Ghost Hawk

Cooper, Susan.  Ghost Hawk.  2013.  Margaret K. McElderberry Books.  New York, New York.

Book Talk:

Little Hawk is about to become a man.  He has been taken into the woods, with nothing but his knife, his axe (tomahawk), and his bow.  In the deep of winter, he will be left to fend for himself for three months. 

His tasks are simple: to find his spirit guide (His Manitou), to find shelter, and to find food.  Unfortunately, he can not eat until he finds his Manitou.  With the help of his axe, his knife, his bow, and the breadth of knowledge handed down to him by the elders of his tribe, he faces the ultimate survival test.  If he returns to his village alive, he will be considered a man.

The test is a tough one.  Many never return.  It is a test of strength, will, determination, and knowledge of the lore taught by the elders.

Just before he is led blindfolded out of the camp, Little Hawk's father gives him the greatest of gifts.  A knife.  A steel bladed knife for which he has traded many animal skins to a white man.  This steel bladed knife is superior to the stone knife that Little Hawk had.  But, will it be enough to give him the edge to survive his wilderness ordeal?

The introduction of the white man into the world of the Native Americans has changed Little Hawk's world forever.  Not only will he have to survive the wilderness, he will have to navigate the changes that the white man has brought to his world. 

These white men are who we know as the Pilgrims.  They invaded the territory of the people who already lived on the land, and the results of this culture clash were often deadly for both sides.

Can Little Hawk survive this ultimate challenge to himself, his culture, and his way of life?

Author's Web Site:

www.TheLostLand.com

Reviewer's Note:

I became hooked on this book in the very first paragraph.  If I were to book talk this book to a group of students, I would read the first chapter.  In particular, I loved the description of how Little Hawk's father took the tomahawk which had been handed down from father to son.  And, on the day of Little Hawk's birth, he took it to an island and wove it between the branches of two young saplings so that the tree would grow around the tomahawk head, and become one large, strong handle.  The axe would be cut out of the tree in ten summers... just before Little Hawk was to go on his manhood test.

The author does an excellent job of tying together the lives of the Pilgrims and the lives of the Native Americans in a haunting manner, that is, unfortunately, all too true.  The Europeans who came en masse to settle this new world were not always kind to those First People who already lived here.  Susan Cooper does not sugar coat the relationship between the races. 

Filled with unexpected plot twists, and a captivating story line, this book is a treasure... a look back in time to our world, as it once was.