Reviews - Thunder Rolling in the Mountains

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28 reviews for:

Thunder Rolling in the Mountains

Having only ever read Island of the Blue Dolphins as a child (and hating it - as a child), I expected this to be boring. It is not. At all.

This is an amazing book to teach to kids. It is a bit violent in parts which I find a unique choice for 5th grade (as this is a part of a handful of 5th grade curricula). But it's engaging and good to use to teach an integral part of US history.

Many times, I was floored by the plot and the travesties that happened. I feared my students would be interested but they are really enjoying it.

k_smith7's review against another edition

2.0

This book is part of our new district curriculum. My thoughts:

Pros:
- Overall, students were engaged in the book’s fast pace
- The book provides new vocabulary and background knowledge to students
- Provided opportunities for discussion and reflection

Cons:
- Written by a white man vs Indigenous author
- Much of the language is very dated and problematic
- Very sad and many deaths. Can definitely be triggering.
- Lots of descriptive violence which I understand is part of the historical context, but it still was a lot for 5th grade students.
- The book is not provided in multilingual texts which made it very difficult to support all learners in my class.

In my opinion, there are MUCH better stories that represent Indigenous peoples and their culture and uses own voice. I’m disappointed that this was the text chosen by the curriculum writers.

emilyb_chicago's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous dark sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I loved the discussions this book allowed me to have with my 5th grader. The story is clearly written and accessible to middle graders, though it is quite sad.