The Heart of a Chief [Mass Market Paperback]

Joseph Bruchac (Author)

Book Description

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

Chris's life is complicated. At school, he's been selected to lead a project on sports teams with Indian names. At home, on the Penacook reservation, the Indians are divided about building a casino. It would destroy the beautiful island Chris thinks of as his own. Is there anything one sixth-grade boy can do?

"Chris's compelling voyage of self-discovery is grounded in everyday events . . . allowing readers to see into the heart of this burgeoning chief."
-Publishers Weekly

"Readers who see injustice in their own lives will admire how much Chris accomplishes with a simple message of respect."
-Booklist

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Bruchac explores what it means to be Native American in a modern society through the perceptive first-person narrative of 11-year-old Chris Nicola," said PW. Ages 8-12.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-A contemporary story about an 11-year-old Penacook boy's emergence as a leader. Chris Nicola and his little sister are cared for with affection and wisdom by elderly Auntie and Doda. Their mother is deceased and their father is away battling alcoholism. The stories and traditions of Chris's people give the boy the courage and conviction to deal with life. Upset by the proposed establishment of a casino on a pristine island on the New Hampshire reservation, he and three friends destroy a surveyor's stakes. With unwavering passion, he defends his actions to reservation law officers. Wary but determined, Chris starts sixth grade at Rangerville Junior High and mingles with the white world. He is chosen as leader for a group report on using Indian names for sports teams. His call for unanimity through discussion mirrors tribal practices and generates a presentation that exposes the insensitivity of the school and attracts community attention. Chris is an appealing, resilient, optimistic character. His sincerity wins friends among adults and peers, even the reputed school bully. An effective balance of dialogue and first-person narrative propel the story forward. This upbeat narrative does not disguise the harsh realities of reservation life or the social and emotional struggles of Native Americans. Rather, the qualities of leadership emerge in Chris as he taps into his rich cultural past, recognizes his own potential, and stands up for his values.
Gerry Larson, Durham Magnet Center, Durham, NC
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --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
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 153 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (August 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014131236X
• ISBN-13: 978-0141312361
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #445,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( B ) > Bruchac, Joseph
  • #37 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > Multiculturalism
  • #61 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Multiculturalism

More About the Author

Joseph Bruchac is a highly acclaimed Abenaki children's book author, poet, novelist and storyteller, as well as a scholar of Native American culture. Coauthor with Michael Caduto of the bestselling Keepers of the Earth series, Bruchac's poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from Akwesasne Notes and American Poetry Review to National Geographic and Parabola. He has authored more than 50 books for adults and children. For more information about Joseph, please visit his website www.josephbruchac.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book, January 23, 2005

By 

C. Nichols - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Heart of a Chief (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book for an Elementary Ed Teaching Literacy course, and I really enjoyed it. It seems very real, but also encouraging and hopeful. I like how it dispels some common stereotypes about Native Americans, but there are also many situations and emotions the main character experiences that can be related to any person of any ethnicity, which I think would help children see Native Americans as very much like themselves, but also appreciate their different ways of life.

I found some of the issues presented very relevant to real situations in New England (the school mascot names, the casino controversies, even some of the tribal names which correspond to places or rivers in New England that students may recognize).

This book teaches that even children can make a difference and people will listen if you stand up for what is right. It also exemplifies that there is always hope, possibilities, and alternative solutions to problems. It doesn't pretend there are no problems, it's real, and also encouraging.

I especially liked the stories that the wise old Doda told to teach life lessons. My favorite is in chapter 6. :) But I don't want to give it away.

I highly recommend the book!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heart Of a Chief, March 4, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Heart of a Chief (Mass Market Paperback)

Chief vs. Casino
I read Heart of a Chief. It is about a boy named Chris Nicloa. Chris is nervous because he is about to start his first day of middle school. Chris, to his surprise, becomes class leader and is very popular to the people in the school. He discovers that his town leaders have decided to place a casino on his island Penacock Indian Reservation. He decides to stand up for himself and class mates for what he believes in and to get the casino built somewhere off the island.
I think this a very good book because it shows someone with a lot of courage doing what he believes in. This book gives the mind encouragement in doing what's right. It makes you think anything is possible and worth trying. Chris is really bright and smart and does things that most people would be too scared to do. This is a heart-warming story that I think everyone can relate to in the end.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Sensitive, Heart-warming, May 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Heart of a Chief (Hardcover)

Joseph Bruchac presents a vivid and heart-warming story about the life of a contemporary Native American boy living between the wrenching descrimination and exploitation of his People and the beauty and peace of his home. I do not profess to know much about the Native American lifestyle, but I would trust any book Bruchac writes. His book has given me an authentic and sensitive picture of one boy's struggle to balance his heritage with the pressures of life on and off the reservation. I can now only imagine how this story is familiar to many people in the U.S. Beautifully written.