Customer Reviews

Dar and the Spear Thrower

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a sixth grade teacher in the Los Angeles area and have read this book with my students during our study of prehistory. The story is engaging, easy for kids to read, and correllates to the curriculum perfectly. Last year we had the honor of having Marjorie Cowley visit our school. She brought slides and artifacts to share with the students, and discussed the writing process with them. It was a wonderful experience for my students: to actually meet the author of a book they had read was very memorable for them. I encourage all teachers of prehistory to use this book with their students!!!

This is the story of 13 year old Dar, who lived in southern France during the last Ice Age. In his quest to obtain a beautifully carved spear-thrower after his initiation to manhood he learns new skills and ideas that he can use to help change his people's way of life.

The author, who has taught prehistoric archaeology to grade-school students has produced a well written, entertaining book.

Unlike "Malu's Wolf" and "Maroo of the Winter Caves" we finally get to read about a Cro-Magnon boy

Would you like to know about a stone age's boy's adventure to a unknown camp? Then the book Dar and the Spear Thrower is the right book for you. This is a Historical fiction book, written by Marjorie Cowley, about a boy named Dar, his manhood ceremony and a frightening journey to a strange unknown camp.

This book takes place 10,000-8,000 years BCE. Dar's mother passes away when Dar is young and Dar's father is killed by a daggered-tooth cat that Kenok, his Uncle, thought was a spirit-creature sent to test him. Mora, his grandmother, and kenok take the place of his parents. Mora's brother ran away from his clan when he was young and has never been seen since. After Dar's initiation ceremony, Dar sets off for a strangers camp after a incident in the woods. If you want to see all of the obstacles Dar faces and read about frightening moments that may make you jump then read this book.

To me this book is very exciting because of the challenges he faces and mastering a weapon he has never heard of before. If you are interested in adventures, reunions, and ceremonies, then pick Dar and the Spear Thrower today.

This is a book about a boy that lives in a small village. He goes into his initiation ceremony to become a man. After that he goes into a strangers village to trade for a spear thrower. The reason why I read this was because we were studying the ancient people in social studies. I'm glad that my teachers made us read this book. The only bad part about it is that there's no sequel. This book is an easy *****.

This book is an adventurous story about a 13 yr. old boy that under goes a task to become a man of his clan of 22 people,5 men,13 women and 4 kids. 2 of those kids are about to be men.Dar and Bowan.But Dar wants to play instead of train to be a man.Welllong story short,it's a great book that anyone of any age can read.Buy it.It's a great book.Guaranteed!!

I've had 6th and 7th grade students read this book and they have overall enjoyed it. It fits nicely with 6th grade ancient history studies. This could be called 'pre-historic fiction' as there are direct connections to what archeologists tell of prehistoric man. The cultural diffusion of ideas and technology (tools) is perhaps the greatest 'big idea' for history in this book. Another theme is the transformation of the main character from boy to man.

My son and I are reading this story together as a part of our Paleolithic unit. It's beautifully written and really does bring the cro-magnon era to life.

Not all of the characters are carefully drawn, but Dar, our main character is a very sympatheitc and believable (if somewhat self-involved) character and his adventuires and misadventures draw us back, bedtime after bedtime, to read not the usual one chapter, but sometimes as many as seven or eight!

I highly recommend this one as a read aloud from the age of five or so. Not only is it exciting and an excellent peek into how cro-magnon man lived, it also gets us thinking about age-old questions like what it means to grow up and the value of conformity vs innovation.

Do you think your life is hard? Would you be able to stand quietly and still as someone carved five slashes in your arm? Feel the pain as the blood oozes down your arm. Are you a man yet? Dar and the Spear-thrower leads you on this journey to manhood.
Dar is a thirteen year old who lives with his grandmother, Mora and his uncle, Kenok. His uncle is really stern and his grandmother is really sweet and wise because she's been around for a really long time.
I liked the book because it seemed like a movie in my head. I could picture the action and the surroundings. I could understand how Dar felt. I wish there was a sequel to this book.

Do you truly know what it takes to be a man? Then you have to read Dar and the Spear - Thrower by Marjorie Cowley. In a few weeks you're going to leave you're childhood and be turned into a man. You're going into a dark cave and your clan tells you that there will be a light in the middle of the dark gloomy cave, but there is no light and you are trying to feel your way. Much like Dar tried to find his way from childhood to manhood. His journey takes him from the only home he's ever known to an unknown land where he learns to become a man.
I'm looking forward to reading another book like
Dar and the Spear-Thrower. The way the author described life back then hooked me into historical fiction. It gives me a picture into someone else's life.

How would you like it if every day the survival of your clan was in your hands? I don't think I would like that responsibility at the age of thirteen. This story takes place in a small clan of Cro-Magnon in the stone age times. the main character was Dar, a shy, strong thirteen year old another main character was his uncle Kenok, a strong hunter who feels responsible for his brothers death, find out why by reading the book.
I liked the book because it was a book that really helped me learn about history...
and made it fun.