BookTalk for July 2026 – Moonstones: Feliz Family 1,200-Mile De Anza Expedition Story
On this episode of Ink, Coffee, and Regrets: BookTalk the host discusses “Moonstones” by Carla Rosas Stanley, a short fictionalized account of the 1775–1776 Juan Bautista de Anza expedition. Told through the eyes of Loretta, a young girl traveling 1,200 miles with her family and a caravan of 250 people to what is now San Francisco, the book traces desert, mountain, and valley landscapes while capturing the intimate rhythms of daily life on the trail.
Topics covered include family and communal dynamics, coping strategies (Loretta’s ritual of collecting a stone for each day and month), coming-of-age themes, moments of loss and hope, and the book’s accessibility for both adults and children. The host praises the warm storytelling and quick read (about 185 pages) while noting it’s more a personal narrative than a deep historical study.
Key takeaways: a strong recommendation for readers looking for character-driven historical fiction, commentary on pacing and length, where to find links on the host’s site.
You can get your copy of her book here:
If you would like to learn more about Carla and her work, you can find her personal link here:
A good read, well paced, interesting narrative, personal stories. A journey from the middle of Mexico to San Francisco, California by foot. I highly recommend this book.
Very nice, Sam. I was working with Carla when she first wrote this book. It was very interesting, although it seems Carla went in a different direction. In the first writing, Loretta was a motorcycle-riding teen who got pulled into the expedition by some sort of magic. It was a fun read then, and sounds just as good now.
I think I might have liked to read that version too. Not sure if you ever saw it, but that version reminds me of a low-budget 80s movie I love, staring Fred Ward, called “Time Rider”.
It was about a cross-country moto-cross rider who strays into a test area and is zapped back to the old west. 🙂
What a wonderful review. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The interactions of the family felt real and we loved the sense of adventure
Thank you for letting me know. Always good to hear from y’all. 🙂