The Indian School (Trophy Chapter Books) [Paperback]

Gloria Whelan (Author), Gabriela Dellosso (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Trophy Chapter Books

When shy, ten-year-old Lucy comes to live with her aunt and uncle at their mission school, she's surprised at the number of harsh rules and restrictions imposed on the children. Why, she wonders, should the Indians have to do all the changing? And why is her aunt so strict with them? Then a girl called Raven runs away in protest, and Lucy knows she must overcome her timidity and stand up to her aunt—no matter what the consequences. Once again Gloria Whelan has taken a chapter from our past and transformed it into gripping, accessible, historically accurate fiction.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With eloquent if predictable precision, the author recreates the tensions of early 19th-century Michigan. When Lucy's parents are killed, her gruff aunt and uncle agree to take her in and have her brought from Detroit to their home in Coldriver. Unsentimentally, they expect her to earn her keep at the mission school they run, where they teach Indian children good Christian doctrine and proper white ways. One girl, however, refuses to adapt and runs away, leaving Lucy to keep a big secret from her domineering aunt. While the climax of this book is frustrating in its patness (a crisis illness draws everyone closer), Whelan (Night of the Full Moon) manages to transport the reader into a believable and complex past, when manifest destiny drove adult actions?and when girls still had time to admire the sunlit autumn forest and notice that "the maples looked as if they had been hung with hundreds of scarlet lanterns." Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 7-10.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-Following the death of her parents in 1839, 11-year-old Lucy is sent to live with her harsh Aunt Emma and kindly but ineffectual Uncle Edward, who run a mission school for Indian children in Coldriver, MI. Lucy adjusts to her new life with difficulty, but new arrivals Raven and her little brother Star Face, whom Emma insists on calling Matthew, intrigue her, and she begins to find comfort in her interactions with them. Raven never adjusts to the denigration of her Indian ways and Lucy learns much from her even as everyone grows to love and cherish the young boy, including Aunt Emma. When Raven runs away, Lucy fears she will surely perish in the winter wilderness, but can't bear to tell the adults of her whereabouts. A crisis occurs when Star Face falls ill and Aunt Emma does some abrupt capitulating. There are some decidedly "Pollyanna" overtones to Whelan's book. In stories about settlers and Native Americans, it is often difficult to have real characters instead of noble facades, to depict accurately the point of view of the time without too much prescience, and to portray with justice both viewpoints. The author circumvents some of the obvious pitfalls, but not all. Star Face is somewhat stock, and the willingness of the children's father to leave them at the Indian School is not convincing. However, Whelan is clearly trying to touch readers' heartstrings and frequently succeeds with some especially finely turned phrases and reflections.
Carol A. Edwards, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (August 16, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064420566
• ISBN-13: 978-0064420563
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Multicultural Stories > Native North & South Americans
  • #17 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Multicultural Stories > Native North & South Americans
  • #36 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Orphans & Foster Homes

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a beautiful book--my daughter and I both loved it, June 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Indian School (Hardcover)

I loved this book. It is a beautiful portrait of friendship and loss. There are three strong female characters--one white girl, and two Indian girls, all about age 12. When Lucy, the white girl, sees how Raven stands up to Aunt Emma, Lucy begins to wonder whether it is true that "The meek shall inherit the earth." This book uncovers many issues of American history that are usually left buried. I recommend this book to everyone. After I read this book, I turned the cover over and over, searching for a "gold" or "silver" medal. I could not believe that this book had not won any awards.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Friendship, November 30, 2001

By 

Cheh Carmen (Cheh Carmen,Malaysia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Indian School (Trophy Chapter Books) (Paperback)

When I turned to the first page of the book,I thought that it was going to be boring.But when I went further and further,I was engrossed in the book.I feel more like Raven,one of the character in the book.Unlike,Lucy,Raven is bold and speaks her mind.She is obstinate but I think that children should be that way to get what they want.Lucy is too meek and never demands for what she wants.Every children must have their right to do something.We must stand up to the grownups.I also learned about friendship.Raven and Lucy were different in many ways but they still maintain their friendship.This book teaches me a lot of things.I especially like Raven's behaviour.I am very attached to Raven.I find this book very enthralling and it is one of my favourite books.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars standing up, March 27, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Indian School (Trophy Chapter Books) (Paperback)

At first when i opened the book to read it i almost knew it was going to be good so thats why i had to keep reading it i wish it wasnt so short because i would like to now where raven went, and did she stand up to everybody that she thought was mean. how could she stand up to lucy's aunt if she was so mean this book have thoght me how to speak mty mind even more now and that your opoion always count no matter what.