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FOLLOW THE DREAM: THE STORY OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, by Peter Sis
In the last few days, I've been looking at picture books about Christopher Columbus. Peter Sis did one, titled Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus. Sis has won a lot of major awards for...
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Gary Paulsen's MR. TUCKET
A reader of AICL wrote to ask me about Gary Paulsen's Mr. Tucket. I read a copy of the book via the Internet Archive. Here's my notes, summarized by chapter. Sometimes I put my comments in italics...
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BEFORE WE WERE FREE, by Julia Alvarez
Among the projects I'm doing this summer is a do-it-yourself paint job of the exterior of our house. On days when it isn't too hot or humid, I enjoy being out there, scraping paint and listening to an...
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Finding Bruchac's BUFFALO SONG at Reading is Fundamental's office
In July I was in Washington DC to visit my daughter. Among the many things I did while there was visit the Reading is Fundamental office. As I waited in their reception area, I noted the books on their...
View ArticleA killer line in Jaye Robin Brown's NO PLACE TO FALL
Yesterday, Kelly Jensen of Book Riot tweeted that 20 pages into a YA novel, she came across this line: [H]e must be part Indian. Red dot, not feather.I asked for the title, and she pointed me to her...
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Books by Cherokee Mystery Writer, Sara Sue Hoklotubbe
Some months ago I was asked if I could recommend a Native mystery writer. Because my area of expertise is books for children and young adults (and not adult mysteries), I asked colleagues in Native...
View ArticleMexicans, lawn jockeys, and an Indian spirit in A.S. King's PLEASE IGNORE...
Today is one of those lazy Sunday's in which I pick up an acclaimed young adult novel to read--not for AICL--but just because it is important that I read books that win major awards.Please Ignore Vera...
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Gary Robinson's SON WHO RETURNS
The cover for Gary Robinson's SON WHO RETURNS is sure to catch the eye of readers interested in stories about Native peoples. Because it is a photograph, one might assume it is a work of non-fiction,...
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DREAMING IN INDIAN: CONTEMPORARY NATIVE AMERICAN VOICES
For some time now, I've been waiting for Dreaming in Indian: Contemporary Native American Voices. Edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Leatherdale, it was getting buzz in Native networks on social...
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Was Paul Goble adopted into the Yakima and Sioux tribes?
Within the framework of children's books, one thought that comes to mind when I hear the word "adopted" is Paul Goble. Let me preface this post by saying that I find his children's books highly...
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IT'S THANKSGIVING by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Marilyn Hafner
Earlier this summer I started doing some research on easy readers to see what sorts of images of Native people I'd find in them. I've written about some in the past (like Danny and the Dinosaur) but...
View ArticleI read THE EDUCATION OF LITTLE TREE
So! Scott (a colleague) wrote to ask me if I'd read The Education of Little Tree. I've written about that book here on AICL several times because it is not really a memoir. It was published as the...
View ArticleWhat is wrong with THE REMARKABLE AND VERY TRUE STORY OF LUCY AND SNOWCAP;...
A colleague asked me about H. M. Bouwman's The Remarkable and Very True Story of Lucy and Snowcap. Published in 2008 by Marshall Cavendish, it got a starred review from Kirkus, and was tagged as...
View ArticleTim Tingle's NO NAME
In Removing the Word "Reluctant" from Reluctant Reader, Stringer and Mollineaux write that there are many reasons why teen readers choose not to read (p. 71):For some youth, reading difficulties may be...
View ArticleHeather Sappenfield's THE VIEW FROM WHO I WAS
A colleague, Trish, wrote to ask me if I'd seen Heather Sappenfield's The View From Who I Was. She said it is set at a place called American Indian Preparatory School, modeled on the Native American...
View ArticleHeather Sappenfield's THE VIEW FROM WHO I WAS
A colleague, Trish, wrote to ask me if I'd seen Heather Sappenfield's The View From Who I Was. She said it is set at a place called American Indian Preparatory School, modeled on the Native American...
View ArticleNeal Shusterman and Michelle Knowlden's UNSTRUNG
In 2009, Neal Shusterman launched the first of his "Unwind Dystology" series. The first book is Unwind. Here's the synopsis provided at Amazon:In America after the Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and...
View ArticleCarl Nordgren's ANUNG'S JOURNEY: AN ANCIENT OJIBWAY LEGEND AS TOLD BY STEVE...
Some weeks ago, a reader wrote to ask me about Anung's Journey: An Ancient Ojibway Legend As Told by Steve Fobister, by Carl Nordgren.The first thing that caught my eye was the "as told by" part of the...
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AS AN OAK TREE GROWS, written and illustrated by G. Brian Karas
In early October, over on Twitter, Jillian asked me if I'd seen As An Oak Tree Grows, by G. Brian Karas. She noted the wigwam in it, and that a "big stopping point" for her and her students was the...
View ArticleStephen Krensky's CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
As I write this post, Stephen Krensky's Christopher Columbus is ranked at #1 in e-book biographies for children. The paperback edition is ranked at #3 in historical biographies for children. I'll start...
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