Weasel [Paperback]

Cynthia DeFelice (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Avon Camelot Books

The name has haunted my sleep and made my awake hours uneasy for as long as I can remember. Other children whisper that he is part man and part animal -- wild and blood-thirsty. But I know Weasel is real: a man, an Indian fighter the government sent to drive off the Indians -- to "remove them." Weasel has his own ideas about removal...

Now that the Shawnees are dead or have left, Weasel has turned on the settlers. Like his namesake, the weasel, he hunts by night and sleeps by day, and he kills not because he is hungry, but for the sport of it...I know what I have to do. Weasel is out there. He could come here and hurt us. Maybe Pa can wait for the day when we'll have the law to take care of men like Weasel. But I can't...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In PW 's words, "Readers drawn to pioneer adventure will not be disappointed by this fast-paced novel set in Ohio during the 1800s. The book succeeeds in building tension and revealing thought-provoking ideas about human frailties and the struggle to accept unpleasant truths." Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7. A ruthless villain known as Weasel commits unspeakable atrocities in the frontier wilderness. When 12-year-old Nathan's family is victimized, the boy is determined to avenge the wrongs on his own. A masterfully told, riveting tale sure to inspire strong discussion about moral choices.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Avon Camelot (October 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380713586
• ISBN-13: 978-0380713585
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #361,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Multicultural Stories > Native North & South Americans

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Scary but good book about Native Americans, February 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Weasel (Paperback)

In this book, Nathan, an eleven-year-old boy, lived in Ohio in 1839. His mother had died, so it was just his father, his sister and himself. Their father usually went hunting during the night, but when they woke up one morning, their father was missing. After five days, Ezra, a pioneer who could not speak, came to take them to his we-gi-wa, where their father lay wounded. While Nathan's father was getting better, Nathan went back home to feed the animals. When he returned home, he discovered that all the animals had either been stolen or killed. Nathan suspected that Weasel has done this. Weasel was a man who was hired by the government to drive out the Shawnee Indians. Ezra was also hired but he changed and sided with the Shawnees. Bad rumors had started about Weasel. For example, he has the need to kill, and since all the Shawnees have been driven out, he has turned against the pioneers. On the way back to Ezra's we-gi-wa, Nathan saw Weasel and using a trick from Ezra, Nathan threw a stick at Weasel. Nathan was now awake in Weasel's cabin.

I think this was a good book because the author describes all the characters and settings very well. The story also has a good plot and is always grabbing your attention. This book is great for intermediate readers because it is exciting, adventurous, but not too long.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars WEASEL, May 19, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Weasel (Paperback)

This was a vary good book. It is rather a short book but it is compact. It is an easy read and tells about how life was in the mid 1800s in the rural areas. It takes place in Ohio and is written from the point of view of an 11-year-old boy. Nathan and his sister Molly are home alone on the farm after their mother died, and there Pa had gown missing. They are visited by a strange looking man, Ezra, who leads them deep into the woods to find there Pa who has been badly hurt by weasel. Weasel is a man who went around killing and steeling whenever he could.
The kids and Pa stay with Ezra for a few days until Nathan goes back to the farm to feed the animals. He finds the farm trashed and most of the animals either dead or missing. Nathan knows this was done by weasel and when he is on his journey back to Ezra's he is captured by weasel. He manages to escape and weasel shoots himself in the foot. Pa gets better and they all leave Ezra and return home. Weasel had told Nathan horrible stories about cutting out Ezra's tongue and killing his wife. Now Nathan wants revenge.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Totally inappropriate for young kids!!, December 6, 2010

By 

StephaniefromOU - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weasel (Paperback)

My 10-year-old was assigned to read this book for school and was so disturbed by reading the back cover alone that she was scared to go to bed by herself. When I finally got her calm, I sat down and read it myself and I must say that I find the content TOTALLY inappropriate for a 5th grader. The villian, Weasel, is a government "injun hunter" gone rogue, who now kills whoever and whatever he comes into contact with. At one point, he cuts out a victim's tongue and forces him to watch as he murders the guy's wife and their unborn baby. My child WILL NOT be reading this book any time soon, and the school will be hearing from me in the morning.