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October 2003 Vol.4 Issue 10
This
month's book reviews
A
paperback novel by a popular
youth author about Sacagawea
and her role with Lewis and Clark
Scott O'Dell's
novel about Sacagawea titled "Streams to the River; River
to the Sea" is this author's fictional account of how
a young Indian girl, stolen from her tribal family by a raiding
band from a distant tribe, becomes involved later with the
Lewis and Clark expedition. O'Dell takes what little factual
information exists about Sacajawea and writes a plausible
account of her early life.
The novel is not
for little kids, but because of its content, is probably best
read by kids eleven or more years old. Both Indian and white
men exploited Indian women in that era, and O'Dell does not
sugarcoat that treatment. Sacagawea was won by a half-Indian
and half-French fur-trader in a game of chance and joined
others of his wives as he moved among the tribes. She bore
the fur-trader's son when still in her early teens and was
forced to endure beatings at his hand when she displeased
him. Sacagawea is depicted as falling in love with Captain
William Clark on the expedition partly because of his sympathetic
and sensitive treatment of her and her infant son.
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An
Indian boy endures bullying
and extreme danger before emerging
as a capable young warrior
"Spirit Horse,"
a paperback by Ned Ackerman, presents a realistic picture
of what it might have been like to be a young aspiring warrior
of the Blackfoot tribe in the 1770's in what is now Montana
and Southern Canada. The author contrives a situation that
modern city boys can easily relate to as analogous to their
own experiences. Running Crane, the main character, at the
beginning of the book is trying to fit into a new setting
and cope with being the butt of jokes and other forms of harassment
from older boys. He finds out early that by quietly holding
on to his own values, he earns the respect of those whose
respect is worth earning.
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A
kids' book with a fairly intricate plot dealing with family
issues and wartime anxieties
The title to
"The Art of Keeping Cool" comes from one of the
book's character's approach to dealing with his harsh and
tyrannical grandfather. Given the number of kids' books that
are exploitive and shallow, verging on the silly, the title
is misleading because Janet Taylor Lisle's little book is
deadly serious, devoid of any attempt to appeal to humor or
current fads. A better title might be "World War II and
One Family's Battles at Home."
"The Art
of Keeping Cool" is a winner of the 2001 Scott O'Dell
Award for historical fiction for children. As one family's
secrets and problems are explored for young readers, considerable
light is shed on how Americans reacted in the early days of
a war that ultimately changed all of their lives. Perhaps
we are now far enough removed from this period in history
that some parents might gain new insights by reading this
along with their son or daughter.
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A
new series of time travel books for young girls
"Rosemary
Meets Rosemarie" by Barbara Robertson is the first in
a recently published series of paperbacks called "The
Hourglass Adventures." Authors through the years have
found that readers are intrigued by the idea of being able
to travel back in time. Writers of kids' books have found
that the use of time travel enables them to explore concepts
of genealogy, history, and geography in an appealing way for
young readers. "Rosemary Meets Rosemarie" is a modern
effort to involve young girls in time travel adventures. The
book's publishers maintain an interactive website that encourages
exchanges of postcards and e-mail messages between friends.
It also promotes a Costume Shop for virtual dress-up. Note
also the book is illustrated and contains a list of German
language expressions and a family tree for the characters
in the series.
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