The Place at the Edge of the Earth [Hardcover]

Bebe Faas Rice (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Jenny Muldoon has just moved to Fort Sayers, an army base built on the site of a school where, long ago, children from different Native American tribes were taken to be taught white culture. Jenny has a big chip on her shoulder: she’s not happy about sharing her mother with a new stepfather or about moving to yet another school. And now she feels more alone than ever—until she discovers that someone is sharing her room, someone from another time and place. It’s the ghost of a boy named Jonah Flying Cloud, who died at the Indian school in 1880. In a series of nighttime visitations, Jenny learns that Jonah’s spirit is trapped, unable to go on to the land of his ancestors. In order to help Jonah find release, Jenny has to dig into a past that’s been buried for years, to reveal the startling truth about the place at the edge of the earth.

Written with sensitivity and emotion and based on historical accounts, this novel will leave a lasting impression on readers everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-This ghost story unfolds through the first-person narration of both Jenny in the present and Jonah Flying Cloud in the late 1880s. The characters appear in one another's time, but only Jonah is caught there. He and other Lakota children have been forced to go to a boarding school to be stripped of their heritage and to learn the ways of the white man. Jenny, her mother, and new stepfather have just come to Fort Sayers, the site of the events Jonah relates. Accommodation to injustice is impossible for his fiery friend Swift Running River and he is lynched after an altercation with one of his exploiters. In the present day, the boastful son of the commanding general becomes Jenny's partner in her search into the past, and their lively, often humorous exchanges leaven the heaviness of the horrendous treatment endured by the Lakota children. Logic is not the book's strong suit, as it is never clear why or how Jenny appears in the 1880s, except that time is a poorly understood continuum. This slipstream effect, however, doesn't seem to apply to Jonah, who is stuck until Jenny shares her philosophy of choice and comes up with an eagle memento for his grave. The patronizing quality of the solution is diminished by the earnest quality of the two characters' interactions, but the stereotypical way in which Jonah's speech is portrayed is less acceptable. Jenny is an appealing heroine and her story of adjustment to a new place and family is the most successful aspect of the story. -Carol A. Edwards, Sonoma County Library, Santa Rosa, CA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Bebe Faas Rice is the author of sixteen children's books, including CLASS TRIP (HarperCollins), which was an Edgar nominee, and THE YEAR THE WOLVES CAME (Dutton). She lives in Falls Church, Virginia.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (October 21, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618159789
• ISBN-13: 978-0618159789
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,956,218 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:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Place at the Edge of the Earth--Highly recommended!, January 6, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Place at the Edge of the Earth (Hardcover)

The Place at the Edge of the Earth by Bebe Faas Rice

Scrupulously researched, this book is a fascinating dramatized account of a young Lakota boy who is forced, along with other Indian children, to attend a boarding school in the late 1800s for the purpose of assimilation into white society. The story follows Jonah Flying Cloud on his frightening trip to the school in Pennsylvania where his hair is cut (a sign of mourning with his people), his Indian clothes taken from him, and he's made to wear scratchy long underwear, thick woolen uniforms, and shoes that hurt his feet. His days are scheduled by bells and bugles, and he's marched to meals and classes where he's taught to speak the white man's language. He's even taken to church and told he'll burn in a fiery pit forever if he doesn't accept the white man's god. Jonah Flying Cloud dies, brokenhearted, at the school and is trapped between the place of his earthly life and "the land above the clouds, where the eagles fly."

Jonah Flying Cloud's first-person narrative unfolds in alternating chapters with present-day Jenny Muldoon's story. Jenny moves with her mother and new stepfather to military quarters at Fort Sayers, which once housed the Indian school. When she finds out that her new home was once the school infirmary, the stage is set for her to meet the spirit of Jonah Flying Cloud who needs her help to be released from his dark half-world so that he can join his family and tribe members in the afterworld.

Both stories keep the reader moving quickly through the pages. In an interesting subplot, Jenny helps a friend, the son of the commanding general at Fort Sayers, stand up to his father and get help for his alcoholic mother. At the end, Jenny is finally able to figure out how to help her Indian friend. The novel ends with a final, poignant scene between Jenny and Jonah Flying Cloud.

This book a must for anyone interested in learning about the Indian schools. Its compelling story is sure to capture the interest and imagination of readers of all ages. Highly recommended!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book That Speaks To The Heart, December 8, 2002

By 

Barbara Morris "author" (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Place at the Edge of the Earth (Hardcover)

This is a beautifully written and important book. It will give all readers, young and
old, a better knowledge, understanding, appreciation and sympathy for the Indian
children about whom the author writes with such deep feeling. Rice has managed to
balance the stories of the two main characters--the young Indian boy, Jonah Flying
Cloud, who died over a hundred years ago and the modern day young girl, Jenny
Muldoon--with exceptional skill as the two young people "meet" in a time warp and

gradually become sensitive of one another's feelings.
This is a well-told, smoothly flowing tale, a real page turner. Rice has a knack for
perfectly capturing the way young people talk, how they respond to one another and to
adults. Once again, balance comes into play in the way the author weaves flashes of
humor into the central, serious story line.
Though I hated to have the book end, my spirit soared at the conclusion, which
deserves to be read and reread several times. It's truly beautiful.
The Author's Note, where Rice speaks of writing this book "from the heart"
should not be missed. I wouldn't be surprised if The Place At The Edge Of The Earth
garners several awards, both for its writing craft and the importance of its subject.

5.0 out of 5 stars Slow Start, August 7, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Place at the Edge of the Earth (Hardcover)

This book was great i wouldn't have read it if it werent for my 6th grade teacher. When i first got the book i thought it was an other horrible book i had to read for school. When i first started to read it it didnt interest me at all but i had to read it so n e way so i did the book got a lot better. All my classmates agree it was a great book.