Customer Reviews

Water Sky

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Based on her experiences visiting the Arctic and the whale camp where her son works, beloved children's nature writer Jean Craighead George presents a beautiful story for older readers. It tells the story of a young man, Lincoln, who goes to the top of the world and the northernmost place in the U.S., Point Barrow, home of the bowhead whale and the Inupiat Eskimo. Lincoln comes searching for his long-lost Uncle Jack and to find the roots of his Eskimo heritage, but instead faces his destiny when the captain of an Eskimo whaling camp tells him that a whale is coming to him. Uncle Jack came to the Arctic to try to convince the Eskimo not to hunt the threatened bowhead, and Lincoln, when a turn of events causes him to become the whaling captain, is torn between whether to respect Uncle Jack's environmental plea, or to honor the beloved whaling captain by killing the great whale. Though Lincoln slowly comes to feel like a true Eskimo by weaving himself into their culture and customs, he sadly realizes that he can never be one of these magnificent and efficient people. Romance becomes the main thing that causes Lincoln to realize this, and the heroine he becomes attracted to is as strong and beautiful as the main character in Ms. George's other Arctic novel for young adults, JULIE OF THE WOLVES. The ending is poignant and unforgettable, and out of Ms. George's eighty plus environmental stories, WATER SKY is probably the most provocative and thoughtful. Fans of the Julie books and the spectacular picture book, ARCTIC SON, will adore this story that is at the same time icy, thoughtful, inventive, tragic, and altogether a rewarding read.

Very enjoyable. The plot and the characters were just as compelling as outlined by many of the other reviewers. However, what was most valuable to me was the description of life in the arctic. Books describing something that I know absolutely NOTHING about are very valuable to me. And believe me, before reading this I knew nothing about having to eat the duck's beak from the stew in order to please the host(ess). Descriptions of just how cold it can get--especially at night when the hero was trying to sleep---- were also very moving for me.

(Review by an eleven-year-old fifth-grader, who read this book for a home school assignment)

Water Sky is about a boy named Lincoln who goes to Alaska to find his Uncle Jack, but ends up in a whaling camp. At the whaling camp, he learns what it's like to be an Eskimo whaler. He even comes face to face with a polar bear! Every one says he has a "whale coming to him," so he tries to kill one. The rest of the book shows how he proves them right.

I enjoyed the adventures in this book and I think people who like other cultures should read this book.

This book shows the ways of life in a part of the world we rarley hear about or think of. It opens another door into a childs mind. I rate it 4 stars because some children have found it only slightly boring in the beginning. Otherwise they are "glued" to the pages reading and reading to the book's next adventures.

I did not like this book. It was an Artic Drama, and the book did not end well either. I just don't know how many bad things I want to state about this book. I won't write them down all now.

Water Sky is a novel about a young man named Lincoln who is supposed to kill a whale. His father's friend, Vincent Ologak, tells him the whale will give itself to Lincoln. Does Lincoln kill the whale? If you've read the book, you should know; if not, then read to find out in a book full of adventure and excitement!

This was one of the best books I have ever read! It was about a boy who takes a trip to alaska, and is at a whaling camp. He experiences many diffrent things. overall a super duper book! I loved it and totally recommend it for anyone who loves stories about the artic!:)

It's about a man, Lincoln, who is supposed to kill a whale. He is supposed to catch a specific kind of whale and it's a bowhead. Lincoln's uncle was missing in Barrow, Alaska . We also thought that Lincoln was going find his uncle, but never did. We chose 4 stars because we thought it was good at the beginning, but at the end it was the best. BY: JAKE GUINARD, DAKOTA SMITH, DAVE RONAN

This book is about a boy who is sent to live in the Arctic with his father's Eskimo friends for the spring and the summer. He spends his time whaling and learning the Eskimo way of life. The end was a little odd, but it was a great book just the same.

Like many other books by this same author, this book is TERRIBLE. I only read it because I was interested in Alaska and though some of the info in this book was valuable she could have made this a non-fiction sort of info book about Alaska and not have wasted my time. The plot if you could say there is one is not very good. My advice to you: do not read this book!