by Tim Tingle (Author)
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Gr 6-10--The true story of the 1864 Navajo imprisonment and forced migration is told through the eyes of fictional 16-year-old Danny Blackgoat. Union soldiers capture him and his family along with numerous other Navajo families, destroying their homes and livestock before marching them through the desert at gunpoint. Oklahoma Choctaw storyteller Tingle never flinches from recounting the soldiers' cruelty, from withholding water and food to shooting an elderly man in the back. Danny is separated from his family and taken to a camp of Confederate prisoners, where he immediately makes one friend and one enemy from among the white prisoners. The villainous antagonist makes several attempts on the boy's life while the saintly friend nurtures him, teaches him English, and helps him escape. Throughout his episodic trials and tribulations, Danny's character reads more like a folk hero or legend than an individual, three-dimensional teen. The story is aimed at hi/lo readers, and the short, staccato sentences and unornamented prose make this a fast read-but perhaps too fast, as many threads are left dangling. While the history recounted here is important, this brief novel may raise more questions than it answers.--Sarah Stone, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Tim Tingle is an Oklahoma Choctaw, an award-winning storyteller, and the author of more than twenty books for children, teenagers, and adults. His titles have been recognized by the American Indian Youth Literature Award four times and nominated for numerous state awards. He received his master's degree from the University of Oklahoma with a focus in American Indian Studies. Tingle lives in Texas. Visit his website at timtingle.com.
Jeanne Rorex Bridges traces her heritage back to Cherokee ancestors. Her work is nationally known and has won many awards in Native American art shows, including the 2005 Best of Show at the Five Civilized Tribes Museum. Crossing Bok Chitto is her first children's book, for which she was named Oklahoma Illustrator of the Year in 2007. She lives in eastern Oklahoma, and you can find her website at rorexbridgesstudio.com.