From School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-Sparsely written, The Long Crossing tells the story of a nine-year-old "half-breed" orphan growing up in harsh conditions in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at the turn of the century. The story begins as Johnny, who lied about his age, is driving a team of horses with a load of logs across frozen Cecil Bay in a terrible storm. During this dangerous trek, he recalls his past: the death of his mother birthing him, the ostracizing of his Native American father, the cruelty of his elderly "foster" parents, the bleak realities of farm life, and the finding of his birth brother leading up to Johnny's running away to work in the timber industry. Certainly, it's a moving tale but characterization is weak; even with all Johnny's woes, it is difficult to empathize with a one-dimensional protagonist.-Mollie Bynum, formerly at Chester Valley Elementary School, Anchorage, AK
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