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emilyusuallyreading's review
4.0
What I Liked
As a child, this was one of the books that I found myself returning to again and again.
Carey is stolen from her family along with her little brother Thomas. They are adopted into the Lenape tribe of Native Americans. Throughout the novel, Carey transforms from seeing the Indians as savage and animalistic to identifying with them to the point that readjustment back into the life of a Quaker seems unimaginable.
There are two romances in this book and I love them both. They show Carey's character arc perfectly.
Thomas's story is also extremely interesting.
What I Didn't Like
I've been on a Dear America kick recently, re-reading all of these middle grade books that captivated by childhood. While I enjoyed Standing in the Light very much as a child, it is very simply written compared to some others. Perhaps this is meant for younger children than other Dear America books - but it took me about thirty minutes to read in total.
As a child, this was one of the books that I found myself returning to again and again.
Carey is stolen from her family along with her little brother Thomas. They are adopted into the Lenape tribe of Native Americans. Throughout the novel, Carey transforms from seeing the Indians as savage and animalistic to identifying with them to the point that readjustment back into the life of a Quaker seems unimaginable.
There are two romances in this book and I love them both. They show Carey's character arc perfectly.
Thomas's story is also extremely interesting.
What I Didn't Like
I've been on a Dear America kick recently, re-reading all of these middle grade books that captivated by childhood. While I enjoyed Standing in the Light very much as a child, it is very simply written compared to some others. Perhaps this is meant for younger children than other Dear America books - but it took me about thirty minutes to read in total.
giraffeeatingpancake's review
4.0
4.3
Even if this book lacked something exciting and didn't even describe the appearance of the character, I still love it. This book is fast-paced and really fun to read. What I love about this book even more is that it made me cry in the end.
WHEN SNOW HUNTER SAID TO CATHERINE: "Snow Bird captures the Snow Hunter" LITERALLY MADE ME CRY.
Even if this book lacked something exciting and didn't even describe the appearance of the character, I still love it. This book is fast-paced and really fun to read. What I love about this book even more is that it made me cry in the end.
WHEN SNOW HUNTER SAID TO CATHERINE: "Snow Bird captures the Snow Hunter" LITERALLY MADE ME CRY.
diamontique's review against another edition
5.0
Read this with the "The Last of the Mohicans" soundtrack. It can be quite the trip!
badgers's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jerrica's review
5.0
You guyssss I read this book again after eleven years (!!!!) for a paper I'm doing and I'm going to compare it to real Indian captivities while also examining how the story is framed for elementary school readers.
I remember reading this book at the end of 4th grade, because it was the last day of 4th grade and the sun was streaming through the windshield of my family's car onto the book. I thought it was funny that the book was called Standing in the Light while it was standing in the light itself.
I forgot how wonderfully told this story is, and how heart-wrenching. There actually is quite a bit of violence in it, which I wasn't expecting. Catharine describes scalping and murder, not in great detail but I was surprised it was there at all. Her eventual identification with her captors is beautifully told, though a little overbearing and obvious at times. Still, I was surprised at the maturity of the voice in a novel meant for 8-10 year-olds.
What's strange about the book though is that Snow Hunter, the older boy that she falls in love with while in captivity, is actually white. He too was taken from his home at a young age and lived the rest of his life with the Lenape. This was a detail I'd forgotten-- and what does it mean that Catharine doesn't fall for a Native American after all, but a fellow white person who just happens to be in captivity with her? Osbourne barely mentions that SH isn't white. What is Osbourne trying to say about interracial marriage, as it does not appear at all in the book despite being about white people living among Native Americans?
Also insanely melodramatic that Catharine "never marries." I hate that. Marriage isn't the path for everyone but it was clearly meant to be in remembrance of Snow Hunter, to be his chaste whatever whatever until death when they can join with the Great Spirit or something. People can fall in love more than once, especially you know, after the age of 13 I'm sure you can love again. Everyone needs to chill.
I remember reading this book at the end of 4th grade, because it was the last day of 4th grade and the sun was streaming through the windshield of my family's car onto the book. I thought it was funny that the book was called Standing in the Light while it was standing in the light itself.
I forgot how wonderfully told this story is, and how heart-wrenching. There actually is quite a bit of violence in it, which I wasn't expecting. Catharine describes scalping and murder, not in great detail but I was surprised it was there at all. Her eventual identification with her captors is beautifully told, though a little overbearing and obvious at times. Still, I was surprised at the maturity of the voice in a novel meant for 8-10 year-olds.
What's strange about the book though is that Snow Hunter, the older boy that she falls in love with while in captivity, is actually white. He too was taken from his home at a young age and lived the rest of his life with the Lenape. This was a detail I'd forgotten-- and what does it mean that Catharine doesn't fall for a Native American after all, but a fellow white person who just happens to be in captivity with her? Osbourne barely mentions that SH isn't white. What is Osbourne trying to say about interracial marriage, as it does not appear at all in the book despite being about white people living among Native Americans?
Also insanely melodramatic that Catharine "never marries." I hate that. Marriage isn't the path for everyone but it was clearly meant to be in remembrance of Snow Hunter, to be his chaste whatever whatever until death when they can join with the Great Spirit or something. People can fall in love more than once, especially you know, after the age of 13 I'm sure you can love again. Everyone needs to chill.
jashanac's review against another edition
3.5
I always try to view these through the eyes of my younger self, as much as possible -- because obviously at 37 years old I'm not exactly the target audience and these read VERY juvenile, as they should. :-)
I remember really enjoying this one as a kid, and I can see why. There are obviously a lot of references to Native Americans that are awful stereotypes and also include what we now know to be racial slurs -- a lot of prejudiced thinking toward Native Americans is present -- as one would expect from what you'd see in the diary of a Quaker girl from this time with their perceptions. As an adult reader it still felt "eeeeek" to see those blatant slurs and stereotypes, of course.
But I enjoyed the way the author laid out a very honest journey from slightly prejudiced thinking to a more open-minded, empathetic way of thinking. As well as the complexities that it created for the main character -- that feeling of living between two worlds, which at that time could never really be blended together.
For a young person, I remember stories like this basically being like a little life lesson for me as a reader -- making me think of things this way also -- making me think about the ways that I might have prejudiced thinking toward people I don't understand or feel familiar with, and making me actively want to avoid being that way.
I remember really enjoying this one as a kid, and I can see why. There are obviously a lot of references to Native Americans that are awful stereotypes and also include what we now know to be racial slurs -- a lot of prejudiced thinking toward Native Americans is present -- as one would expect from what you'd see in the diary of a Quaker girl from this time with their perceptions. As an adult reader it still felt "eeeeek" to see those blatant slurs and stereotypes, of course.
But I enjoyed the way the author laid out a very honest journey from slightly prejudiced thinking to a more open-minded, empathetic way of thinking. As well as the complexities that it created for the main character -- that feeling of living between two worlds, which at that time could never really be blended together.
For a young person, I remember stories like this basically being like a little life lesson for me as a reader -- making me think of things this way also -- making me think about the ways that I might have prejudiced thinking toward people I don't understand or feel familiar with, and making me actively want to avoid being that way.
allonsyechoes's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
huncamuncamouse's review
5.0
This was another "iconic" Dear America book, one that I remember getting passed around a lot in elementary school. Unlike some of the other books in the series that are just about a particular time period, this book revolves around one key dramatic event: Catherine's abduction.
As you likely would guess, Catherine slowly bonds with the Lenape people who kidnapped her. Eventually she accepts them as her surrogate family and even falls in love with a young man who had also been taken as a teenager. This book, unfortunately, does not have a happy ending (nor could it have had one).
I was impressed by how frank Mary Pope Osborne is in addressing the brutalities committed against native people. I think glossing over the ways white people, at a minimum, deceived them with various "treaties" was still pretty commonplace at this time. As a whole, it aged pretty well, although I wonder how commonplace it actually was for native people to kidnap white children. If I didn't know that books down the line are from indigenous girls' perspectives, I'd probably have more of a complaint that this was written by a white Quaker narrator instead of a Lenape girl. However, I also recognize that being able to sell this as a captivity diary already makes it sound exciting to potential readers. It's certainly why it caused such a stir at my school.
I was unexpected moved by this book in a way that none of the others have. There are so many lessons about tenderness, love, and what makes us good humans. I was pretty weepy for the entire final third. This book seems more ambitious and mature than others in the series, and it's incredibly well-written. Definitely one of my favorites.
As you likely would guess, Catherine slowly bonds with the Lenape people who kidnapped her. Eventually she accepts them as her surrogate family and even falls in love with a young man who had also been taken as a teenager. This book, unfortunately, does not have a happy ending (nor could it have had one).
I was impressed by how frank Mary Pope Osborne is in addressing the brutalities committed against native people. I think glossing over the ways white people, at a minimum, deceived them with various "treaties" was still pretty commonplace at this time. As a whole, it aged pretty well, although I wonder how commonplace it actually was for native people to kidnap white children. If I didn't know that books down the line are from indigenous girls' perspectives, I'd probably have more of a complaint that this was written by a white Quaker narrator instead of a Lenape girl. However, I also recognize that being able to sell this as a captivity diary already makes it sound exciting to potential readers. It's certainly why it caused such a stir at my school.
I was unexpected moved by this book in a way that none of the others have. There are so many lessons about tenderness, love, and what makes us good humans. I was pretty weepy for the entire final third. This book seems more ambitious and mature than others in the series, and it's incredibly well-written. Definitely one of my favorites.