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Moss and Trouble, an Algonquin boy and girl, struggle with the problems of growing up in the Massachusetts area during the time of the first Thanksgiving.

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6 reviews
I didn't exactly enjoy it, and I'm not sure most children will either, unless an enthusiastic adult shares it with them. Moss learns his lesson too easily, after being so, well, stupid. Trouble is an interesting character, but we don't get to know her very well. The book is just too simple, too iconographic, for me. Otoh, it's graceful and empathic, so some readers will treasure it.
This book couldn't seem to decide what exactly the subject was. Was it about the white guests who were hungry and invited to the tribe's harvest feast? Was it about young Moss, going off on his own to find himself? Was it about Moss's friend Trouble, and her issues? Was it an excuse to relate Native American folklore stories? All of these things were part of this book, but none seemed to have much to do with the other things, so the book, short though it was, felt disjointed and somewhat aimless. It was an unsatisfying read.
½
"You are who you are, and no one but you can tell you the truth about that."

This book about the first Thanksgiving is one of my favorites. Moss is amusing, yet real. Trouble, the girl he befriends, is fun to read about. It's an interesting book no matter what. And I've never forgot the one line above.
Relationships between his tribe and the white settlers look like they are turning friendly, and Moss is not ready for that. He decides he won't be a part of it . . .

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17+ Works 7,542 Members
Michael Dorris, Author Michael Dorris received an undergraduate degree in English, with honors, from Georgetown University and a graduate degree in anthropology from Yale. He taught for fifteen years at Dartmouth College and founded the Native American Studies Program there. His novels include "A Yellow Raft in Blue Water" and "The Crown of show more Columbus," co-authored with Louise Erdrich. "The Broken Cord," which was named Best Non-Fiction of the Year by the National Book Critics Circle, brought attention to the disorder Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. He has also written novels for young adults, which include "Guests," "Sees Behind Trees," and "Morning Girl," which won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

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Genres
Kids, Fiction and Literature
DDC/MDS
372.6Society, government, & cultureEducationPrimary education (Elementary education)Language arts (Communication skills)
LCC
PZ7 .D7287 .GLanguage and LiteratureFiction and juvenile belles lettresFiction and juvenile belles lettresJuvenile belles lettres
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Members
687
Popularity
41,627
Reviews
5
Rating
½ (3.58)
Languages
English, German
Media
Paper
ISBNs
13
UPCs
1
ASINs
5