Meet Mindy: A Native Girl from the Southwest (My World Young Native Americans Today) [Hardcover]

Susan Secakuku (Author), John Harrington (Illustrator, Photographer)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Series: My World Young Native Americans Today

Featuring a day in the life of a young Hopi girl living in Arizona, this is the second book in a series produced in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution. Meet Mindy: A Native Girl from the Southwest takes the reader on a journey into the rich history and contemporary culture of the Hopi tribe, as seen through the eyes of one of its members, 14-year-old Mindy. Mindy proudly describes her family and her village, talks about the traditional coming-of-age ceremony that prepares her for later marriage and motherhood, and much more. John Harrington's photographs capture the vibrancy of a girl who lives successfully in two worlds.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-In the first part of this book, Secakuku explains Hopi society to readers. Then they meet her niece, 14-year-old Mindy, who holds fast to her Hopi upbringing. Her experiences as a high school freshman are balanced with her introduction into the adult world of her culture. She participates in the Corn Grinding Ceremony, a five-day celebration that symbolically prepares girls for marriage and motherhood, and is also shown at home in Glendale, AZ, getting ready for school and attending class. She presents herself as having the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, the language is dry. Color photographs are plentiful, but many are grainy and amateurish. Much of the text is brownish type over vellum-colored pages. There is a tedious use of the word "pronounced" before each word's pronunciation guide. However, if the audience can get beyond all that, they'll enjoy and learn from this peek into the world of a Hopi-American teen.
Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description

Meet Mindy tells the story of a Hopi and Tewa girl from the Southwest. Harrington's impressive photography brings to life the Arizona landscape. Author Secakuku (Hopi Butterfly Clan) relates in detail Mindy's coming-of-age ceremony and other ceremonies special to the Hopi. Learn what Hopi life is really like, high on the mesas of the Southwest. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Beyond Words Pub Co; 1st edition (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582700915
• ISBN-13: 978-1582700915
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,783,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Addition, March 30, 2005

By 

Mindy (St. Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Meet Mindy: A Native Girl from the Southwest (My World Young Native Americans Today) (Hardcover)

I couldn't resist a book with my name in it, and I was pleased to find that this book was very good. It follows Mindy, a teenage Native American girl of the Hopi and Tewa tribes in Arizona, through the Corn Grinding Ceremony and the Yah-ne-wah Dance. The majority of the book is told in the first person in simple, readable language easily understood by 4th to 6th graders. A few pages at the beginning give a brief overview of Hopi history and culture, and a few pages at the end take readers through a description of a Hopi year through the seasons. The "About the Author" section starts the book, which makes for a weak beginning. Nonetheless this book is a browser's delight. Every page has brightly colored photographs illustrating the story. Not to mention, it is full of information about Hopi culture. This book will find a home on school and public library shelves.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Following Mindy through her coming-of-age ceremony, January 15, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Meet Mindy: A Native Girl from the Southwest (My World Young Native Americans Today) (Hardcover)

The second book in the impressive "My World: Young Native Americans Today" series from Beyond Words Publishing, Meet Mindy: A Native Girl From The Southwest by Susan Secakuku (and profusely illustrated with the color photography of John Harrington) introduces young readers to Mindy, a girl who tells of the Hopi and Tewa peoples of Arizona. Following Mindy through her coming-of-age ceremony, as well as offering an amazing look at Hopi culture including agriculture, weaving baskets, making clay pots, traditional dances, and much more, Meet Mindy is a captivating look into a rich and enduring Native American culture.