Whitney Sanderson
Illustrated by Ruth Sanderson
Little Turtle, is only nine winter’s old, when he chooses Golden Sun, an Appaloosa pony, for himself. Golden Sun, a quick learner, wants Little Turtle to be proud of him. Golden Sun listens closely when Little Turtle trains him so he will be proud of his pony. The spotted horses of Little Turtle’s tribe, the Nimi’ipuu, call the horses, such as Golden Sun, Maamin. Little Turtle is waiting patiently until Golden Sun is old enough, and big enough for him to ride. In the meantime, there is much for both of them to learn.
One day a young filly swims across the river that separates two tribes. The filly is stomping her back feet and snorting her nose, making a lot of noise. Golden Sun speaks to her, trying to calm her. A friend of Little Turtle, Pale Moon decides she likes the new filly and wants to keep her. Golden Sun speaks to the new filly about the tribe’s ways, but the filly is afraid, she has not been treated well. Pale Moon is kind to the filly, calls her Dancing Feather and gives her good food.
The two colts learn together and grow as their tribal counterparts. It is not long before they are bigger and racing side by side. Soon, Golden Sun accompanies Little Turtle to a very special time in his life; most horses are not allowed to go.
This is a very enjoyable read for young readers, especially those who like horses. The point of view is strictly from Golden Sun, and he manages to educate the reader while engaging them. The black and white illustrations are finely detailed allowing for an open window into the tribe’s life. At the end of the book, Sanderson included an appendix giving more information about the Appaloosa horses, which is very helpful and informational to the story. A great book to add to any library.
BIBLIO: 2010, Random House Books for Young Readers, Ages 8-12, $6.99.
REVIEWER: Debby Willett
FORMAT: Chapter Book / Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 978-0-375-86194-9
REVIEWED FOR: Children’s Literature, Online Version, 11-5-10
Showing posts with label historical fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label historical fiction. Show all posts
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Monday, November 9, 2009
Gwen
Carolyn Pogue
London, England, 1895, Gwen Peters turned eleven years old. It was a difficult day for Gwen. Her dad had been very sick all day, until he finally passed away, leaving her an orphan. Before he died, he gave Gwen a book, White Wampum by Pauline Johnson, a Canadian Indian Princess. A neighbor, Mrs. Bostwick took control of the situation and called the doctor, and finally called Dr. Peters of the Girls Home. Since Gwen had no family to go to, the Girls Home was her best opportunity, and Gwen knew it. Within one day, her whole life had changed. The Girls Home was an organization, that after at least a year of training, young orphan girls go into service to gentlemen and ladies in England, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand. Gwen lived in a cottage with twenty other young girls; there were four bedrooms, and five girls to each bedroom. Their house matron believed, “the devil finds work for idle hands”, so between chores and lessons they were kept busy from 6.30 in the morning until after cleaning up from supper. A year later, girls were given the opportunity to volunteer to sail to Canada … Gwen was the first girl to raise her hand, and within minutes fifty girls had volunteered to change their lives forever. Gwen’s future was set, yet she had no idea of the adventures and hardships that were before her. Gwen’s life would come full circle, and know Canada was her future.
This story of Gwen is based on a true story. As a piece of historical fiction written for the young adult market, I found this novel very interesting. It covered a subject, Home Child, I was not familiar with, and therefore, was not only an engaging read, but educational.
BIBLIO: 2009, Sumach Press, Ages 10 +, $12.95
REVIEWER: Debby Willett
FORMAT: Young Adult Novel / Historical Fiction
ISBN: 978-1-894549-80-6
REVIEWED FOR: Children’s Literature, Online Version, 11-5-09
London, England, 1895, Gwen Peters turned eleven years old. It was a difficult day for Gwen. Her dad had been very sick all day, until he finally passed away, leaving her an orphan. Before he died, he gave Gwen a book, White Wampum by Pauline Johnson, a Canadian Indian Princess. A neighbor, Mrs. Bostwick took control of the situation and called the doctor, and finally called Dr. Peters of the Girls Home. Since Gwen had no family to go to, the Girls Home was her best opportunity, and Gwen knew it. Within one day, her whole life had changed. The Girls Home was an organization, that after at least a year of training, young orphan girls go into service to gentlemen and ladies in England, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand. Gwen lived in a cottage with twenty other young girls; there were four bedrooms, and five girls to each bedroom. Their house matron believed, “the devil finds work for idle hands”, so between chores and lessons they were kept busy from 6.30 in the morning until after cleaning up from supper. A year later, girls were given the opportunity to volunteer to sail to Canada … Gwen was the first girl to raise her hand, and within minutes fifty girls had volunteered to change their lives forever. Gwen’s future was set, yet she had no idea of the adventures and hardships that were before her. Gwen’s life would come full circle, and know Canada was her future.
This story of Gwen is based on a true story. As a piece of historical fiction written for the young adult market, I found this novel very interesting. It covered a subject, Home Child, I was not familiar with, and therefore, was not only an engaging read, but educational.
BIBLIO: 2009, Sumach Press, Ages 10 +, $12.95
REVIEWER: Debby Willett
FORMAT: Young Adult Novel / Historical Fiction
ISBN: 978-1-894549-80-6
REVIEWED FOR: Children’s Literature, Online Version, 11-5-09
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