Spirit Horse
by Ned Ackerman
★★★☆☆
Summary
Running Crane is a youth new to the Kainaa Indian tribe and gets picked on a lot by the other boys. Weasel Rider is especially rude to Running Crane and calls him "Falls Off" when he can't rie any of the horses. The elder, Wolf Eagle, invite both boys and some warriors along on a raid to capture some horses from the Snake People. The raid goes awry and Running Crane is separated from the group. He must fend for himself, and while trying to find his way back to the Kainaa, runs into many dangers. He is able to capture the prised Spirit Horse of the Snake People and break him before he heads back to the Kainaa to share his story.
Review
This book had a slow beginning and many difficult to follow names such as Beaver-Slaps-Tail-Twice and Hunts-Smoke-Rising. There is however a very good moral, that hard work and patience always win over empty bragging, and slacking. I would recommend this book for 4rd-6th graders or anyone interested in Native American culture in the 1770's.
Technical Stuff (From Amazon)
- Age Range: 10 and up
- Hardcover: 192 pages
- Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (April 1998)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0590396501
- ISBN-13: 978-0590396509
