Incident at Hawk's Hill [School & Library Binding]

Allan W. Eckert (Author), John Schoenherr (Illustrator)

Book Description

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

Six-year-old Ben is very small for his age, and gets along better with animals than people. One June day in 1870, Ben wanders away from his home on Hawk's Hill and disappears into the waving prairie grass. This is the story of how a shy, lonely boy survives for months in the wilds and forges a bond with a female badger. ALA Notable Book. Newbery Honor Book.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 224 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback Books: A Division of Sanval (April 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881035173
• ISBN-13: 978-0881035179
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,685,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Allan W. Eckert, seven-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, has written 39 books, including his award-winning Incident at Hawk's Hill and The Frontiersman, plus numerous other historical narratives, novels and non-fiction works, as well as books for young adults and children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Noncutesy Wildlife, March 13, 2007

By 

L. Franson (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Incident at Hawk's Hill (Paperback)

This book was one of my alltime favorites as a child (in the late 60's). I grew up on the prairies, so badger holes and fields of waving grasses, as well as neighbors with rifles, were part of everyday life to me. I loved the quiet child who fit in with animals more than humans, and the relationship with the wild mother badger. The world created was more realistic and naturalistic than that portrayed by cheery kids books like the Berensteins and Dr. Seuss. There was tragedy as well as compassion: the mother badger has been caught in a trap, her babies have died of hunger, she is hurting and in pain. These are realistic concerns in nature. Not all is cute fuzzy puppies and loving understanding adults. In the end, the misunderstanding between the child who has been cared for by the badger, and the adults who only see a dangerous wild beast, very much touched my child mind and reflected my experience with adults. I saw injustice in the real world left right and center and it was seldom reflected in children's books. This is one of the deeper children's books I have read, that doesn't shy away from the complexities of life, difficult emotions and depth of feeling. I have reread it recently as an adult, and it still touched me. I highly recommend it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, January 27, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Incident at Hawk's Hill (Paperback)

Incident At Hawks Hill is a great book! It may start out a little on the slow side but once you get into the story, it's great! Here is a book report type thing on the book. Ben Macdonald is a shy boy who took a liking to imatating animals' body language. No one believes he has much value exept for his mother, Esther. But not even she can get him to talk and be a normal boy of his age. He is small and light in his weight. Well at least for his age. On one of his jouneys on the prairie he finds a mouse that had just been killed with younglings alive. He knows the baby mice will not survive, so when a badger comes close to him he feeds her the mice, being careful to put them out of their misery quickly. One day he wanders out on the prairie following a praire chicken. By the time he tries to come home for lunch he has found himself lost in the prairie. When he seeks shelter he finds the same badger that he fed wild mice to. Will he make it back to his family. To find out what happens next read the book. Also the other reviews have a very good description. If you read this book I hope you enjoy it. The sequel is also good. Thank You for reading my review.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The stuff of childhood memories., May 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Incident at Hawk's Hill (Paperback)

This is one of the best books of my childhood reading experience. I was eleven years old and my mom baught it for me when we were on a trip to England. It was more than a way to kill down-time. The story, characters and the rollercoaster of emotions it inspired are memorable still. This book is remarkable and I would recomend it in the same breath as 'where the Red Fern Grows' or 'Good Night, Mr. Tom'. Do a child in your life a favor: have them read this book.