News of the World by Paulette Jiles

It's 1870. Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, aging Army vet and former printer, now makes a living by traveling around the West reading the news of the world from newspapers to paying crowds. On one stop, a friend asks if he can transport a young girl to her family in Texas. The girl, Johanna, had been captured by Indians--and the rest of her immediate family killed--years earlier. Since she has grown to love her Indian family, she has no interest in going off with this old guy to be handed over to an aunt and uncle she doesn't even know. And so begins their journey. And a dangerous journey it is, as  the duo faces Indian attacks, highway men, and a particularly odious man who wants Johanna for his own dark purposes. Both the Captain and Johanna can see that they're going to have to join forces if they're going to survive the trip.

It's a compelling story featuring two truly memorable characters.