Night Of The Full Moon (Stepping Stone, paper) [Paperback]

Gloria Whelan (Author), Leslie Bowman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 2006 | Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: A Stepping Stone Book(TM)

The night of the full moon is approaching and Libby Mitchell cannot wait! Nothing will stop her from visiting her best friend, Fawn, at the nearby Indian camp and attending a special ceremony there. When soldiers rush in and order everyone at the camp to move off the land immediately—they mistake Libby for a member of the tribe! As each day passes, Libby wonders if she will ever see her family again.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Whelan packs quite a story into this brief sequel to Next Spring an Oriole , set in 1841 in the shrinking woods near Saginaw, Mich. With Mama in labor, Libby Mitchell must miss the naming ceremony for her Indian friend Fawn's new baby brother. Libby sneaks off to the festivities alone but, just as they are about to begin, government troops round up everyone in the Potowatomi village for a forced migration west. With her tanned skin and dark hair, and dressed in Fawn's clothes, Libby is taken for an Indian and accused of lying when she tells the soldiers she is white. After three days of arduous journeying, Fawn's father orchestrates an escape in order to return Libby to her frantic parents and newborn brother, and to flee with his own family into the northern wilderness. Told in simple, well-chosen language, this satisfying chapter book is as captivating as any in the Little House series, but far more insightful and thought-provoking with regard to historical events and the not-so-rosy aspects of settler-Native American relations. Ages 7-9.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-Whelan successfully follows the writer's dictum of "show, don't tell" in this brief novel set in northern Michigan in the 1840s. Libby's best friend is Fawn, a Potawatomi girl who lives nearby. The two families have supported each other through some hard times, so Libby's mother and father are distressed when government agents talk about moving the Indians out of Michigan. One day, Libby disobeys her father and visits the Potawatomi camp for a ceremony-the same day soldiers come to force the clan west. Dressed in her friend's clothes, Libby suffers with the People as they are herded like sheep south and west, until Fawn's family risks their own safety to return her to her parents and to regain their freedom. Just as Alice Dalgliesh did in The Courage of Sarah Noble (Scribners, 1987), Whelan uses action, integrated plot, and well-drawn characters to personalize history, creating powerful, immediate images that humanize the Indians without preaching. Period details, including some Potawatomi words, keep the story firmly fixed in time. An exciting adventure sure to provoke strong feelings, this is for new or reluctant readers, and would make a good read-aloud.
Sally Bates Goodroe, Houston Public Library
Copyright 1993 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: 64 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (January 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679872760
• ISBN-13: 978-0679872764
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.2 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #490,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Native American Summer School Review, August 9, 2000

By 

Theresa Liptack (Wabeno WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night of the Full Moon (Hardcover)

We are a Title IX summer school class of soon-to-be third graders. Many of us are Potawatomi. We enjoyed reading about our ancestors although we do realize that this book is historical fiction. This is what each student had to say about Night of the Full Moon:

Reese-Fawn and Libby were friends. It's ok to be friends with white people.

Peter-I like it when Libby's father wanted to give Sanatuwa land so he could stay with them. It showed that he was generous and thankful to him for saving his daughter.

Jack-It was exciting and scary when the soldiers captured Libby with Fawn's family.

Darlene-It was a great story. I learned that the Potawatomi had to travel a long ways when they were forced from their homes. One soldier said 'Indians should be free just like he was' and he let them go.

Michelle-It was an exciting story to read. I felt sad that the Potawatomi were forced off their land.

Gabrielle-It was exciting when the girl was getting dragged from that soldier. I didn't like the soldiers and felt angry at them.

Frankie-I learned that the Potawatomi got kicked off the land. The white men brought smallpox disease and whiskey to the Indians and tricked them into signing treaties and giving away their land for a little money.

Danielle-I liked learning about what happened to the Potawatomi Indians.

Mandi-I liked the part where Sanatuwa brought Libby back to her parents.

Joseph-I just liked the book because I love reading books.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book., February 14, 2010

By 

Mary Reed (Maine) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Night of the Full Moon (Hardcover)

Up to Gloria Whelan's standard. Great read for those gr 4 reluctant readers, especially those who study Native Americans in that grade (along with Whelan's, Next Spring an Oriole).