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arantzazureads's review against another edition
5.0
A great book club read: short, impactful, weighty, fascinating, fun.
I remember learning about the Trail of Tears in school and being so horrified, looking around wide-eyed, like how is this a normal thing we're learning about in the same class as the invention of electricity and the Declaration of Independence. It just felt so foreign and alienating. This is a great book for kids, who incidentally always love historical survival/adventure stories, to get a more digestible, relatable slice of this horrific event.
A rare topic gets A+ treatment, and it's in no small part thanks to Tingle's great writing skills AND the fact that he's Choctaw. 'Own voices' makes a hell of a difference.
I remember learning about the Trail of Tears in school and being so horrified, looking around wide-eyed, like how is this a normal thing we're learning about in the same class as the invention of electricity and the Declaration of Independence. It just felt so foreign and alienating. This is a great book for kids, who incidentally always love historical survival/adventure stories, to get a more digestible, relatable slice of this horrific event.
A rare topic gets A+ treatment, and it's in no small part thanks to Tingle's great writing skills AND the fact that he's Choctaw. 'Own voices' makes a hell of a difference.
the_fabric_of_words's review against another edition
5.0
This is a short, deceptively simply written tale of Isaac, a 10-year-old Choctaw who dies while on the Trail of Tears, the forcible removal of more than 60,000 Native Americans to lands west of the Mississippi River.
He and his family are ripped from his home, when soldiers burn everything. His mother keeps him safe from the small-pox imbued blankets. He doesn't freeze to death, unlike others who are not so fortunate. Along the way he makes some extraordinary friends and has his trusty dog, Jumper, always with him.
Even once he is a ghost (and I won't spoil how he dies, you'll have to read to figure that out), he continues to look over his family and people, and helps rescue a young girl from being held captive and forced to work for US soldiers.
Teacher's Note: While this is a great, diverse fiction resource to have on your bookshelf, I couldn't find any free teaching resources for it. Yes, TpT has many for sale, but FREE and generally publisher, author or fellow teacher generated are the kinds of resources I look for to be able to recommend it for teachers. So while I heartily recommend this book for your classroom shelves, if you've never taught it before, and don't have additional money to teach (beyond spending on a classroom set of 35-40 copies), I'm not recommending it in Teachers.
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
He and his family are ripped from his home, when soldiers burn everything. His mother keeps him safe from the small-pox imbued blankets. He doesn't freeze to death, unlike others who are not so fortunate. Along the way he makes some extraordinary friends and has his trusty dog, Jumper, always with him.
Even once he is a ghost (and I won't spoil how he dies, you'll have to read to figure that out), he continues to look over his family and people, and helps rescue a young girl from being held captive and forced to work for US soldiers.
Teacher's Note: While this is a great, diverse fiction resource to have on your bookshelf, I couldn't find any free teaching resources for it. Yes, TpT has many for sale, but FREE and generally publisher, author or fellow teacher generated are the kinds of resources I look for to be able to recommend it for teachers. So while I heartily recommend this book for your classroom shelves, if you've never taught it before, and don't have additional money to teach (beyond spending on a classroom set of 35-40 copies), I'm not recommending it in Teachers.
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
coppolaklein's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
3.5
renatasnacks's review against another edition
4.0
This is a book I've heard about for awhile and resisted reading because it just sounded like it would be SO SAD, but now it's 2017 and we're all sad all the time so I picked it up.
And I'm glad I did! It is sad--it's the story of a Choctaw boy and his family who are forced on the Trail of Tears. And since the book is narrated by Isaac's ghost, we know the boy dies...but the book's tone and cultural attitude toward death/ghosts make it...well, just slightly less crushing to read. It's a very engaging and moving read.
A great one for fans of historical fiction, but also has a slight supernatural flair to it.
And I'm glad I did! It is sad--it's the story of a Choctaw boy and his family who are forced on the Trail of Tears. And since the book is narrated by Isaac's ghost, we know the boy dies...but the book's tone and cultural attitude toward death/ghosts make it...well, just slightly less crushing to read. It's a very engaging and moving read.
A great one for fans of historical fiction, but also has a slight supernatural flair to it.
gaelanthius's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't read many books by native American perspective and this was definitely a good start! I love the way things are described, and how he was a ghost, but still comforting and giving good instructions, though I think I would be haunted by the fact I'd have to see everyone being happy, then for a few seconds seeing how they die *shudder*.
A great book and I would definitely read more by Tim Tingle!
A great book and I would definitely read more by Tim Tingle!
shyster's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
pietwombly's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
jennybeastie's review against another edition
5.0
What's remarkable about this book is that it isn't a neverending sobfest, despite the very eloquent description of the horrors of the Trail of Tears and the genocidal removal of Choctaw tribal members from their lands. While it certainly isn't cheerful (despite some brilliant levity here and there), it is a story that is filled with dignity, integrity, honor and a sense of connection to tribal ancestors and those lost on the journey.
sunbear98's review against another edition
4.0
A fictionalized story of the Choctaw on the Trail of Tears. Very accessible for younger and older teens. The story is written by Tim Tingle, an Oklahoma Choctaw author.