Charlie's Raven [Paperback]

Jean Craighead George (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2006 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

So Charlie brings home Blue Sky, a baby raven with a big personality. Blue Sky imprints on Charlie and becomes a great friend and a source of amazement to the whole family. Granddad, an old naturalist, is intrigued, and he does seem to get better-at least for a while. But caring for a wild creature is very demanding, and as Blue Sky grows, Charlie must find a way to protect him from the many dangers-both natural and human-made-in the rugged Teton Mountains where they live. Weaving natural history, myth, and a family narrative about life and death, Jean Craighead George demonstrates once again why she is one of the most admired children's writers today. Blue Sky will take his place in readers' hearts beside Frightful of My Side of the Mountain as one of this author's most compelling animal characters.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9–After his Teton Sioux Indian friend Singing Bird tells him that ravens can "cure people," Charlie, 13, is determined to get one. Blue Sky, his entertaining chick, endears himself to the family after he imprints on Charlie and, for a time, the teen's naturalist grandfather, who has suffered a heart attack, seems to improve as he leads his grandson through a raven research project. The author incorporates numerous fascinating bits of scientific information about raven behavior, including a vocalization glossary; the story is technically accurate and offers a vivid sense of place and a window into Native American beliefs through storytelling. Unfortunately, too many unusual incidents undermine the novel's credibility. For example, the raven saves Charlie's grandmother from a mountain lion attack, the bird speaks, and the ravens sense and react to a neighbor's fear and hatred of them. Line illustrations that often do not resemble these birds detract from an otherwise affecting adventure story. Readers will be moved by Charlie's relationship with both Blue Sky and his grandfather, and will close the book with a healthy respect for the natural world and an increased understanding of how to conduct nature research. Buy where George's books are in demand.–Ellen Fader, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. Thirteen-year-old Charlie, concerned about his grandfather's declining health, hears a Teton/Sioux legend that ravens can cure the sick. He brings a nestling home and Granddad, an old naturalist, teaches him to care for the bird, Blue Sky, and how to record observations of its behaviors. Charlie learns much from Blue Sky, who imprints on the boy and serves as a source of interest and amazement to the entire family. Noted nature writer George weaves together personal and family experiences (her brother, Frank, and nephew, Charlie, studied raven behavior, and George herself kept a "pet" crow) with scientific facts to create a satisfying family story that will appeal to animal lovers everywhere. A secondary plot involving a Teton/Sioux classmate adds depth to the story, but center stage belongs to Blue Sky, a cunning, highly intelligent bird that requires his morning ritual with Granddad, recognizes humans with intent to harm, and even learns to mimic Granddad's refrain to Charlie: "write it down." Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (March 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142405477
• ISBN-13: 978-0142405475
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( G ) > George, Jean Craighead
  • #88 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Birds > Fiction

More About the Author

Jean Craighead George was born in a family of naturalists. Her father, mother, brothers, aunts and uncles were students of nature. On weekends they camped in the woods near their Washington, D.C. home, climbed trees to study owls, gathered edible plants and made fish hooks from twigs. Her first pet was a turkey vulture. In third grade she began writing and hasn't stopped yet. She has written over 100 books.Her book, Julie of the Wolves won the prestigious Newbery Medal, the American Library Association's award for the most distinguished contribution to literature for children, l973. My Side of the Mountain, the story of a boy and a falcon surviving on a mountain together, was a 1960 Newbery Honor Book. She has also received 20 other awards.She attended Penn State University graduating with a degree in Science and Literature. In the 1940s she was a reporter for The Washington Post and a member of the White House Press Corps. After her children were born she returned to her love of nature and brought owls, robins, mink, sea gulls, tarantulas - 173 wild animals into their home and backyard. These became characters in her books and, although always free to go, they would stay with the family until the sun changed their behavior and they migrated or went off to seek partners of their own kind.When her children, Twig, Craig and Luke, were old enough to carry their own backpacks, they all went to the animals. They climbed mountains, canoed rivers, hiked deserts. Her children learned about nature and Jean came home and to write books. Craig and Luke are now environmental scientists and Twig writes children's books, too.One summer Jean learned that the wolves were friendly, lived in a well-run society and communicated with each other in wolf talk -- sound, sight, posture, scent and coloration. Excited to learn more, she took Luke and went to the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory in Barrow, Alaska, where scientists were studying this remarkable animal. She even talked to the wolves in their own language. With that Julie of the Wolves was born. A little girl walking on the vast lonesome tundra outside Barrow, and a magnificent alpha male wolf, leader of a pack in Denali National Park were the inspiration for the characters in the book. Years later, after many requests from her readers, she wrote the sequels, Julie and Julie's Wolf Pack.She is still traveling and coming home to write. In the last decade she has added two beautiful new dimensions to her words beautiful full-color picture book art by Wendell Minor and others and - music. Jean is collaborating with award-winning composer, Chris Kubie to bring the sounds of nature to her words.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Fantastic!!, March 7, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Charlie's Raven (Hardcover)

I read this book pretty quickly. I couldn't put it down. It had so many funny and mysterious parts. I love the character: Singing Bird. She is so nice. I love the Raven who says "Write it Down" all the time. It totally makes me break down laughing!! It is such a funny book with so much excitement. I totally think that this book would be suitable for anybody who loves the study and science of birds: especially ravens.

I highly recommend this book to anybody who needs to find a book and doesn't know what to read. Great book. It's a must read.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars brittanys review, December 14, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Charlie's Raven (Hardcover)

Charlie found this raven and it had a broken leg so he took it in and put its leg in a sling typ e thing. His granddad likes to study birds. His grandmother doesn't really care. She spends most of her time cooking. He got the raven home and so they bandaged it up. And charlie got an interest for this bird and his grandfather told him to observe the raven. Write down a good and a bad list. On in the story though he had to make a new list called the mysterious list. The raven followed charlie everywhere to dinner, outside. Charlie wrote down the ravens everymove Charlie also followed the bird everywhere. The neighbor hated ravens and was very supperstitous and he said he was not going to keep the bird cause he was going to shoot it. But then later on Charlie notices that his grandfather is getting better and then sometimes he gets worse. Then they family realizes that the raven had been taking his granddads pills and hiding them because they were shiny. That made his grandfather happy but he was still sick and later on he died. But the raven and charlie were friends.