Customer Reviews

Morning Girl

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"Morning Girl," by Michael Dorris, is a short novel that is told in the first person by two of its characters, Morning Girl and her brother Star Boy. The chapters alternate between these characters' two voices. The children live with their parents in an island village; their community has a pre-industrial culture.

Morning Girl and her brother have the type of conflict you might expect between a sister and her sometimes annoying younger brother. This relationship is explored against the backdrop of the children's culture and the island setting. I particularly liked the character of Star Boy: he's experiencing some emotional growing pains as he yearns for respect while still engaging in some childish actions. An important theme in the book is the naming tradition of the children's culture.

Dorris writes in a clear, poetic prose style that is touched by a mystical element. And don't miss the startling epilogue which pulls the whole story into focus.

I'm posting this review because there may be other teachers out there who think this might be a good book for them to read to their class. Don't make the mistake I made.

I am a fifth grade teacher. This book is recommended in some of our grade-level curriculum guides, so I decided to purchase it and read it in class thinking it would create a nice bridge between literature and social studies. (We study explorers and the discovery of the New World.) Unfortunately, the book offered very little plot, too much reflection from isolated points of view, and very awkward pacing to allow for a good read-aloud experience. My fifth-graders hung in there with me as I read the whole book over the course of a few weeks, but it was not a very satisfying experience. (It took us a few weeks because the book wasn't interesting enough to keep our attention - we would go days without reading it rather than give up more interesting activities we were doing.)

This book might provide a valuable reading experience to students who read it individually and then discuss it in a small group setting with an adult facilitator.

The book isn't bad - it's just not a good read-aloud book. The language is too ponderous. The plot is hard to decipher. There is no excitement or energy. It has a maturity that makes it feel like it is a book written to appeal to adult reviewers of children's books - not to appeal to real children. (Just the fact that the main characters are children doesn't mean children will relate!)

Instead of reading this book for plot, try reading it as a poem, in book form. The book paints emotions and images and experiences that are wonderful to feel. These things are so much more important than the plot, in which the Spanish don't show up until the last five pages. This is a book about naming and being and growing up. It is excellent for adults (I agree that this is not exactly a children's book, although some children might understand it) who are dreamers, who dream of becoming a rock or a breath of wind.

Morning Girl takes place in the late 1400's when Christopher Columbus discovered a Bahamian Island. While Christopher was there, he wrote an entry saying that he was taking 6 of the natives back to England to teach them English. The family that the book focuses on endures a course of events that includes an unborn child dying, a family member running away, a strange meeting, and a new name. The main character Morning Girl is almost exactly the opposite of her brother, Star Boy. Star Boy loves the dark and is always up at night. But in the afternoons, Star Boy is sound asleep. However, Morning Girl is up at the crack of dawn, so Star Boy and Morning Girl only cross paths in the evenings. My favorite scene in the book included my two favorite characters. Morning Girl was curious about her face and her mother suggested that Morning Girl could trace her face with her hand to allow her to picture in her mind what she looked like. I liked Morning Girl and her Mother because I thought if they were alive today they would be nice people to meet.

It is incredibly powerful and emotional. Morning Girl and herbrother Star Boy are full-dimensional characters - Taino people in1492. The book shows several aspects of their lives before the Europeans come along. Children should read this book to understand other cultures.

I am saddened to hear this beautiful book called boring in some of these reviews. Obviously the true message Michael Dorris gives is missed. The author paints a very vivid picture of how close this family is, how they belong to a real community of loving people, and how they are much like the contemporary family today. Then comes Christopher Columbus to snatch the Tainos from the Island and whisk them to Spain to become "real people". What a great discussion this book leads. This is one book that may not be picked up willingly by young hands, but needs to be suggested. Then, watch the discussion begin!

When I read Morning Girl by Michael Dorris, I felt I was transported to another place and time. The book tells the story a young girl and her brother who live on a tropical island with their family. These two children grow up a lot over the course of the story, even though the book covers only a fairly short time.

This book has a number of unique features. The chapters alternate between events told by Morning Girl and her brother Star Boy. Morning Girl loves the daytime and Star Boy enjoys the night. So we see events described from two different points of view in a very clever way.

Another thing I really enjoyed about the book was its use of very descriptive language. For example, when Morning Girl is interested in seeing what she looks like, she asks her father, "Why should my own face be a secret from me?" Her father tells her to look carefully into his eyes. She says that she 'leaned forward and stared into the dark brown circles, and it was like diving into the deepest pools.'

There, and throughout the short book, Michael Dorris uses beautiful similes and metaphors to tell of Morning Girl's and Star Boy's adventures. When events such as a hurricane occur on the island, we're given descriptions of the effects of the storm on the island and its people; we're never told directly that there was a storm. By describing these events so vividly, I found their images to be strong and long-lasting.

While reading the book, I was never sure exactly where or when it took place - both these questions are answered in the very surprising ending.

Review by Mr. Taylor.

"I don't tell this to anyone because they might misunderstand, but I like the aloneness of the early morning.... Another thing: if the day starts before you do, you never catch up. You spend all your time running after what you should have already done, and no matter how much you hurry, you never finish the race in a tie. The day wins."

These are the words of Morning Girl, and they describe exactly my own thoughts.

In 1992, when Morning Girl was released, it was critically acclaimed by Booklist, Publishers Weekly, the NY Times Book Review and others. But it seems from the reviews that few have read it. What a shame. The prose of Michael Dorris is gentle, lilting and warm. He is not didactic in his lessons, but shares the wisdom of his culture in a subtle way. I love the format of this book; first Morning Girl gives us her point of view, then her brother, Star Boy, offers a different perspective. The chapters alternate between the two young voices.

As with the other children's books by this author, this is a book that is a wonderful read-aloud choice. However, because of its depth and message, it stands as a novel for all ages. Truly lyrical.

Morning Girl
Morning girl is very intresting because it has great expression and detail although at some pionts it may get confusing. My reading group and I just think its great! I wasnt very sure in the begging. I wasnt secure with the author. My group and I think this book is 3 stars. Why only 3 stars, for a some confusion. But over all I thought it was a very good book and I recomend it to 4-8th graders and up. PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!

This book spoke to me on a higher level than that of a history lesson or of good literature, and surely this book is both of those things. However, anyone who has seen the magic and mystery in his own children will understand and appreciate the soft spots of this tenderly crafted tale. The words are lovely, the characters are realistic, and the tapestry Mr. Dorris attempts to weave with his words comes out as a masterpiece of the human condition.