Ghost Hawk
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)

*Starred Review* Upon return from his three-month test of solitude, young Little Hawk of the Pokanoket tribe finds his village devastated by disease, and all but his grandmother are dead. The two move to another village, where they are adopted and become part of the community, and much of this novel focuses on their quiet life there until something unspeakable happens. Then the focus shifts to 10-year-old John Wakeley, and the book becomes more clearly a historical fantasy that links the lives of Little Hawk and John in a mysterious way. Set in the seventeenth century, Cooper's wonderful novel is unsparing in its treatment of the bigoted attitudes of many of the English settlers toward the Pokanoket people, and of the censorious nature of the settlers' religion. The historical figure Roger Williams, a character in the novel, says sadly, They have escaped repression in order to repress others. The novel's dramatic tension resides in the fact that John grows up to be a friend to the native people and, like Williams, a Separatist, believing that people should be free to worship as they will, a belief for which he will be flogged. Cooper has written a richly plotted, lyrical, and near-epic novel filled with wonderfully realized and sympathetic characters. In sum, this is simply an unforgettable reading experience.--Cart, Michael Copyright 2010 Booklist

In early colonial Massachusetts, Native America Little Hawk and colonist John Wakeley come from different worlds. But a brief encounter turns into a long kinship that eventually moves beyond the confines of the living world. When colonists kill Little Hawk, Wakeley finds himself still connected to his friend's soul, which guides him to a life of peace and the principles of Roger Williams. Narrator Jim Dale turns in a winning performance, his voice capturing the tone and attitude of a person recalling the events of past. Dale provides a strong vocal contrast between Little Hawk and Wakeley, while also establishing distinct voices for the book's other characters. Ages 10-14. A Margaret K. McElderry hardcover. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Gr 4-8-Cooper's historical fantasy (Margaret K. McElderry Bks., 2013) about a Wampanoag boy and the son of a Pilgrim tells a story of Europeans settling in America during the early 17th century. The tale centers on the lives of two friends, Little Hawk and John Wakeley, both about 11 years old when they meet. Focusing first on Little Hawk's journey into the wilderness where he must survive a three-month rite of passage to become a man, Cooper illuminates the character. When Little Hawk is murdered by white settlers after he pulls out his tomahawk to assist John's injured father, John is unable to resolve the unfairness of what he witnesses in relation to the teachings and professed moral authority of his elders. Little Hawk becomes a ghost to whom John is linked for the rest of his life. From him, John learns about the native people's language, politics, and culture. The bigotry and injustice John witnesses and experiences are described along with details of his life in the Massachusetts territory. While most of the plot takes place during John's lifetime, Cooper successfully brings it to the present day. Jim Dale's exceptional narration, measured pacing, ability to render multiple characters, and emotional intensity fully immerses listeners in the story. At the end, there is a timeline of facts and references related to the experiences of Native Americans also narrated by Dale.-Janet Thompson, West Belmont Branch Library. NJ (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

When Little Hawk bids goodbye to his friends and family before embarking on the three-month test of solitude that will mark his passage into manhood, little does he know it will be the last time he sees most of them alive. After a difficult winter surviving in the wilderness, Little Hawk returns to find his village virtually eradicated by disease ("the white man's plague"). He works hard to rebuild his life and seems to take the wave of encroaching white settlers in stride, but a horrible tragedy befalls him, one that also haunts his young settler friend, John Wakeley, the novel's second protagonist. The incident -- unexpected and shocking -- also marks a shift in genre from a wilderness survival adventure to epic historical fiction about the relations between the native inhabitants of New England and the first colonial settlers. A single fantasy element bridges the two parts and allows Little Hawk not only to narrate his own story but, omnisciently, to relate the entwined destinies of Wakeley, the colonial settlers, and the Pokanoket tribe. The novel maintains an admirable sense of historical empathy, foreshadowed in the epigraphs (from Roger Williams and Woody Guthrie) and punctuated by an appended timeline that chronicles the demise of the native way of life in the face of hostile invaders. Cooper here demonstrates that there's plenty of magic left in her pen, delivering a powerful and memorable novel. jonathan hunt (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A white boy and a Native American youth form an enduring bond in this historical fantasy set in 17th-century Massachusetts. Eleven-year-old Little Hawk survives the Pokanoket tribe's "proving time" alone in the winter woods for three months only to discover his village devastated by a plague transmitted by encroaching white settlers. Later, Little Hawk's killed by a paranoid white settler while trying to help the injured father of a white boy named John Wakeley. Upset by the injustice of Little Hawk's murder, John's sent by his stern Puritan stepfather on a seven-year apprenticeship north of Plymouth. Here, John encounters Little Hawk's ghost, who becomes his confidant and friend. Gradually, John becomes an outspoken advocate for native people, challenging the bigoted, intolerant Puritans and eventually joining separatist Roger Williams in Providence Plantation. Narrator Little Hawk describes his brief life as a Pokanoket youth and continues as ghost observer with the story of John Wakeley and the increasing unrest between settlers and local tribes. Cooper's thorough historical research provides authentic period detail, contrasting the attitudes and lifestyles of settlers and native people. This sensitive portrayal of an unusual friendship poignantly reveals how greed and intolerance led to Native American displacement in colonial Massachusetts. (map, timeline, author's note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

*Starred Review* Upon return from his three-month test of solitude, young Little Hawk of the Pokanoket tribe finds his village devastated by disease, and all but his grandmother are dead. The two move to another village, where they are adopted and become part of the community, and much of this novel focuses on their quiet life there until something unspeakable happens. Then the focus shifts to 10-year-old John Wakeley, and the book becomes more clearly a historical fantasy that links the lives of Little Hawk and John in a mysterious way. Set in the seventeenth century, Cooper's wonderful novel is unsparing in its treatment of the bigoted attitudes of many of the English settlers toward the Pokanoket people, and of the censorious nature of the settlers' religion. The historical figure Roger Williams, a character in the novel, says sadly, "They have escaped repression in order to repress others." The novel's dramatic tension resides in the fact that John grows up to be a friend to the native people and, like Williams, a Separatist, believing that people should be free to worship as they will, a belief for which he will be flogged. Cooper has written a richly plotted, lyrical, and near-epic novel filled with wonderfully realized and sympathetic characters. In sum, this is simply an unforgettable reading experience. Copyright 2013 Booklist Reviews.

In this well-researched and elegant historical fantasy, a Wampanoag boy named Little Hawk survives the loss of his village to a plague contracted from the Pilgrims, who have recently founded Plymouth. Later he befriends a white boy, John Wakeley, only to have a shocking act of violence irrevocably alter their lives. As the years pass, John grows to manhood, learns a trade, marries, and avoids the Pilgrims' bigotry, drawn to the more tolerant principles of Roger Williams, founder of the colony of Providence. Despite its occasional violence, much of veteran fantasist Cooper's story is understated, devoted to what is essentially philosophical discussion and a vivid depiction of the Massachusetts wilderness. Although the tale unfolds almost entirely in English, Cooper impressively conveys the barriers, both cultural and linguistic, that divided natives and settlers, sometimes with horrifying results. Both Little Hawk and John maintain their essential decency in the face of the world's injustice, while Cooper demonstrates, as Little Hawk says, "Change is made by the voice of one person at a time." Ages 10–14. Agent: Rubin Pfeffer, East West Literary Agency. (Aug.)

Gr 6–9—Cooper takes a departure from her well-known fantasies to present a thoughtful historical fantasy. The story begins around 1620, when Little Hawk is nearing proving time to become a man in his Wampanoag tribe. One winter's morning, he is sent out into the woods alone, armed only with a bow and arrows, a tomahawk, and a knife. He must try to survive for three moons before returning to his family. When he does, he is devastated to find that everyone except his grandmother has died of smallpox. He, along with his grandmother and one of his friends, finds shelter with another tribe, and as they settle in he has his first encounter with local Pilgrims. Little Hawk begins a friendship with a white boy named John Wakely that will change both of their lives forever. After Little Hawk is killed, his ghost helps John navigate their different cultures and language, while the world around them changes and tensions between the Natives and the settlers grow. While this is a beautifully written story, it is a bit slow-moving and not wholly accessible to its target audience. Little Hawk and John begin the story as children, but they eventually grow up, and the book spans approximately 50 years, even touching into modern times. Young readers may have difficulty following all of the history.—Necia Blundy, formerly at Marlborough Public Library, MA