Missions of the Central Coast (California Missions) (Hardcover)

by June Behrens (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-7--This in-depth look at three California missions offers more than a travelogue. The book is divided into four sections that cover early life on the California Coast, the history of the missions, the process of secularization, and the missions in modern times. Particularly good in its discussion of the impact of the mission system on the Chumash Indians, this title also focuses on the preservation of the buildings in later years. The prose, though dry, is clear and concise. There is enough material for reports, and the attractive layout and many full-color photos, reproductions, and maps could easily attract browsers. Solid coverage of a rarely treated topic.

Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA

Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
Charts the histories of the California missions of Santa Barbara, La Purisima Concepcion, and Santa Ines, and briefly describes life among the Chumash Indians before the arrival of the Spaniards.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822519305
• ISBN-13: 978-0822519300
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,532,931 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Missions of the Central Coast Review, October 10, 2005

A Kid's Review

Missions of the Central Coast Review
By June Behrens
Reviewed By Claire

The agenda of this book is to tell people about how the missions were both good and bad; how they helped and how they didn't, and about the people that lived in them.
However, there were a few things that I didn't think were quite right. The book was not too biased, but it could have gone into more detail about what the Chumash Indians were feeling, and focused more on how the Spanish weren't treating them correctly. It did deal with these facts, but it said them quietly, and without conviction.
On the other hand, it was a very informational book, with a lot of details in it, maybe even more than enough. It covered many, many facts, and also a few that it threw in just for fun. The author included how people used to make soap, Chumash folk tales, and stories about historical figures. This made the book more interesting.
One of the things that I learned was that the Chumash people can also be called neophytes. A neophyte is a person who was recently converted to a new belief. I also learned that the Chumash are Hokan-speaking Native Americans, and that a small group of Chumash people currently live near Santa Barbara.
One of the biggest impressions that I got from reading this book was how informational Missions of the Central Coast is, I also liked that it has so many pictures in it. There were also maps and drawings that helped me understand where the different Indian groups lived, and where all the different missions were built along the central California coast.

If this book was written in the past, I think that people might have stopped the making of the missions. This is because it told a lot about how most of the Chumash Indians suffered because the Spanish were being very inconsiderate, that they made them slaves. They didn't think about how they would feel.
All in all, I really recommend this book to all readers that have a taste for history!