Elizabeth George Speare (1908–1994)

Matt and his father have been working hard to prepare their homestead in Maine for the arrival of Matt's mother and sister. Now, Matt's father must make the long journey back to Massachusetts to fetch them -- and Matt must stay and take care of the cabin and the crops. When Matt's gun is stolen by a sketchy trapper who happens by, he worries how he will get along without the ability to hunt. He sees a lot of fish in his future! When Matt gets into trouble with a swarm of angry bees, a Native show more American man Saknis and his grandson Attean come to Matt's rescue. In gratitude, Matt offers them one of his prized possessions: a copy of Robinson Crusoe -- but the Native Americans do not know how to read English. Matt agrees to teach Attean to read. At first, Matt and Attean do not get along very well, but over time they come to understand one another better. When winter comes and Matt's family has still not arrived, Matt must make a difficult decision: will he keep waiting at the cabin, or will he travel with Attean and his tribe? What if Matt's father never comes?

This is a gripping story, but it has many problematic aspects, particularly in its treatment of Native American culture. Some of the author's word choices are especially poor -- Attean and his grandfather tend to speak in "grunts," women are sometimes referred to as "squaws," and when Matt observes a ceremonial dance, he compares it mentally to a clowning routine. On the other hand, by the end of the novel, Matt has come to a greater appreciation of Native Americans, recognizing that they have taught him how to survive in the wild and have extended hospitality and friendship to him, and there is a sense that he regrets the fact that the Native American hunting grounds will soon be full of white settlers. Matt's nuanced character development is probably what earned this book its Newbery Honor, but it isn't enough to offset the problematic attitudes inherent in the book, and I'd have a hard time recommending this book to young readers of today.

I listened to the audiobook version, and was not particularly impressed. The author has a tendency to use too much emphasis, a delivery that comes across as forceful and distracting to me. show less

I remember having to read this for school, which naturally dampened some of my enjoyment of this book (seriously, the public school system sucks) but anyway, looking back, I can see that this is one of these books that I should read again, as I did with Wind in the Willows (another required reading book)

One thing that did impress me as a kid (due in no small part to the teacher drilling the same lesson into the class over and over and OVER...) was how things we take for granted today were show more nonexistent or would have been ridiculed back then. The friendship between Kit and the "witch" really illustrates that, it's terrible that people could mistreat and ostracize someone so much simply because they did not want to conform to a very rigid system.

Not that we don't have bullying and ostracism today, but at least you can no longer be executed or put on trial just for being "weird". show less

review for 9th read

reasons you should read this book:
1) this book has Nat Eaton.
2) if you have any heart at all, the final chapter will probably make you squeal like a giddy schoolgirl.
3) this book has a very pretty, head-strong sailor boy.
4) this book has John Holbrook (particularly in the context of the second-cutest romance ever).
5) this book has a handsome, roguish love interest who regularly puts himself at risk for the sake of others.
6) this book has Hannah Tupper.
7) BONUS: this book show more has Nat Eaton.

18,000,000/5 stars.

review for 6th, 7th, & 8th reads (yes, really)

All my life, my dad has decorated his bedroom with It's a Wonderful Life posters, decorations, etc. We have a whole-ass display case in our living room filled with a porcelain snow village from the movie, as well as books, magazines, ornaments, mugs, and just about anything else you can think of that fits with the theme. We had the same kind of thing in our game room growing up, but instead of It's a Wonderful Life, that room was Muppet themed.

My dad and I are a lot alike. And while I don't hyper-fixate on It's a Wonderful Life or the Muppets, I have my own special interests. One of them is the band Flyleaf. The other, this book.

When it comes to this book, I am a weak, weak woman.

Every time I open this book it feels like home. From the characters to the romance to Hannah's cottage, this book is absolute perfection. (And that's a huge claim coming from me.) If you don't believe me, just look at my "Dates Read."

I have not read any other book more than maybe three times. Eight times is just ridiculous. My friends think I have a problem. My family has been forced to accept my obsession just as they accepted my dads'. That alone should be enough to make you want to read this book. But if you're still somehow deciding, let me break it down for you:

Katherine ("Kit") Tyler is a sixteen-year-old girl from Barbados. After her wealthy grandfather's death, she flees to the only family she has—a family of four in Puritan Connecticut. When Kit arrives in Connecticut, she quickly discovers that she is completely out of place in the solemn Puritan colony.

One day, as she laments this (yes, I use dramatic words like "lament" for dramatic effect because it is, in fact, dramatic), she meets Hannah, an old Quaker woman on the edge of town, who has been repeatedly accused of witchcraft and thus shunned by the community. As she grows closer to Hannah, Kit also grows closer to Nat Eaton, a (sexy) sea-faring friend of Hannah's and crew member on the very ship Kit took to arrive in Connecticut.

Finally, Kit begins teaching Prudence, a neglected and, dare I say, abused little girl, to read and write. Kit introduces Prudence to the others, and pretty soon, the four outcasts develop close friendships with one another.

You could go on and on about the social commentary, the romance, blah-blah-blah. But at its core, this book is about four misfits who find each other and become, as Anne Shirley would put it, "bosom friends." It's heartfelt, and every time I finish it, I want to cry. Not because it's sad, but because it's just precious. If that sounds like something you'd like, I implore you to please read this book.

review for 3rd & 4th reads

Ok, y’all, I’ve read this book four times and it’s still so absolutely FANTASTIC. I take back my previous rating of 4.5. This is a five-star book. I would give it 6 if I could like it’s THAT GOOD.

It’s so good, in fact, that after finishing my third read through it (about a week and a half ago), I immediately went back and read it AGAIN because I couldn’t get the darned book out of my head.

I totally get why some people don’t like this book... it’s not a genre that’s for everyone. But I love every moment of it. As long as you like classics, historical fiction, and romance, you’ll probably love this. And I will never fail to recommend it to people who like those genres.

Please, please, please, if you like sweet, comforting classics/romances and historical fiction, read this. It’s THAT GOOD.

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review for 2nd read

4.5 | OK so I read this in like 5th grade but I didn’t remember anything.

Now, I don’t usually like historical fiction but reading this again, I was amazed. The characters, romances, and friendships in this were just precious. Gosh, it was good. I just wish we’d gotten an epilogue. But otherwise, I adored it. I’ll definitely be reading this again. show less

Excellent book, OK story. It's oddly split in my head. What actually happens is minor - boy stays alone on the new family homestead in early Maine, runs into trouble, is helped by local Indians, happy ending. What makes the book amazingly good is what it _doesn't_ do - it treats the natives (OK, it does call them Indians) neither as savages to be taught white-man's ways, nor as Noble Savages who are magically in tune with Nature etc. They're people; they know how to live in that place (the show more white boy is shown a lot of food, tools, and methods of hunting he doesn't know), but it's not some magical thing inherent in their race, it's just, well, they live there. The white boy (I've forgotten all the names already) is teaching the native boy to read, at his grandfather's request/order; in return, he's getting a lot of help surviving alone. By the end of the book they've earned each other's respect - again, not magical best friends forever, but "this is a person I respect and admire for who they are". When I finished the book, my first thought was "this is the way it's supposed to be written". I'm not certain I'll want to reread - again, the story itself is slight - but I don't want to lose track of it. show less