While the Into the West Saga Serial books were not written to for young readers they are suitable for children from about the sixth grade and up. There is no graphic violence, no sex, no profanity. The only two scenes which some parents might object to are in part one Into the West: The Orphan Train and in part 7, Into the West: Last Showdown. In part 1, Into the West: The Orphan Train Elizabeth is punished be the head of the children's home. She is caned for breaking the rules of the home. This punishment is historically accurate for the situation and actually comes directly from an experience my own father had as a child while living in a children's home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The second instance is in part 7, Into the West: Last Showdown. When the lawmen have a finally showdown after years of being at odds with each other, one of the men ends up being killed. The scene is written with minimal description of violence and it is not lingered upon or drawn out. These books have been reviewed by a few friends who are parents and teachers and have been deemed acceptable for this age group. Parents are always welcome to contact us with their recommendations.

The entire collection is available on Amazon.com in ebook, paperback, and hardcover. Paperbacks are also available through Barnes and Noble. Audiobooks are coming soon to this website. Because of my location, I may not be able to sell the audiobooks on Amazon. However, I can sell downloads directly from my website. I have a beta test file available for download for the first practice audiobook for Into the West: The Orphan Train. It is in the Members Only page. It is free to join the Members Only page. You can quit at anytime, no strings attached. Yes, it is okay to join, download the audiobook, and then unsubscribe to the Members Only page. I only ask that after you listen to the free audiobook, please drop me a message and give me your feedback/review of the audiobook. Did you like it? Was there too much music? Do I need more sound effects? Do I talk too fast? Too slow? How can I make it better? Thank you in advance.

There are currently 7 books in print in the Into the West Saga Serial. However, one of those books is a special edition which contains both book one and book two in one volume. There will be one final book, Into the West: Family Ties, coming soon to finish out the Into the West Saga Serial. Reading Order: Part 1: Into the West: The Orphan Train Part 2: Into the West: A New Home Parts 1 & 2: Into the West: A New Home - Special Edition Part 3: Into the West: Sharon Springs Part 4: Into the West: Most Wanted Part 5: Into the West: To Save Them All Part 6: Into the West: Last Showdown Part 7: Into the West: Family Ties

The Into the West Saga Serial Book Collection was not intended to be nor was it written as Christian fiction. It was written as a straight historical fiction saga. However, the language used and the motivations of the characters do fall in line with the teachings of the Christian faith (as well as many other faiths). Because of this, it has been listed at times as Christian fiction.

Stephen Burckhardt is listed as the author of the Into the West Saga Serial. Stephen Burckhardt is a pen name for Dianne Burckhardt. The photo of Stephen is Dianne's father, Steve, when he was Dianne's age the year she started writing the books. Dianne chose to write under a pen name at first because she was not sure that she could write books well. If she wrote under a pen name she would be able to just walk away if the books were horrible and no one would ever know it had been her who wrote the books. In 2004, Dianne had seven surgeries in six months, six of those were brain surgeries. Dianne still struggles with language issues everyday among other issues due to her neurological conditions. She began writing as therapy to recovery her lost language skills. Her fears of not being able to write well were relieved after her first book, Into the West: The Orphan Train one two literary awards in the first writing contest she ever entered. Since that time, Dianne has been coming out more and more as the actual author of the Into the West Saga Serial. However, her father, Steve, had so enjoyed being the face of Stephen Burckhardt that Dianne has committed to continue to use her father's likeness for all westerns published going forward. The pen name Stephen Burckhardt comes from Dianne's maiden last name, Stephens minus the last "s", and her married last name, Burckhardt.