I definitely liked this verse novel set in the Indiana Territory during the War of 1812. I liked the dual narration. I liked reading about the times from the perspective of the Native Americans (Anikwa, is our young hero) and from the perspective of the white settlers (James, our second young hero). These two boys can be on the best of terms: doing plenty of things side by side, learning from each other, laughing at each other, too. But their are forces pulling these two cultures apart. There are people in James life telling him that the Indians are NOT their friends, that the peaceful coexistence is done with, the Indians will join with the British any day now, and then there will be trouble, then there will be blood. But James is unsure. He knows what he knows, what he has experienced, and he feels that Anikwa and his family could never really be their enemies. Misunderstandings do occur in the novel, and the danger is real on both sides. But there is a theme of friendship and trust in the novel which I enjoyed.
© 2014 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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