The Dark Pond [Paperback]

Joseph Bruchac (Author), Sally Wern Comport (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

The author of Skeleton Man returns with another chilling tale.

What kind of sinister creature lurks in the dark pond in the forest? Armie can feel it calling to him . . . and he suspects the answer may lie in the legends of his Shawnee ancestors.

Joseph Bruchac, the award-winning author of Skeleton Man, puts a contemporary spin on Native American lore to create a terrifying tale of monsters and darkness.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up–With its almost unbearably creepy prologue, Bruchac's contemporary novel combining Native American lore and horror will immediately grab readers. Armin Katchatorian, part Shawnee, part Armenian, narrates this tale set at the North Mountains School. He is such a loner that his best communications are with animals, who are naturally drawn to this young man who "feels" things. Armie becomes aware that an ominous pond off established hiking trails is trying to draw him near to it via nightmarish visions and an actual physical pull. After being rescued from entering it by a fox, he notices that although many animal tracks lead into the pond, none return. With an economy of words, Bruchac conveys an atmosphere of increasing tension and fear of this unknown evil. Armie discovers that both the Iroquois and Abenakis spoke often about underwater monsters, and meets Mitch Sabattis, who is working at the school. Recognizing a fellow shaman, the young man warns Armie to stay away from the pond. The novel loses a little steam when the conflict between Mitch's scientific approach meets Armie's more visceral one, but ultimately the two discover just what type of horror lives in the pond. Effectively illustrated by Comport, this eerie story skillfully entwines Native American lore, suspense, and the realization that people and things are not always what they seem to be on the surface, all through the perspective of a resourceful yet insecure young man who learns to value his talents. A perfect choice for reluctant readers.–B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor, NY
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. 5-8. As he did in The Skeleton Man (2001), Bruchac transfers the elements of an Indian legend to a modern setting. Armie Katchatorian attends a private boarding school. Partly because of his half-Indian ancestry, he feels alienated from his fellow students. Fortunately, he is able to escape to the woods, where he comes across a mysterious dark pond, which he senses hides something sinister and dangerous. With the help of an Indian named Mitch, Armie discovers the secret of the pond--a giant carnivorous creature from which Armie must rescue Mitch and himself. Bruchac slowly builds the suspense and provides a genuinely creepy tale, told by a winning central character. Todd Morning
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 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (July 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060529989
• ISBN-13: 978-0060529987
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #534,568 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( B ) > Bruchac, Joseph

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's not Skeleton Man, but it's OK., November 11, 2005

By 

Darrel the Librarian "DID" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dark Pond (Hardcover)

This book, based on tales told by Native Americans in the Northeast, is a story by Joseph Bruchac, a member of the Abenaki tribe. I couldn't help but compare it to Skeleton Man by the same author and the same premise of taking a traditional story and putting it in contemporary society. The characters never became alive in this story. It's an excellent story of itself, but the story is the thing here, not the characters.

If you read Skeleton Man and loved it, you'll like The Dark Pond. If you liked The Dark Pond, read Skeleton Man, you'll love it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Modern Myth, February 5, 2007

By 

Mel Odom (Moore, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dark Pond (Paperback)

Joseph Bruchac delivers an interesting adventure tale in THE DARK POND. His main character is Armie, a half-Shawnee Indian/half-Armenian teen who's been kicked out of several schools. His wealthy, busy parents keep finding new schools to put him into. But the one he's currently in, high in the mountain country, has more danger in it than anyone could imagine.

Armie is a good character, solid and sympathetic, and he also has unusual powers that kids will enjoy. Even though he doesn't understand it, animals love Armie. He fills his pockets with raisins and nuts so the birds and squirrels will have something to eat when they come to visit.

But Armie also demonstrates a lot of the same weaknesses that plague most kids: not fitting in, missing parents, and a lack of friends. All of those things make him interesting. But when he finds the dark pond high up in the mountains and discovers the evil lurking inside it, readers will be compelled to find out what's going to happen.

Bruchac blends a lot of world myth in his novel, primarily borrowing from the Abenaki tribe tales and the stories concerning Beowulf. The evil is so familiar and alien that it seems entirely too real.

The book can be a little difficult to get through because there isn't much dialogue. The first-person narrative helps quite a bit, but the story often has Armie off on his own. That makes the danger more real, but I like dialogue in stories. I read this book to my nine-year-old and he had the same opinion. Just not enough talking.

But by the time we reached the thrilling climax, we were both solidly hooked. I'd reach SKELETON MAN and enjoyed it. THE DARK POND has convinced me that I need to read more of this author's books, and my son agrees.

4.0 out of 5 stars Creepy Stuff, March 23, 2008

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Dark Pond (Paperback)

This Genre is realistic fiction. I think the most accurate theme is courage and gallantry. The setting mostly takes place in the forest near a boarding school in which Armie goes to go. A boy named Armie goes to this boarding school because has parents are working most of the time and all the other schools he goes to, he always gets kicked out. One day while Armie was walking in the forest there was this one dark pond. It had this type of lure that Armie couldn't resist. Any time Armie had,he would go to this dark pond and see what was inside. He was always to scared to go inside the pond and see for himself. A new worker came to work in the school and he was sort of like Armie. Armie was very nature like and loved hiking,feeding birds and playing with the animals. In school Armie was always trying to fit in and have lots of friends. When he was like this, he hardly had any friends. This worker was just like him. This worker also never talked. They met in the forest and they were speachless. This guy was looking for the same thing in the pond. Its up to you to findout what is in this mysterious pond.