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The Sign of the Beaver | ||
| Author: | Elizabeth George Speare | ||
| ISBN: | 0440479002 | ||
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When his father returns East to collect the rest of the family, 13-year-old Matt is left alone to guard his family's newly built homestead. One day, Matt is brutally stung when he robs a bee tree for honey. He returns to consciousness to discover that his many stings have been treated by an old Native American and his grandson. Matt offers his only book as thanks, but the old man instead asks Matt to teach his grandson Attean to read. Both boys are suspicious, but Attean comes each day for his lesson. In the mornings, Matt tries to entice Attean with tales from Robinson Crusoe, while in the afternoons, Attean teaches Matt about wilderness survival and Native American culture. The boys become friends in spite of themselves, and their inevitable parting is a moving tribute to the ability of shared experience to overcome prejudice. The Sign of the Beaver was a Newbery Honor Book; author Elizabeth Speare has also won the Newbery Medal twice, for The Witch of Blackbird Pond and The Bronze Bow. (Ages 12 and older) --Richard Farr The Sign of the Beaver ANNOTATION Left alone to guard the family's wilderness home in eighteenth-century Maine, a boy is hard-pressed to survive until local Indians teach him their skills. FROM THE PUBLISHER Left alone to guard the family's wilderness home in eighteenth-century Maine, a boy is hard-pressed to survive until local Indians teach him their skills. FROM THE CRITICS Dee Benson - Mailbox Bookbag Magazine Left alone in the Maine wilderness, while his father returns south to get the rest of the family, 12-year old Matt is charged with protecting his family's new property and log cabin. While awaiting his family's return, Matt faces many challenges. Thanks to a Native American chief and his grandson, Matt learns survival skills. More importantly, he discovers friendship and develops an appreciation for another culture. "Matt joins other memorable characters, Kit, Julie, and Karana, finding his inner strength and values in a changing world in this well-written and fast-reading story." Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot Matt learns from the Indians how to survive on his family's Maine homestead in the 1700s. He must decide whether to winter with them or go it alone. This was a Newbery Honor Book and also the recipient of the Scott O'Dell Award. 1993 (orig. School Library Journal Gr 5-8-Elizabeth George Speare's acclaimed, captivating historical novel (BDD) set in the 1700s receives a fresh treatment here, thanks to narrator Greg Schaffert's fine, crystal clear narration that brings the story to life. Speare's evocative tale tells of the mutually beneficial friendship that develops between Matt, a 13-year-old white boy living alone in the wilderness, and Attean, a proud Native American on the verge of manhood. Matt is guarding his family's newly built cabin while his father travels to retrieve Matt's mother and sister. Attean saves Matt's life after a terrifying bee attack (beautifully brought to life by both Speare and Schaffert). The two become reluctant pals: Matt teaches Attean how to read, and Attean shows Matt how to hunt, set traps and gather. Soon Matt must make a choice: join Attean's tribe or wait for his family to return. Speare's Newbery Honor winner is a good adventure story that will hook those interested in survival stories. It will also serve multicultural collections.-Brian E. Wilson, Oak Lawn Public Library, IL
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