"Middle readers in grades 3-7 will relish this color-illstrated story of a Missouri boy who discovers an ancient tree used as an Indian marker. The tree serves as a focal point for a journey into the past and a better understanding of both Indian ways and the meaning of courage. Skillful time travel scenes supplement the tale of a boy's ordeal in two worlds." -- The Bookwatch, 12/90
Product Description
Tyler Turner and his grandfather come upon a "thong tree", a tree with an unnatural, pronounced bend in its trunk caused by human hands. Grandfather says the tree was so bent by long-ago Indians to serve as a marker, or trail, tree. As Grandfather talks, bright images form in Tyler's mind and he imagines a young Cherokee scout bending this tree then being pursued by hostile Osage warriors to escape. Back in the present, Grandfather injures his ankle; he sends Tyler for aid and another thong tree helps guide Tyler to his grandparent's farm where he gets help. But what of the young Cherokee, "Runs-to-Earth"? Did he escape the Osage knives?
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