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194 pp.
| Dial
| May, 2014
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8037-3745-7$17.99
(4)
4-6
Illustrated by
John Hendrix.
In 1858, Yup'ik Eskimo Toozak unwittingly tells American whalers where they can spear bowhead whales, bringing down a curse on his family and forcing Toozak and his progeny to protect one whale throughout its approximately two-hundred-year lifespan. George blends the whale's sea life with Toozak's descendants' lives on land. Coincidences mar the account, but the resurrection of the whale population is nicely told.
(4)
4-6
When her family moves to Alaska, young Tatum comes to love the brutal weather and the legendary Iditarod. Soon she and Bandit (a retired musher dog), and her friend Cole are caught in a blizzard. Though a hovering wolf dog and blustery winds create some tension, Tatum's protracted journey through deep snow grows tedious for her--and for readers.
(1)
4-6
Girls of Many Lands series.
Twelve-year-old Minuk, a Yup'ik girl living in 1890 Alaska, is eager to learn about the Hoffs, a family of Christian missionaries, and the wider world they represent. While Minuk struggles to understand their faith and ponders the lower status of women in both cultures, the plot consists mainly of events in the daily life of the village. This story, and the skillful manner in which it is told, should knock the socks off habitual readers of series historical fiction. Glos.