Spirit Line [Hardcover]

David Thurlo (Author), Aimee Thurlo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 2004

Crystal Manyfeathers is caught between two worlds: her life at a modern American high school, and her life with the Dineh, her Navajo people, where spiritual ceremonies and traditions prevail. In deference to her father, Crystal prepares for her upcoming womanhood ceremony. But days before it starts, a valuable rug Crystal has been weaving for the event is mysteriously stolen. Her best friend Henry believes the theft is punishment for Crystal’s stubborn refusal to weave in the spirit line, a required tribute to the Navajo goddess Spider Woman. Despite their spiritual differences, Crystal and Henry launch a bold and dangerous search for the rug. Will they find it in time? And will Crystal at last learn to be at peace with her Navajo identity?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9–Set on a Navajo reservation, this mystery pits a gifted rug weaver against Anglo exploiters. Although Crystal Manyfeathers is disdainful of many Navajo traditions, she is preparing for her coming-of-age ceremony in order to please her father, who has been emotionally distant since her mother's death one year earlier. Nearly finished with her latest project, she decides to leave out the Spirit Line, the one mistake that all Navajo weavers put into each rug to avoid offending Spider Woman. Not only does she become ill while weaving (and experience visions of Spider Woman herself), but also the rug is stolen just before her ceremony–and it is vital to that rite. Crystal's friend Junior is on his way to becoming a healer in the old ways. Together, they identify and thwart the thieves. Crystal completes her ceremony to the joy of her father and finds her way to peace with her way of life. Carefully combining humor and seriousness, this well-paced story contains accurate portrayals of Navajo customs, mostly believable teen dialogue, and a realistic depiction of the conflicts modern Native young people face.–Cris Riedel, Ellis B. Hyde Elementary School, Dansville, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-10. The Thurlos, best known for their adult mysteries about Ella Clah, an investigator for the Navajo police, return to the reservation in this mystery about a teen who, in trying to solve a theft, questions her Navajo beliefs. Fifteen-year-old Crystal Manyfeathers hasn't incorporated a Spirit Line, an intentional flaw, in the rug she's creating for her upcoming Kinaalda, the Navajo womanhood ceremony. Unlike her best friend, Junior, who is training to be a traditional healer, Crystal doesn't have faith in "the old ways." Then Crystal's rug is stolen, and as she and Junior search for the thief, Crystal is forced to reconcile her ambitions with her tribal identity and to grieve for her recently deceased mother. Readers may suspect who-done-it long before the conclusion, but the story is still satisfying. It's filled with well-integrated cultural details of Navajo life, and Crystal is a thoroughly likable heroine whose ambivalence about family expectations and the future will ring true with teens of many backgrounds. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (April 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670036455
• ISBN-13: 978-0670036455
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,004,084 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Intro to Navajo culture for 5-8th Graders, March 8, 2007

By 

HEG "HEG" (Baltimore, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spirit Line (Hardcover)

This book has realistic characters, a good mystery, and does a really excellent job of introducing 5th to 9th graders to Navajo culture in a non-boring and non-lecturing way. My daughter and I read the book together in the evenings, and it was so interesting to her that she was finding excuses to head up a bit early. I really hope the authors consider writing another book for children this age.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Spirit Line, February 8, 2008

By 

William T. Pool "wtp" (Anderson, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Spirit Line (Hardcover)

Well of course it's not Tonny Hillerman. However, the characters are interesting and it's a very pleasant yarn and a nice way to absorb a little Navaho culture.

To my very limited knowledge, the authors seem to have made a real effort to accurately describe traditional Navaho beliefs and some of the real conflicts with modern life.

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good mystery for a mIddle school/junior high student, October 16, 2010

By 

peachteach - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Spirit Line (Hardcover)

I had to read this book for a class about teaching diverse literature. I would recommend it for grades 6-8 readers.