wanted was to move back to New York and pursue her music, which was difficult enough being a Chinese girl in Missouri, 1849. Then her fate takes a turn for the worse after a tragic accident leaves her with nothing and she breaks the law in self-defense. With help from Annamae, a runaway slave she met at the scene of her crime, the two flee town for the unknown frontier.
But life on the Oregon Trail is unsafe for two girls. Disguised as Sammy and Andy, two boys heading for the California gold rush, each search for a link to their past and struggle to avoid any unwanted attention. Until they merge paths with a band of cowboys turned allies, and Samantha can't stop herself from falling for one. But the law is closing in on them and new setbacks come each day, and the girls will quickly learn there are not many places one can hide on the open trail.

The Downstairs Girl, Luck of the Titanic, Under a Painted Sky, and Outrun the Moon, winner of the PEN Center USA Literary Prize for Young Adult Fiction, are among Stacey Lee's New York Times bestselling novels. She is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books and a fourth-generation Chinese American. She was born in Southern California and received her undergraduate and law degrees from UCLA and UC Davis King Hall, respectively. She lives outside of San Francisco with her family. Stacey's website is staceyhlee.com. Alternatively, you can follow her on Twitter at @staceyleeauthor.