Spirit Horse - Ned Ackerman

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

Riding Freedom - Pam Muñoz Ryan

Riding Freedom 
By: Pam Muñoz Ryan 
Illustrated by: Brian Selznick
★★★★★

Summary

Charlotte Parkhurst became an orphan at the age of two when her parents were killed in a horse and buggy wreck during a storm.  She grew up in an orphanage for boys where she helped in the kitchen and spent as much time as she could out in the stables with the horses.

One Day she knew that she had to leave, or be stuck in the kitchen forever.  She disguises herself as a boy, because of course a girl can't travel alone in the mid 1800's, and narrowly escapes.  In the next few years, she has several close call but ends up as "Charley" spending the rest of her days among horses and stagecoaches making quite a name for herself.  

Review

        

Riding Freedom is a truly lovely book of historical fiction.  In a note from the author, we find out that this story is based on the true life story of Charlotte Darkey Parkhurst, making this an even more charming novel.  I would most defiantly recommend this book to 3rd-6th graders.

Author Website

http://www.pammunozryan.com/

This website has some great resources for teachers including a few reader's theater scripts for her other books, none yet for Riding Freedom.  

Technical Stuff

Ryan, Pam Muñoz. Riding Freedom. Ill. Brian Selznick.  Scholastic Inc. New York. 1998.  

ISBN-13: 978-0-439-08786-4

ISBN-10: 0-439-08796-1

A Storm Without Rain; A Novel in Time

A Storm Without Rain; A Novel in Time by Jan Adkins
My Rating:  ★★★★☆

This novel is a great mixture of historical, and science fiction.  is about a young boy, Jack Stone, who while minding his own business was transported back in time to the same place, Penikese Island, Massachusetts.  All he wanted to do was go home, but while he was trying to find his way back to his own time he came to appreciate his town and family in a whole new way.  He befriended his grandfather, who was 15 (the same age as Jack) and learned the family trade of boat making that would be virtually gone by Jack's time.

The author uses very rich language that allows the reader to really visualize and appreciate a simpler way of life and have some historical insights related to overfishing, habitat loss, society and family.  (This is my list, not the author's)  It makes me want to delve deeper into my own history and learn about Oregon (where I am from) 100 years ago!  A Storm Without Rain also talks in depth about fishing and boat making, making the subject relatable even to me, who knows virtually nothing about those subjects. 
I would definitely recommend this book to 6-9th graders.

The Author's Website: http://www.janadkins.com  
I found this website interesting as it has a great (short) bio of the author as well as some of the things he is currently working on. 

Citation: 
Adkins,  Jan. A Storm Without Rain; A Novel in Time. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1983.

The Bombed House

So I was planning on reading the Young Adults fiction section of the library from A-Z, but there were a group of kids in the "A" section so I went to the other side and now I'm reading from both sides and will meet somewhere in the middle many years from now.

The Bombed House by Jonny Zucker

This book is about the bombing of London during World War II.  Ned and Harry are two boys who are awaiting their relocation to the English countryside when they find a German solider hiding out in a bombed house.  They disobey their father and sneak out of the house to get a better look, but in the end they are treated like heroes.

I did not like this book at all.  It was very boring with not a lot of detail.  Almost every sentence was it's own paragraph set apart by a large space making the flow very difficult.  I would not recommend this to any of my students.

The Night Crossing

The Night Crossing by Karen Ackerman

This is a good introductory book for learning about the Holocaust for young readers.  The book is about a young girl named Clara and her family as they make preparations to journey from Austria to freedom in Switzerland.  The family wants to save a pair of candlesticks that are the only heirlooms they have left.  Clara is instrumental in keeping them safe from many people who would like the treasure by hiding them in her dolls. 

While this book alludes to the terrible exterminations of human life it does not talk about it directly, and everyone in Clara's family escapes unharmed, although there are some "close" calls to keep it exciting.

I would recommend this book for 2-4th grade students.  If you are studying WWII would make a good read aloud in a 2nd grade classroom.  

I give this book 2 stars out of 5

Ackerman, Karen. The Night Crossing. Alfred, A. Knopf. New York. 1994.