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Guests (Hardcover)

~ Michael Dorris (Author) "The day began with an accident..." (more)
Key Phrases: muskrat woman, Running Woman

3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At dawn, as the "light from the smoke hole in the roof turned from black to gray," Moss is playing with a string of wampum when it breaks apart, scattering abalone shell beads in many directions. The design of the beads had held a story "from long ago," and even Moss's grandfather can't recall the beads' arrangement. "Now you owe us a story, Moss," he tells his grandson gravely. Dorris (Morning Girl) gives this boy in search of a story a fine tale to tell. Moss, a gentle and penetrating narrator, reaches deep within himself and delves into the fertile ground of his tribe's legends. Disgruntled that his father has invited strangers from another tribe to the family's harvest feast, Moss disappears into the woods, where he unexpectedly experiences his "away time," a rite of passage that involves-in Moss's case-a conversation with a special porcupine. This episode, and his unprecedented communication with Trouble, a village girl who follows him into the forest, transform Moss by the time he returns home to share the feast with his family and their guests, whom he holds responsible for "every strange and confusing thing that had happened to me today." Though his narrative may at times seem a little subtle for the intended audience, Dorris has drawn a piercing portrait of a boy and the powerful traditions that shape him. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-Moss's father extends his hospitality to a group of strangers who speak an entirely different language and who make the boy "uncomfortable with their oddness." When his efforts to convince his parents that the guests should not participate in his people's harvest feast are rebuked, Moss runs away into the nearby forest. There he meets Trouble, a distant relative, and in trying to impress her, finds himself forced into his "away time." Lost in the woods, he learns to look and listen, and begins to realize what it means to be a man during an encounter with a porcupine. He also finds solace in his conversations with Trouble, who eventually helps him find his way out of the forest. Though she is struggling with the strictures placed upon young women in her clan, they share universal early adolescent emotions about the lack of understanding their families afford them. Dorris's writing is elegant, full of evocative images and lush metaphors. He develops his intriguing characters in a leisurely way, and places little emphasis on plot. Young readers will need to work hard to piece together the clues that suggest the setting (someplace by the sea) and the identity of the guests (probably white settlers since they arrived after following a "trail through the sea"). They will be able to comprehend the words, but some may miss the story's ultimate meaning.
Ellen Fader, Oregon State Library, Salem
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; First edition. edition (October 18, 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 078680047X
ISBN-13: 978-0786800476
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces

Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,002,489 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories: (What's this?)
#26 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Dorris, Michael
#27 in Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > Native American > Dorris, Michael

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Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
The day began with an accident. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
muskrat woman

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Running Woman

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Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 9 books:

Sees Behind Trees by Michael Dorris in Front Matter
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water: A Novel by Michael Dorris in Front Matter
The Crown of Columbus by Louise Erdrich in Front Matter
Morning Girl by Michael Dorris in Front Matter
Cloud Chamber: A Novel by Michael Dorris in Front Matter

See all 9 books this book cites

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	78% buy the item featured on this page: Guests 3.9 out of 5 stars (16)
	12% buy Morning Girl 4.0 out of 5 stars (28) $4.99
	4% buy Birchbark House, The 4.8 out of 5 stars (55) $6.99
	3% buy Encounter (Voyager books) 4.0 out of 5 stars (15) $7.00

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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

3.9 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For people who want to find about Native Americans!, January 27, 1999

By A Customer

One day Moss, a young Native American boy, follows Trouble, a young Native American girl, into a clearing in the woods to see where she is going. Moss talks to Trouble, lies to her about being on his away time, walks into the woods without any weapons or tools, and he gets lost. In the woods, Moss meets and talks to a porcupine, and the porcupine tells Moss not to be afraid of the guests that are coming to Moss's village. Moss thinks about the advice the porcupine gives him. Moss sleeps in the woods, and in the morning he finds his way out. Outside the woods Moss meets Trouble, and they talk as they walk back to their village. When they are at their village they see that the guests have arrived. They are worried!

Michael Dorris wrote this book very well. This story would be a good book for people who like adventure! It wouldn't be such a good book for people under the age of 8 because it is a little confusing. It was very interesting and it made me want to read on. If you are able to check out this book out or borrow it, my advice is that you read it.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good book for children ages 8-12 who enjoy exciting stories, January 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Guests (Paperback)

When Moss, a young Algonquian boy, accidentally broke his grandfather's wampum on the morning that he was already dreading enough; his bad luck just got worse. When he showed the broken wampum to his grandfather, his grandfather said that he would just have to replace the old story with his own story and use the wampum's beads to tell the story. He was to finish the story before the guests came that evening. When Moss refused to help with the preparations, he told his parents that he would run away before he ate with them. Moss left the village while he followed another Native American girl named Trouble. He followed her into the woods, even though she asked him not to. When Moss first told her that he was going on his away time, she did not believe him. Even though he was lying, she was persuaded when he adventured into the forest by himself. He found an animal in the forest that helped him dig deep into his heart and pull out the real Moss. When he found that he was lost, he became discouraged and walked in one direction. He came upon Trouble who showed him the way back. Moss is unhappy that the guests were coming and thought he might not return to the village. I recommend this book to children from ages 8-12 who enjoy exciting stories.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guests: A book reveiw, May 27, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Guests (Paperback)

Bray Ferguson
May 27, 2003
Community 7-213

Guests
Guests by Michael Dorris, was intriguing and suspenseful. As the authors explains the beautiful woodlands in the Northeast, he revisits his childhood by explaining to the reader that he, himself grew-up in an Indian tribe and fell in love, as did the boy, Moss.

He finds a girl and usually is scarred to talk to girls, but no, not this time, he smiles back. He tries to show his tribe and himself that anything is possible, just do everything you can. Moss keeps trying and he soon finds that in life nothing comes easily. Everyone tries to make as simple and sweet as possible, but as Moss tries to do exactly that, he finds himself getting much more out of it, LOVE!

This book was both adventurous, but still like a love story. As he was walking through the forest one day, thinking about life, he came across a magical porcupine. He started talking to him, and Moss was amazed. The magical lady porcupine told him the most important thing he needed to hear, "you are who you are, an no one can tell you the truth about that." I think everyone at one time needs to hear that. Ii wish we all had magical porcupines.

Moss is a normal boy, he gets into trouble a little to easily, but he always gets out of it. He enjoys walking in the woods and talking to the magical porcupine, he wants to be understood, and eventually, he is.

I enjoyed the book, but some chapters were hard to get through. To find out what happens to Moss, his girlfriend, and the magical porcupine, read the book Guests by Michael Dorris.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A story to be read aloud
Given that I consider him one of America's foremost writers in terms of literary talent, there exists a relatively small body of work for Michael Dorris. Read more

Published 17 months ago by S. Kay Murphy

4.0 out of 5 stars Guests
...

Guests

Guests, was a great book By: Michael Dorris, even though he committed suicide, he was still a smart person. Read more

Published on May 30, 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Guests
Guests

By Michael Dorris

Guests, an excellent book by Michael Dorris was an adventurous and touching book. Read more

Published on May 27, 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Guests
Guests

Guests, by Michael Dorris was an adventurous, mysterious, exciting, and suspenseful book. When the author sets the tome in the beginning he describes the enchanting life... Read more

Published on May 27, 2003

3.0 out of 5 stars Can Growing up be Rushed?
Moss is an immature youth in a unnamed Native American tribe--still in that awkward stage between childhood and warrior status. Read more

Published on February 8, 2003 by Plume45

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanksgiving through a looking glass
Michael Dorris' multi-level story of "the first Thanksgiving" flows from the point of view of Moss, a Native American boy-man. Read more

Published on November 25, 2002 by TundraVision

1.0 out of 5 stars from a fifth graders view
This book would be better if it had alot more adventure. This book is about a boy named Moss who gets in a fight with his parents. Read more

Published on November 28, 2001 by A 10-year old reader

5.0 out of 5 stars The race against time
I loved the book Guests.The story tells about a boy named Moss,who tries to convince his parents he is ready to receive the test that will prove him a men. Read more

Published on May 31, 2001

4.0 out of 5 stars Time Flies By
Do you want to read a fantastic book with hidden meaning? Guests is a thought provoking, suspensful,action filled,ongoing, and interesting historical fiction book. Read more

Published on December 21, 2000

4.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT BOOK!!!!!!!!!!
I am 13 and a very advanced reader. I read this book because of its genre. And some people might think that this is a baby book. But I loved it! Read more

Published on December 20, 2000 by Susie Scott

› See all 16 customer reviews...

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