Canyons

Canyons

Author: Gary Paulsen

 

Page Length: 184

 

Reading Level: 6

 

Genre: Historical Fiction   

PLOT SUMMARY: This story is about two different boys who lived in different eras, but have a similar spiritual connection.  Coyote Runs was a teen-age apache who died as he was coming of age on his first horse raid.  Breenan Cole is a teen-age boy who lives with his divorced mother and loves to run in the city of El Paso.

While on a camping trip with his mom and her new boyfriend, Brennan discovers a human skull.  He hides the skull and takes it home.  There, he becomes obsessed with it and determined to find out what happened to the person who died from a bullet shot to the head.  The spiritual connection is formed when Brennan begins to have dreams about an Apache boy who seems to be sending a message to him.

Coyote Runs was the young apache boy who was shot and killed by U. S. army soldiers during a night raid the tribe had made to steal horses from Mexico almost 100 years earlier.

Brennan confides his secret to his biology teacher who contacts a friend that has a link to obtaining historical documents.  When Brennan discovers what happened to Coyote Runs, he leaves home to find the slain Indian’s body in the desert outside of El Paso.

REVIEW: The beginning of the book is written from the point of view of both boys in alternating chapters.  After Coyote Runs dies, the rest of the book is written from Brennan’s point of view. The book would be a good read as a class novel because it would hold the interest of both boys and girls. It could easily be used with a social studies unit on a study of American Indians of the Southwest.  The sill of compare/contrast as it relates to the two boys and their cultures could be studied, as well as the skills of setting and theme.

This is one of Paulsen’s better books and would appeal to most young adults.

TOUCHY AREAS-PAGES: None

AREAS OF TEACHING: Compare/Contrast, Sequence of Events, Setting, Point of View, Theme

RELATED BOOKS: The Birchbark House, Cloudwalker: Contemporary Native American Stories

RELATED WEBSITES:

www.webenglishteacher.com/paulsen.html

www.walch.com/product/707

www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cy68.html

MUSIC CONNECTIONS: Warrior Spirit (1994), The Fast Runner (2007), Spirit Rider (1993)

REVIEWED BY: Shirley Wagner

A River Ran Wild

A River Ran Wild

Author: Lynne Cherry

Page Length: 26 

Reading Level: 3

Genre: Non-Fiction

PLOT SUMMARY: The Nashua River was once a beautiful river. The water was clear, the fish and wildlife were plentiful, and the river provided a way of the life to the Native Americans who settled along its banks. With time many changes occurred to the river. The land was cleared and fenced off; and parts of the river were claimed. Industrialization brought pollutants to the water. Soon, the river was no longer clear and no longer a healthy environment for wildlife. Marion Stoddart and others changed the fate of the Nashua River and proved that together they could a difference. They show the reader that the beauty of nature can be restored.

REVIEW: This book is easy to follow and is a well told story. It would be a great accompaniment to a science lesson on pollution and its effects. The book contains good illustrations, great pacing, and a solid conclusion. The book could be a starting point for writing letters in support of a cause or for a journal response on other things that need to be changed in society.

AREAS FOR TEACHING: sequence of events, cause and effect, making predictions

TOUCHY AREAS-PAGES: none

RELATED BOOKS: The Sea, the Storm, and the Mangrove Tangle, Written in Water, How Do we Know What We Know about Our Changing Climate, A New Book about Climate Science and Solutions

RELATED MOVIES: Young Voices on Climate Change, Alec: Kids vs. Global Warming, Team Marine, Girl Scouts

RELATED WEBSITES:

http://www.lynnecherry.com/index.htm

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/

http://globalwarmingkids.net/

http://www.coolkidsforacoolclimate.com/

http://www.webenglishteacher.com/cherry.html

REVIEWED BY: Dayna Taylor

Off the Map The Journals of Lewis and Clark

Off the Map The Journals of Lewis and Clark

Author: Peter and Connie Roop, editors

Page Length: 44

Reading Level: 5.9

Genre: Non-fiction, social studies trade book

REVIEW: Lewis and Clark’s adventurous expedition into the frontiers of the Louisiana Purchase are highlighted in this easy-to-read trade book. Off the Map is written in the format of daily journal entries by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The entries are short yet descriptive of the highs and lows of the men’s travels through the U.S.

Both explorers record their travels along the Missouri river by canoe noting their agreements and disagreements with various tribes of Native Americans. According to the journal accounts, Lewis and Clark’s diet consisted of fish, bear, deer, elk, buffalo, and even dog!  Both men were charged with the task of mapping the territory along the Missouri River and on towards the Pacific Ocean. President Jefferson was extremely interested in discovering a commerce/trade route along the interior of his country. Lewis and Clark were to record every important observation along their travels – everything from the people they met and the food they ate to the plants and soil they discovered and the animals they came in contact with.

A total of 31 men began the expedition on May 14, 1804 that lasted until their return to St. Louis, Missouri on September 23, 1806. Over the course of 2 years and 4 months, eight thousand miles were traveled. Only one member of their crew died. Much was learned about the new addition to the United States landscape. The travels of Lewis and Clark were extremely successful and valuable to the future of American society.

This book was easy to follow. I enjoyed the writing in journal-format. The illustrations were nice, however I wish the book included a map of the route that Lewis and Clark traveled. The end of the book provides the reader a glossary of terms as well as an appendix on the various Native American tribes that Lewis and Clark encountered.

AREAS FOR TEACHING: reading/writing journals, sequence of events

RELATED BOOKS: The Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Lewis and Clark by George Sullivan, Lewis and Clark Explorers of the American West by Steven Kroll, The Lewis and Clark Expedition by Christin Ditchfield, Lewis and Clark by John Burrows

MOVIE CONNECTIONS: “National Geographic Lewis and Clark” (2002), “PBS Home Video Lewis and Clark” (1997, 2001), “Lewis and Clark Great Journey West” (2002)

RELATED WEBSITES:

http://student.wartburg.edu/knudsen/Lesson%20plan.html

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/journals_maps_1.html

http://lewisandclarktrail.com/101.htm

http://www.eduref.org/Virtual/Lessons/crossroads/sec3/gr4/unit5/u5g4l1.htm

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/lewis_clark/resources.html

http://www.hawaii.edu/hga/Resources/LewisandClarklinks.html

http://merrybee.info/ba/off.html

REVIEWED BY: Kevin Stratton

The Birchbark House

The Birchbark House

Author: Louise Erdrich

Page Length: 244

Reading Level: 6

Genre: Historical Fiction

PLOT SUMMARY: After relating the rescue of a baby smallpox survivor from Spirit Island, the story jumps seven years and unfolds into a little Native American girl’s, Omakayas’,  point of view.  She introduces all the characters and paints the deep love and respect of their family as they complete the seasonal chores of life such as growing food, hunting for/storing meats, and making clothes and other household articles. 

Mother, Yellow Kettle, her older sister, Angeline, and Grandma, Nokomis, are strong and capable female members of the family.  Mother is shrewd, joyful and beautiful.  Omakayas is jealous of Angeline’s beauty and bead skills, and yet wants to grow up to be just like her.  Nokomis constantly attends to chores, medicines and rituals.  Omakayas learns to build the birchbark house, to listen to the plants, animals and dreams and to tell stories by helping Grandma daily.  Her little brother Pinch is an incessant bother, always naughty and greedy.  Omakayas is embarrassed by the mean thoughts she has about Pinch.  It is ironic that Pinch’s behavior paves the way for the family to laugh again after the horrible illness that invades the family.  Omakayas heals Pinch and Pinch heals the family.  Her little baby brother Neewo is sweet and loving and always delights is Omakayas’ attention.  Her love for Neewo is as great as her grief on his death.  Deydey, her father, is a fur trader and often away, either hunting or trading.  Life was different when Deydey was home “…more exciting, …more difficult,…less predictable,…more secure”. (p.52)  Old Tallow, Omakayas’ surrogate mother, godmother, hero, mentor, savior and friend, looms large as her shadow throughout the story.  She provides strength, justice and life.

REVIEW:  A student who has read and loved such classics as the Little House  (Wilder) series and Indian Captive will enjoy this book. The Birchbark House displays the daily life of American Indians through the adventures of a little girl, Omakayas, and her siblings. Author Louise Erdrich, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa depicts the story of 1847 Ojibwa life. The book includes a detailed map of the area in which her story takes place and a glossary of terms. This book is a wonderful read to learn about the Native American culture. The reader is left thinking a lot about life, death, and thankfulness.  

AREAS FOR TEACHING: characterization, compare/contrast, figurative language, theme, setting, conflict, plot, cause/effect, sequence of events, voice, mood, tone, American Literature, author’s purpose, comic relief, dialect, and protagonist

RELATED BOOKS: Grasshopper Summer by Ann Turner, The Life and Death of Crazy Horse by Russell Freedman, Morning Girl by Michael Dorris, Sweetgrass by Jan Hudson, The Eagle’s Shadow by Nora Martin, The Cry of the Crow by Jean Craighead George. Books by the same author: The Porcupine Year and The Game of Silence, The Antelope Wife, Love Medicine, Tracks

MOVIE CONNECTIONS: The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Dancing with Wolves (1993), Broken Arrow (1950, Col.), Geronimo (1993 Col)

ART CONNECTIONS:

http://www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/5579/ojibwa.html

http://www.nativetech.org/shinob/index.html

http://nativeart.tripod.com/id3.html

RELATED WEBSITES:

http://www.trumpetclub.com/intermediate/activities/birchbark_house.htm

http://www.ojibwe.org/

http://homepage.mac.com/cohora/ext/birch.html

http://www.nmai.si.edu/podcasts/podcasts_ibid.html

http://www.visitmariposa.net/powwow/dances.html

http://homepage.mac.com/cohora/ext/sugar.html

http://faculty.salisbury.edu/~elbond/birch.htm#anchor5

http://www.americanwest.com/pages/indians.htm#genres

REVIEWED BY:  Tammy Leitzel

Stick and Whittle

Stick and Whittle

Author: Sid Hite

Page Length: 202

Reading Level: 6

Genre: Historical Fiction

PLOT SUMMARY: Melvin “Stick” Fitchett is a 27 year old Civil War veteran who is considered dead by many. He has been searching for his long-lost love, Evelyn Laroue, for the past 8 years. Melvin “Whittle” Smythe is a 16 year old orphan from Chicago on a mission to do good after starting a fire in Chicago. The two find themselves meeting on the northern plains of Texas. This unlikely pair form a partnership and travel to Kansas.

While on their journey to Kansas, Stick and Whittle meet two Native Americans – “Talking Rock” and “Brings the Rain”. Upon seeing the beautiful Brings the Rain, Whittle becomes infatuated. However, the two part ways almost immediately.

Upon arriving in Wichita Kansas, Stick surprisingly discovers that Evelyn has been taking care of a young girl named Adeline DeJarnette. However, both girls have been captured by a ruthless band of outlaws and have been held hostage for ransom.

Now throughout the book, Stick is confronted with bad nightmares of his experience during the war – specifically during the Battle of Wilderness. These nightmares eventually lead Stick to an idea of how to rescue his love, Evelyn. To help the situation even more, Stick and Whittle are later re-united with Talking Rock and Brings the Rain. All four agree to the rescue plan.

After shots ring out, enemies are wounded, a fire is started, and Talking Rock falls to his death on-top of the evil gang leader – Evelyn and Adeline are successfully rescued.

REVIEW: I felt that this book did not pick up momentum until mid-way through (around Chapter 10). The beginning of the book focused more on descriptions of setting and characters while the later part of the story contained the action and external conflict. From reading the title of the book, I thought there was going to be a lot of random acts of mischief/trouble, however there was nothing random about the sequence of events and plot structure of this story.

Both Stick and Whittle were two very different characters and this was interesting, however I felt the story took too long to engage me as a reader. Students may find it difficult to “be hooked” if what they are searching for is Old Wild West action. Also, I felt the vocabulary level of this book was quite difficult. Though listed as a level 6, I would label the reading level more a 7.

AREAS FOR TEACHING: flashback, setting, historical context, compare/contrasting characters, vocabulary – flummoxed (6), acquiesced (13), lupine (51), alacrity (19), obsequiously (28), pertinacious (90), peripatetic (118)

MOVIE CONNECTIONS: “City Slickers” (1991)

RELATED WEBSITES:

http://www.emporia.edu/libsv/wawbookaward/curriculumguides/cg02-03.htm#stick

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/battle-wilderness.htm (Battle of Wilderness)

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/9809/chicago/ (The Great Chicago Fire of 1871)

http://www.thechisholmtrail.com/ (The Chisholm Trail)

REVIEWED BY: Kevin Stratton

Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims

Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims

Author: Clyde Robert Bulla

Illustrator: Peter Burchard

Page Length: 112

Reading Level: 4th

Genre: Non-fiction, Biography

 

REVIEW: The biography of Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims, begins in the village of the Patuxet Indians several years before the Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock.

 

As a young boy, Squanto was deeply intrigued with the white man who landed on shore in the huge ships in the ocean.  He convinced his uncle, Chief of the Patuxet, to communicate with the white men.

 

Squanto was not afraid of the firestick—the white man’s gun.  So one day, Squanto spied on the men.  When one of the men fired the firestick, Squanto let out a scream and as a result, met the group of nine men.  Squanto became friends with the men, against his mother’s will.  Her female intuition was working and her fear’s were substantiated when Squanto agreed to be a guide for the white men, eventually traveling back to England with them for several years. 

 

Although friends with the white men, Squanto suffered from discrimination.  In England, he was put on “show” as a wild savage.  He was also bought and sold as a slave.  He eventually returned to America, but not before his mother and the entire tribe vanished from a disease that spread through their village.

 

I thought Squanto’s character was very patient and kind.  He withstood many hardships and although he wanted to get home, he accepted time and time again that his trip home was inevitably a long journey.

 

After his many years living in England with the white man, he found himself comfortable in that setting.  This is how he became such a good friend with the Pilgrims.

 

AREAS FOR TEACHING: This book can be used in the study of early U. S. history and Thanksgiving.  It has large print and is easy to read.

 

RELATED WEBSITES:

 

http://www.literatureplace.com/bookfolios/bookfolio.asp?BookfolioID=37

 

http://www.learningtogive.org/lessons/unit72/lesson5.html

 

REVIEWED BY: Shirley Wagner

 

Skeleton Man

Skeleton Man

Author: Joseph Bruchac

Page Length: 114

Reading Level: 5th

Genre: Mystery, Suspense

 

PLOT SUMMARY: Skeleton Man is narrated by Molly, a sixth grade girl whose parent’s are Mohawk descendents.  Molly’s dad was a great storyteller and had shared a story with her about a Lazy Uncle who ate all of his own skin, thereby receiving the name, Skeleton Man.  In the story, the Skeleton Man eventually ate all of his relatives but one niece who was saved by a rabbit.

 

The relevance of the story comes later in the book after Molly’s parents do not return from an evening out to dinner.  Molly stayed alone at her house, waiting for their return.  After the couple was missing for a few days, her dad’s employer and the school became suspicious.  Molly was taken to Social Services where an “unknown” uncle appeared and was granted custody of Molly.

 

Although the uncle does not harm Molly, he does lock her in her room every night.  She is wary of his actions, so does not eat the food he leaves for her.  She has dreams in which a rabbit appears.  He gives her warnings and protects her as the rabbit did the girl in the old Mohawk folk tale.

 

Eventually, Molly tells Mrs. Shabbas, a teacher, her fears.  Mrs. Shabbas was my favorite character in the book because she became involved in helping Molly.  She believed her when the other adults didn’t.

 

REVIEW: The story is told well with lots of suspense.  Those who like mysteries and investigative work would enjoy.

 

RELATED WEBSITES:

 

http://tiger.towson.edu/~gschro2/childrenslit/fantasy/Skeletonman.htm

 

http://www.nutmegaward.org/2005/skeleton.htm

 

REVIEWED BY: Shirley Wagner

 

Sacajawea

Sacajawea

Author: Joseph Bruchac

Page Length: 199

Reading Level: 6th

Genre: Narrative / Historical Fiction

 

REVIEW: This novel, Sacajawea, is written in a narrative form, alternatively between Sacajawea, the 16 year old Shoshone guide and William Clark, one of the two captains of “The Corps of Discovery”.  The book is an account of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition.  The narratives are directed to “Firstborn Son” or “Pomp”, Sacajawea’s son who was born on the trip.

 

At the beginning of each chapter written by Clark, there is an excerpt from his journal. The accounts are interesting to read as one notes Clark’s lack of spelling skills.  Each of Sacajawea’s accounts gives an old folklore story from her Indian background.

 

Bruchac give vivid accounts of the adventures, hardships, and paths encountered by Lewis and Clark.  The story is a unique blend of history with a humanitarian point of view from the voices of Clark and Sacajawea. 

 

The author develops a sense of closeness between Clark and Sacajawea.  He creates a very clear image of his interpretation of Meriwether Lewis and a slightly comical view of Sacajawea’s French husband.  The writing technique of alternative points of view keeps the reader captivated and anticipating how Sacajawea and Clark will reveal the next event.

 

AREAS FOR TEACHING: I enjoyed this book the best of the historical fiction novels I have read.  It would be a good novel to read as a class because of the writing technique, character development, and historical content.

 

RELATED WEBSITES:

 

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=ea4ydBui0bcC&dq=sacajawea+by+joseph+bruchac&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=swbid-Qtw7&sig=YUjipdoxnKq7KbWLhSuEOKWTsmM#PPA4,M1

 

http://martsubhub.lib.wv.us:8000/kcweb/kcContent?isbn=9780152022341&type=review&controlnumber=+++99047653&referedby=titlelist

 

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Sacajawea-Joseph-Bruchac/9780152022341-item.html?pticket=suwbthedmr2zzguokpwsqlmdOCn4RNw9a8s2Yn3lIMAwPd0kEtk%3d

 

http://www.sacajaweahome.com/

 

REVIEWED BY: Shirley Wagner