The Storyteller's Beads (Hardcover)

by Jane Kurtz (Author), Michael Bryant (Author) "Sahay leaped up, tangling the thread she had been so carefully smoothing..." (more)
Key Phrases: iron bird, Umm Rekuba, Queen Yehudit, Addis Ababa (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Set in the mid-1980s, a time when Ethiopia is hard-hit by drought and political strife, Kurtz's (Trouble) eye-opening novel charts the converging paths of two young natives fleeing from their country. Sahay, a Christian orphan, and Rahel, a blind Jewish girl, have been taught to be enemies, but discover they have much in common when they join a large group of refugees on their way to Sudan: both have suffered hunger and persecution, have been torn from their families and regret leaving their homeland. Through the girls' alternating points of view, Kurtz conveys how the fellow travelers' mutual mistrust of one another gradually grows into reliance upon each other for aid and consolation. When soldiers force Sahay's uncle and Rahel's brother to turn back, Sahay experiences her first pang of pity for the "blind Falasha" girl and offers to be her guide. In turn, Rahel soothes Sahay's lagging spirit with inspirational stories from the Old Testament. Besides presenting an historically accurate account of mass exodus from Ethiopia (additional information appears in an afterword), the story pays tribute to survivors who find the strength and courage to help others reach freedom. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-This harrowing story set in Ethiopia during the 1980s features an unexpected friendship between two girls of different religious backgrounds. Threatened by war, famine, and drought, Sahay and her uncle set out from their small Kemant village to find safety in the Sudan. Rahel, a blind Jewish girl, and her brother also flee the country as part of a group of Beta-Israel planning to make an aliyah to Jerusalem. As part of the same band of refugees, the girls make a long, difficult trek across the mountains. When the men are turned back at the border, Rahel and Sahay are left on their own to finish the journey. They find that their common danger and need for one another allow them to overcome the generations of prejudice that separate Jews (called falasha or "alien strangers" in spite of generations of residence) and other religious and ethnic groups in this part of the world. Throughout the ordeal, Rahel comforts herself and Sahay with the stories that she learned from her grandmother, tales from the Bible and Ethiopian tradition that help the girls believe that they will survive. This moving novel about friendship also illustrates the power of story. Ethiopian words that are clear in context and also defined in the glossary help particularize the setting. An afterword explains something of the complex relationship between the girls' two different cultures. This ultimately heartening novel is a solid addition to the growing body of middle-grade books for a multicultural world.
Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington,
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Gulliver Books; 1st edition (April 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152010742
• ISBN-13: 978-0152010744
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #276,470 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #15 in

  Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > Fiction > Africa

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really captures the voice of Ethiopia, November 22, 1998

By A Customer

My daughter and I read this aloud and loved it. I am American and my children are all Ethiopian. I have lived among Ethiopians for many years and have traveled extensively throughout the country. Jane does an amazing job of capturing the essence of Ethiopian culture - the strong, rich and ancient history as well as the racism, superstition and fears which keep Ethiopians from different ethnic backgrounds from uniting together to solve the countries current difficulties. The language used in the book incorporates the subtleties of Ethiopian speech which also conveys so much of its culture. This is just a beautiful book from which a whole new part of the world can be opened to its readers. It is also a remarkable work which will help Ethiopian-American children understand the country of their roots. I'd like to see this book up front and center in all children's libraries.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific middle grades book, May 28, 1998

By A Customer

I am a 4th grade teacher and subscriber to the Internet discussion group Child_lit. Jane Kurtz is also a subscriber along with many children's authors, publishers, teachers, librarians, academics, and other lovers of children's literature. Knowing my work Jane guessed that I might like to use "Storyteller's Beads" with my class. She was so right and we had a wonderful time with it because of Jane's extraordinary generousity with time, galleys, drafts, and artifacts. I read the book to my class and when I finished it the children applauded at the end, they loved it so much. The children corresponded with Jane about the book and their letters clearly expressed their appreciation of this excellent book.Several wrote that it should win the Newbery!

My students are upper middle class New Yorkers. I think "Storyteller's Beads" spoke to them for many different reasons. One was their interest in the Holocaust. There are many parellels to the way the Beta-Israel are persecuted in the mid-80's Ethiopia of Jane's book to the way Jews were in Nazi Germany. Then there are the complex issues between the two girls and their need to move beyond their culturally generated mistrust of each other because of their extreme situation. For my students, there was a great fascination with how much of the story came from Jane's own experiences. Also, how Jane actually created the book. Recently I was rereading their last set of letters to Jane and loved one girl's comment that it was just so "obvious" that the two girls would become friends while another child wrote that Jane's vocabulary was "cool!" I recommend it highly. It provides a window into a time and place most US children know little of.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars LEARNING TO LOVE THOSE YOU ARE TAUGHT TO HATE, April 3, 1999

By A Customer

Kurtz's message of coming to love those you have been taught to hate is never emphasized enough in today's world. (Think Serbia.) Kurtz story is compelling but must be read carefully by taking time to read over the stories, the explanations of the girls' cultural histories, and the meanings of their words. Unfortunately, this is something most young readers would rather not do. If given as a class assignment, I am afraid many young readers comments may be less favorable. Anytime a children's book accurately tells about a global problem it deserves much attention and reading, and such is the case of "Storyteller's Beads". Previous Amazon reviewers have properly used this book - sharing it with an adult. Having the background notes in the front of the book would have improved the book's effectiveness. For this reason I give it 4 not 5 stars.