Noli's Story (Kin) [Mass Market Paperback]

Peter Dickinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 24, 1998 | Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Kin

From the amazing Peter Dickinson (winner of 16 major young adult fiction awards) comes a compelling new series for older readers unlike any other--each story follows a band of children living in prehistoric times. Noli is a young girl with an amazing gift. The spirit of the Moonhawk comes to her in dreams and guides her. But then the spirit deserts her when she needs it most--when her world is rocked by earthquakes and floods, and the band is stalked by a demon lion. Peter Dickenson lives in England. Nenad Jakesevic lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this thought-provoking prehistoric adventure tale, part of a new series, Dickinson considers evolution, revisiting themes he explored in A Bone from a Dry Sea. Separated from the elders of the Moonhawk clan after an attack by a horde of "ferocious strangers," Noli and five other children roam the land in search of new "Good Places" in which to hunt and gather. After a volcano eruption drives them even further afield, the youngsters rescue and befriend a wounded man they dub Tor. Skilled with tools yet unable to speak beyond simple hoots and grunts, enigmatic Tor forces the children?and the reader?to examine what it means to be human. Likewise, Noli's various shaman-like encounters with her own clan's totem animal and the hitherto voiceless spirit guide of Tor's people provide an opportunity for Dickinson to ponder the nature of the sacred. The Moonhawks' encounter with the rest of Tor's people and their joint battle against a marauding lion make for an exciting read. But the real adventure here is the exhilarating mix of ideas the novel so nimbly sets forth. Ages 10-up. (June) FYI: Also due in June is The Kin: Suth's Story ($14.99 ISBN 0-399-23327-X; paper $3.99 -448-41709-X). Two more installments are scheduled for October publication.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-Noli and Suth and four younger children are journeying through Africa in search of "Good Places"-sources of food, water, and shelter-after a volcanic eruption separates them from the rest of their Moonhawk Kin. Noli has always been a channel for the spirits that advise her people and Suth has real leadership potential, but they have responsibilities far beyond their years and experience. As members of a human tribe that lived 200,000 years ago, the Kin make and use tools, store and carry fire, communicate with language and share a mythology to explain the world around them. The story of their journey is related in a simple, direct style in keeping with their relatively new ability to communicate, and in chapters that alternate with retellings of Moonhawk mythology. During their travels, they meet some lighter-skinned canyon people who still communicate in simple grunts. The initial difficulty in getting to know, tolerate, and eventually cooperate with one another highlights their varying stages of development and, in a larger sense, the overall stages of human development. Noli's Story is less sophisticated than Dickinson's A Bone from a Dry Sea (Dell, 1995) and is an easy, approachable, and evocative look at early human times. It is the second in a series of four books about the Kin, but stands on its own as a lively, concise, and convincing novel.
Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 211 pages
• Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap (August 24, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0448417103
• ISBN-13: 978-0448417103
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,590,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Demon lions! What more could you want!, October 31, 2000

By 

Kathleen (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Noli's Story (Kin) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is an exciting action packed adventure about 6 stone age children lost in a dangerous desert. The main character Noli who has visions from "Moonhawk."--they're god--must lead the children to a 'good place' and find the rest of their kin.

She and her companions must survive flashfloods, stone throwing natives and demon lions! A great book for young adults! Recommended!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing & Interesting & Purely Fantastic!, August 16, 2001

By 

[e-mail] (Billingham, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Noli's Story (Kin) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Kin Nolis Story is the 2nd installment of the kin series (of which i have all the books) & is probably the 2nd best next to the fantastic Suths Story. However it is still amazing & still a major eye opener into the world of The Kin: a 200,000 year old tribe of ancient african people, the first people in the world to use language. The story bases around Noli, a girl/near woman who can be talked to by moonhawk (the first one of Noli's kin). Noli, who was last seen escaping the violent eruptions of the hidden mountain with Suth, Tinu, Mana, Ko & Otan (later Tan), has now grown into a young woman & embarks on many new adventures in this story such as meeting canyon people & being chased by a demon lion. The Kin is probably the best series around & you wont find a better read, that I can promise you! (This version relates to the version of Noli's story in the bound trilogy of The Kin).