The Sign of the Beaver [Paperback]

Elizabeth George Speare (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 2, 2011 | Age Range: 9 and up

Although he faces responsibility bravely, thirteen-year-old Matt is more than a little apprehensive when his father leaves him alone to guard their new cabin in the wilderness. When a renegade white stranger steals his gun, Matt realizes he has no way to shoot game or to protect himself When Matt meets Attean, a boy in the Beaver clan, he begins to better understand their way of life and their growing problem in adapting to the white man and the changing frontier.
          Elizabeth George Speare’s compelling survival story is filled with wonderful detail about living in the wilderness and the relationships that formed between settlers and natives in the 1700s. Now with an introduction by Joseph Bruchac.

Product Details

• Age Range: 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper; Reissue edition (August 2, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547577117
• ISBN-13: 978-0547577111
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (313 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,769 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Multicultural Stories > Native North & South Americans
  • #20 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > United States
  • #88 in Books > Children's Books > Action & Adventure

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When his father returns East to collect the rest of the family, 13-year-old Matt is left alone to guard his family's newly built homestead. One day, Matt is brutally stung when he robs a bee tree for honey. He returns to consciousness to discover that his many stings have been treated by an old Native American and his grandson. Matt offers his only book as thanks, but the old man instead asks Matt to teach his grandson Attean to read. Both boys are suspicious, but Attean comes each day for his lesson. In the mornings, Matt tries to entice Attean with tales from Robinson Crusoe, while in the afternoons, Attean teaches Matt about wilderness survival and Native American culture. The boys become friends in spite of themselves, and their inevitable parting is a moving tribute to the ability of shared experience to overcome prejudice. The Sign of the Beaver was a Newbery Honor Book; author Elizabeth Speare has also won the Newbery Medal twice, for The Witch of Blackbird Pond and The Bronze Bow. (Ages 12 and older) --Richard Farr --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Elizabeth George Speare's acclaimed, captivating historical novel (BDD) set in the 1700s receives a fresh treatment here, thanks to narrator Greg Schaffert's fine, crystal clear narration that brings the story to life. Speare's evocative tale tells of the mutually beneficial friendship that develops between Matt, a 13-year-old white boy living alone in the wilderness, and Attean, a proud Native American on the verge of manhood. Matt is guarding his family's newly built cabin while his father travels to retrieve Matt's mother and sister. Attean saves Matt's life after a terrifying bee attack (beautifully brought to life by both Speare and Schaffert). The two become reluctant pals: Matt teaches Attean how to read, and Attean shows Matt how to hunt, set traps and gather. Soon Matt must make a choice: join Attean's tribe or wait for his family to return. Speare's Newbery Honor winner is a good adventure story that will hook those interested in survival stories. It will also serve multicultural collections.
Brian E. Wilson, Oak Lawn Public Library, IL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper; Reissue edition (August 2, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547577117
• ISBN-13: 978-0547577111
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (313 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,769 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Multicultural Stories > Native North & South Americans
  • #20 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > United States
  • #88 in Books > Children's Books > Action & Adventure

More About the Author

"I was born in Melrose, Massachusetts, on November 21, 1908. I have lived all my life in New England, and though I love to travel I can't imagine ever calling any other place on earth home. Since I can't remember a time when I didn't intend to write, it is hard to explain why I took so long getting around to it in earnest. But the years seemed to go by very quickly. In 1936 I married Alden Speare and came to Connecticut. Not till both children were in junior high did I find time at last to sit down quietly with a pencil and paper. I turned naturally to the things which had filled my days and thoughts and began to write magazine articles about family living. Then one day I stumbled on a true story from New England history with a character who seemed to me an ideal heroine. Though I had my first historical novel almost by accident it soon proved to be an absorbing hobby." Elizabeth George Speare (1908-1994) won the 1959 Newbery Medal for THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND, and the 1962 Newbery Medal for THE BRONZE BOW. She also received a Newbery Honor Award in 1983, and in 1989 she was presented with the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for her substantial and enduring contribution to children's literature.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars a great tale of survival and friendship October 3, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

The Sign of the Beaver is a great YA novel that will especially appeal to adolescent boys. After settling on their new homestead, Matt's father must return East to bring back his mother, sister, and newborn baby. He leaves thirteen-year-old Matt to care for the place while he is gone, a journey that shoud take less then two months, but ends up being twice that long. Matt has to tend the crops and the house as well as fend for himself when he runs out of supplies to make meals. Along the way, he learns some valuable--and very hard--lessons, such as locking the cabin door carefully and taking care of his Pa's gun. When his luck has almost run out, Matt meets Attean and his grandfather, Indians who befriend him. Attean patiently teaches Matt the ways of the wilderness, and soon the cultural gap between them is bridged. The Sign of the Beaver is an excellent lesson in not only history and pioneer life, but also in the effects of racism and prejudice. This is a great YA novel and an excellent choice for readers of all ages.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sign of the Beaver a great book for everyone October 25, 2003

By Anna Freeman

Format:Paperback

The Sign of the Beaver depicts the experiences of 13 year old Matt. Matt is a native of Massechusetts now commissioned to protect and preserve their families new land in Maine while his father returns to bring the rest of his family to the new land. Through a series of events, Matt receives unexpected friendship from a neighboring Penobscot tribe and a young boy named Attean. He learns how to adjust to his new home and survive even the toughest of situations.
This is a well-written book that is exploding with adventure and emotion. It is book that many children today can relate to as many of them are faced with the responsiblities of an adult at very young ages. The Sign of the Beaver also reveals how first impressions can be reevaluated and friendships can be formed amidst the greatest adversity. I believe this book would be great for any reader, but especially the middle school reader.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding historical adventure in the wilderness July 18, 2000

By Robert James

Format:Paperback

Elizabeth George Speare specialized in historical novels foryoung people. "The Sign of the Beaver" is a classic tale of survival in the wilderness, as Matt must fend for himself while his family is gone. An excellent tale of friendship and learning between Matt and the Indian boy Attean, "The Sign of the Beaver" keeps the action going from start to finish. The novel doesn't flinch from facing the fact that the Indians are going to lose the battle for dominance of the land, but neither does it disrespect their culture. I like "The Sign of the Beaver" even better than "The Witch of Blackbird Pond," which has always bothered me a bit because the ending is a little too contrived (every girl ends up happily married, with no loose ends) and the picture of the Puritans is too cold. Any young reader with a hunger for adventure and learning will enjoy "The Sign of the Beaver."

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful classic! December 23, 1999

By MagnoliaSouth TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

This book was a great suprise for me. A young native boy teaches another "white" boy (living on his own) how to hunt without bullets or rifles, fish without a man made hook, make a bow and arrow, and so much more. A wonderful friendship grows between the boys in a time when friendship of this nature was frowned upon. A wonderful story. This book will be even more exciting for the child who loves the outdoors. We adults will learn quite a thing or two as well.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 Stars - Teaches Some Difficult Concepts But... May 9, 2010

By Pam T TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

"The Sign of the Beaver" is a book that my children and I enjoyed; they are boy and girl, 8 and 10.

The story is about a boy named Matt whose family is moving to the 'wilds' of colonial Maine. His dad and he have gone out ahead of the rest of the family to prepare a clearing, plant some crops and build a small cabin. Matt's dad then leaves him behind while he returns to Connecticut to retrieve the rest of the family which includes his wife, the baby they are expecting, and his daughter. While Matt's alone, he has a few life defining experiences; amongst them an encounter with a trapper who steals from him, and a tribe of nearby Indians. In particularly, he struggles to have a relationship with a Native American boy named Attean, who is a couple of years his senior.

TALKING POINTS:::
The book is an award winning chapter read that is written at nearly the 5th Grade level (AR 4.9)

I thought the value of the book was that it directly addressed the 'myth of white guy superiority'. Speare used both examples from DeFoe's "Robinson Crusoe" and some of the adventures of the boys to demonstrate how ridiculous it is to assume that newcomers would understand an environment better than the natives who grew up with it. In DeFoe's case, she ridicules his precepts and roundly shows how the man's prejudice was hurtful.

The other concept I like was that the book tried to show children that most of the time it is individuals who can behave badly, and not groups. Although it could be argued that by making it clear that the Europeans were 'grabbing up' the land without consideration of the people who already live there, that they were in fact behaving badly as a group....

All this said, I think the pacing suffered on account of the complexity of the ideas that the author was trying to get across. And certainly her choice of grammar made the book, in my experience, an exceedingly difficult read-aloud.

Pam T~
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