Book Description

Left alone to guard the family's wilderness home in eighteenth-century Maine, a boy is hard-pressed to survive until local Indians teach him their skills. ... Read more

Reviews (108)

A fifth grade reading book
Sign of the Beaver is about a boy named Matt that lives in the woods with his father. One day his father leaves while he is sleeping. He knows where he went. A month later he met some Indians and started to read a book to a Indian. The book was about the dad leaving and an Indian helping out. I think this is a great book! Matt thinks that the Indan (Attean) is very inpolite. But the more Matt and Attean are around each other they get used to one another and become good friends, and Attean teaches Matt to hunt. He never finds his father, but he finds a good friend and he is no longer afraid or alone.At the end his father comes back with his family and they lived a new life.I hope you love this book!!!

The Review of the Beaver
"THE SIGN OF THE BEAVER" is a adventure packed book that Justin really likes. It's about a family that is moving up to Maine in the late 1700's. Matt's dad left him at the cabin, while he went back to get the rest of the family back in Quincy, Massachusetts. Matt who is 12 years old decides to get honey from a bee's hive in a tree and instead he gets stung. Two indians save him and supply him with food for a while. The Chief Saknis and his grandson Attean help him back to full health. saknis asks Matt if he would teach Attean how to read and so Matthew Hallowell does. Attean also teaches Matt a lot of very usefull survival skills. He teaches Matt how to catch rabits with a snare and how to make a wood fish hook quickly and made well. Attean also shows him the signs of other indian tribes and warns him not to tresspass and to mark your path with like a broken branch or two rocks ontop of each other. Matt has a fun time but he can't get Attean to be proud of him. When Mr.Hallowell (Matt's dad) dosn't come after three weeks when he sould have Saknis asks Matt if he wants to come with them because his dad might not come back. Matt does wonder if he sould go North with Attean or stay and wate for his dad. What will he decide? It's a mind-unsettling question. Read to figure out what Matt decides and what happens after that...

We love it!
We first checked out this audio-tape out from the library when my son was 7. He loved it on that first long car trip, and we have checked it out 3 more times since then. Today, I bought it on Amazon.com for our trip this summer.
If you have a boy (or girl) who likes to listen to stories, this is a great one. As a Mom, I like that the boy learns to survive, works hard, and shows respect for others and their culture......a great role model for young kids today.

Horrible Put Down
I hated this book so much! It was horrible. Nothing ever happend, it was one big bore! Don't read this book unless you are forced to. I would rather eat vetegtables than read this book . DO NOT READ !

The Sign Of The Beaver
This is a good book. In the begining it is boring but keep on reading because it becomes fasinating. Matt's family leaves and
Matt has to watch over the cabbin. Soon after they leave, a guy named ben came and stole Matt's gun. The Native American tribe (the beaver tribe) found matt and helped him. He becomes good friends with Attean (someone from the beaver tribe). But soon Attean and his tribe have to leave and they ask Matt to come with them and matt says.............Wait i'm not going to tell you how it ends if I told you it would be a total waste because the book is better. So read The Sign Of The Beaver and you'll find out. This book is an adventure book and also fun book. I just didn't want to put it down. So read this book and I hope you feel the same way I do!! ... Read more

Book Description

Kit Tyler is marked by suspicion and disapproval from the moment she arrives on the unfamiliar shores of colonial Connecticut in 1867. Alone and desperate, she has been forced to leave her beloved home on the island of Barbados and join a
family she has never met. Torn between her quest for belonging and her desire to be true to herself, Kit struggles to survive in a hostile place. Just when it seems she must give up, she finds a kindred spirit. But Kit"s friendship with Hannah Tupper, believed by the colonists to be a witch, proves more taboo than she could have imagined and ultimately forces Kit to choose between her heart and her duty.
Elizabeth George Speare"s Newbery Award–winning novel portrays a heroine whom readers will admire for her unwavering sense of truth as well as her infinite capacity to love. ... Read more

Reviews (293)

ThE wItCh Of BlAcKbIrD pOnD--a GrEaT bOoK--
Kit Tyler was once a rich girl of Barbados, but upon her grandfather's death, she finds out that she now is poor. She goes aboard the ship, the Dolphin, heading for Connecticut Colony, and wishes to live a better life at her aunt's house. While on the way, she becomes friends with the captain's son, Nat Eaton, John Holbrook, a man planning on becoming a minister, and Prudence, a little girl. When she finally arrives at her destination, she tries to fit in with the Puritans, and to keep up with her lively cousin, Judith, and her gentle one, Mercy. After a number of different accidents in the family and outside, she finds becomes friends with an old Quaker woman named Hannah, that lives at Blackbird Pond, who is said to be a witch. Kit does not believe this, and she keeps on being friends with the old woman. But, the villagers see Kit as a threat to the community, since they do not trust her as being a friend to their witch, and she goes on trial. Just as she thinks she is doomed, Nat Eaton and Prudence save her. However, Kit discovers that she will never fit in with the Puritans, and planned on going on the Dolphin the next time the ship came. Finally, the ship docks, and she goes on it, for what seems to be a much better future.

My favorite part of the book was where Kit goes on trial. I thought of this at my favorite part for I think it is very interesting to hear how other people act to problems and try to blame it on someone else. I think it is very funny how people think of small problems and turn them into what sounds like a major disasters performed by a witch. I like the part where Prudence comes in, and stuns her own parents by doing what they had never thought she would be able to do, which was reading the Bible and writing her own name. I think it is not right when parents think very little about kids and think they are still their little babies that always need their parents to help them.

I recommend this book to kids the ages of 10 and up. I also recommend adults to read this book and learn the facts of how kids can do things without any help from their parents or any one else. I believe Elizabeth George Speare is a great author who has written many books that I have enjoyed. After reading this book, I came to really enjoy it. At first I thought it was very boring, but in the end, it became more interesting and fun. I also learned not to judge anyone by what people say about them, but you should always think about your judgement before actually thinking about if it is true or not. I now understand the meaning of "Never judge a book by its cover."

A FASCINATING TALE!
A witch? Someone thinks you are a witch? When Kit leaves Barbados on the lovely Dolphin ship to live in America with her Uncle, she is unprepared for what she encounters. What a surprise when she discovers that being able to read, swim, wear fancy clothes, as well as befriending a kind old woman is odd behavior for this town. In The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Elizabeth George Spears sends you on a reading adventure. The story includes a number of surprising and suspenseful events including a frightening witch hunt and a big outcry among some angry villagers against their government. Some parts of the story are a little boring, but the elaborate language and unpredictable moments bring you right back into the book. The climax of this book is the best part. It's unbeleivable and exciting. The main character, Kit, is very interesting. You will feel like you know her only after reading a few pages. Fiesty, wise, and stubborn are some of Kit's personality traits. You will also become very familiar with many of the other characters including Kit's two cousins, her Aunt and Uncle, Nat a seaman, and John and William two very interesting men, plus many more! This book has many hidden lessons in it. It teaches you about friendship, trust, bravery, genorosity, and happiness, It will fill you with sorrow and joy, and is a very adventurous story loved by many!

Diverse Religions, and History
Kit comes over to the 13 colonies becuae her grandfather died. When she arrives, she finds a place very diffrent from her former home, Barbados. She is forced by her strict uncle to be a solemn as the puritans, and to set aside her silk gowns and wear homespun dresses. she feels completly stifled by her new life, and one day, after almost cuasing her crippled cousin her teaching job, she breaks. She runs to the "meadow" where she meets Hannah Tupper, a Quaker who is shuned and thought to be a witch by many. All she really is is a kind old lady. She takes kit home and feeds her, and helps her be brave and get her cousins job back. kit goes back to Hannahs house and eventually meets Hannahs seafaring friend, none other than Nat, the son of the man who brought her to America.And yes Nat was on the boat the whole time kit was. Then one day Kit is accused of being a witch. Something not to be taken lightly in the 1600's. She is rescued by none other than Nat. Then hannah is going to be burned out of her house, or if the people have their way, in her house. But Kit goes and helps Hannah get out before the evil people come, and she gets her on a ship... whose ship? Guess. Nats. And so Hannahs gone and Kits life is drudging on a usual.... and then someone comes... like you can't guess who... and something happens...

Now that's what I call a "living" book
I just finished reading this book aloud to my 3 children. They are a tough audience but this book made the history lesson extra smooth. They were begging for "just one more chapter".

This book delves into the Puritan lifestyle,touches a bit on some of the sentiments of the colonists and their fierce independence, briefly touches on some of the archaic medical practices of the times, shows how easily innocent circumstances turned into witch hunts and sparked a conversation about how people can fall into a mob mentality and much more.

There is tons of information here to spark an interest in children to dig deeper. Our family highly recommends it!

Excellent lesson to be learned
I discovered this book years and years ago in the fourth grade. The thought of it stayed with me through the years. I bought the book for my friend's son a couple years ago and reread it to see if it was as good as I remembered. It was even better because as an adult I can see some of the most important themes of the book that weren't evident to a child. Tolerance and acceptance are perhaps the biggest lessons of all to take away from it. Independence is another. I will continue to buy this book every time a child close to me comes to the age where they can understand it. The plotline is enough to keep them interested while at the same time teaching them valuable life lessons, without them even knowing it. ... Read more

Book Description

Set in Galilee in the time of Jesus, this is the story of a young Jewish rebel who is won over to the gentle teachings of Jesus. ... Read more

Reviews (69)

Elizabeth George Speare Amazing as Usual!
Elizabeth George Speare only wrote four books that I'm aware of, and all but one were awarded a Newbery Award. (And the one that did not win an award, "Calico Captive," is one of my favorite books of all time!) Ms. Speare was quite simply a fantastic writer of historical fiction. Her books are written in a style suitable for young readers, but anybody who loves historical fiction will love her work regardless of age! It's such a shame that she did not write more books.

I admit that I had my reservations about "The Bronze Bow," since its setting in 1st century Judea seemed incongrous with Ms. Speare's other books which are all set in colonial New England. Also, although I'm a practicing Catholic, I was not keen on reading a fictional book with Jesus as a character fearing some very dry, preachy version of the most famous man in history would ruin the believability of the story. But my reservations were completly unfounded. Ms. Speare describes life in Roman occupied Judea with the same wonderful detail as she did colonial America. She ably describes the political/historical situation with great skill while weaving it into her fictional story of a young man deciding which path he will choose in life.

Daniel, the protagonist, is as three dimensional and believable as Kit Tyler in "The Witch of Blackbird Pond." In fact, all the characters are memorably brought to life especially Daniel's emotionally devastated, younger sister, Leah. However, the major surprise is Ms. Speare's portrayal of Jesus of Nazareth- what a wonderful depiction of that itinerate preacher. Jesus is a supporting but crucial character in the narrative, but Ms. Speare does not use him to preach to the reader. Instead, the reader, like Daniel, is left to decide who Jesus is- just a kind-hearted teacher? A miracle worker? Someone unwilling to take sides? The messiah? Daniel is puzzled by these questions because the Jesus he sees is just a human being and not a resurrected savior in glowing robes.

"The Bronze Bow" is arguably Ms. Speare's strongest novel, and that says alot considering her other work. It's historical fiction at its finest, and anyone who passes on it because of fears of it being "too religious" or "too preachy" are doing themselves a disservice. A great work of fiction is a great work fiction regardless if one of the characters happens to be Jesus of Nazareth.

Still powerful
I was first introduced to this book in my 8th grade English class. I enjoyed it so much then, I went out and read the author's other books. I recently picked this one up again and was amazed at how powerful it still was to me.

The story concerns Daniel, a young Jew at the time of Christ. He has an intense hatred of the Romans and lives with in an outlaw band in the hills. When his grandmother dies, he must move to the village to take care of his sister while trying to continue his life's mission of driving the Romans back to Rome. He is drawn to the miracle worker, but just doesn't know what he truly thinks about him. Is he the Messiah sent to free them from the Romans? And will his sister ever recover?

Ms. Speare was able to create a complex plot that is simple enough for her target age to understand, but still captivating to adults. I got so caught up in the events when I was rereading that I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this children's novel to readers of all ages.

Way better than The Witch of Blackbird Pond!
The author of this book, Elizabeth George Speare, also wrote The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Both of them won a Newberry Medal. This book is so much better than "Blackbird Pond". It kept my attention and I couldn't put it down! The book taught lessons of leadership, patience, care, and love. It wasn't a romantic book but it was more about loving the people that matter to you and also loving your enemies.

I have recently been reading Tom Clancy novels that teach nothing of the sort but I found this book at a bookstore warehouse that was going out of business and I decided to give it a chance even though I didn't like my previous experience with the author. Everyone deserves a second chance, right? I am very glad that I chose to read this book and I think that you are missing out if you don't read it.

Why Don't You Get It?
Those of you who are considering reading, or buying this book should get it from a library or a friend and try it out. You may not like it, but give it a shot first. Everyone has their own opinion or view on these type of books. If you do or don't like it, it doesn't matter. If you want to give your opinion, go ahead, but allow others to form their own and don't tell them whether they should read it or not.

After reading several of these reviews I've found that people who are forced to read something, have short attention spans, or prefer short or action-packed books should avoid this one. Make sure to look at this book and judge it by how well it fulfills it purpose: harmless ENTERTAINMENT. Look at it with a mature objective view.

I personally think its wonderful, but it depends on you. Bye!!

The Bronze Bow
Adventure, bloodshed, romance, love, and religion. The Award winning novel, The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth George Speare, combines all of these components. The story, which is set in Galilee in the year 31 A.D., tells of a boy named Daniel who is caught between fighting the Romans, whom he hates, and following the teaching of love from Jesus. Daniel is forced to choose and his decision will affect the rest of his life. The combination of historical accounts, biblical accounts, and the author's diction, creates a vivid picture, and a new mystery is unfolded with each turning of the page. ... Read more

Book Description

In the year 1754, the stillness of Charlestown, New Hampshire, is shattered by the terrifying cries of an Indian raid. Young Miriam Willard, on a day that had promised new happiness, finds herself instead a captive on a forest trail, caught up in the ebb and flow of the French and Indian War.
It is a harrowing march north. Miriam can only force herself to the next stopping place, the next small portion of food, the next icy stream to be crossed. At the end of the trail waits a life of hard work and, perhaps, even a life of slavery. Mingled with her thoughts of Phineas Whitney, her sweetheart on his way to Harvard, is the crying of her sister"s baby, Captive, born on the trail.
Miriam and her companions finally reach Montreal, a city of shifting loyalties filled with the intrigue of war, and here, by a sudden twist of fortune, Miriam meets the prominent Du Quesne family, who introduce her to a life she has never imagined. Based on an actual narrative diary published in 1807, Calico Captive skillfully reenacts an absorbing facet of history. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

A great book.
Elizabeth George Speare's "Calico Captive" might not be as suspenseful as her "The Witch of Blackbird Pond," but it is still very good. As the excellent review from 12/1/99 pointed out, this story is very loosely based on the true captivity narrative of Susannah Johnson. The focus of the book is on Mrs. Johnson's younger sister, Miriam Willard, who was just 14 at the time she and her older sister's family were captured by Abenaki Indians in 1754, but Ms. Speare increased her age to 16.

This book has adventure and romance, and makes for a great fast-paced read. It also deals with how cultures and religions clashed on the 18th century frontier: New England farmers vs. Abenaki warriors, Puritanism vs. Roman Catholicism, and English vs. French. A wonderful historical novel for young readers, and interesting history.

This is a great book!
I loved this book, it sweeps you along with it, you can just feel what the characters are feeling, its a great book. What makes it so special to me though, is that I am alot like muriam,(even down to her talent for dressmaking!) I can totaly relate to what she feels,and (relate to) how she has no friends in the begining. She is a very human charicter, no doubt I would have done just as she did in her shoes. The reason I say this is that one of the people that left a review of the book and panted a picture of her being selfish, caring only (mostly) for parties, fashions, ect. But I would think better of her, knowing what it feels like to be the kind of person she is. But, summing up, Elizabeth George Spear is a great author, and it is amazing to me that she made alot of this up!

Wonderful book!
I got this to read to my kids while we learned about the French Indian War. It was absolutely marvelous. It gave you a wonderful feel of the times and the struggles the early settlers faced. It was the story of a family captured by Indians and separated in a time of war. It tells of hope kept alive while they go from one crisis to the next waiting to be reunited. It is mostly the story of a young girl trying to grow into a young woman in a strange place and foreign culture and her decision to follow her heart.

Coming-of-age classic
I read this book 25 years ago, and my daughter just finished it. Teenage selfishness and bravado give way to maturity, loyalty, and strong sense of self. A wonderful book.

Really Good!
This book is great. I read this after Witch of Blackbird Pond, and that still remains my favorite, but this one is really good. The story starts on the typical plotline of girl get's captured by Indians, she even the red hair of the girl's in other stories that are similar. It all changes around when Miriam arrives in Montreal. Forgetting that she is a captive, Miriam allows herself to be sucked into a whirlwind of parties and social activities. This can be kind of bothersome if you prefer noble heroines, but if you like ones that are realistic and with faults, Miriam will be a favorite. After all, she has been without companionship for months, and living a colonial life on the wilderness is not fun and games. When she gets kicked out onto the streets, her struggle get's worse. Not only does she have to help her sister come to grips with the loss of her children, she also has to work in a hostile situation, since she is English. Courted by the dashing, handsome, and rich Pierre de Laroche, you see her slowly forget about the truly noble guy she left back in Charleston. The one thing I thought wasn't really great, was that the character of Phineas Whitney wasn't developed enough to compete very well with Pierre de Laroche, but that was the only thing I wasn't completely happy about. I've read it 5-6 times. I'd recommend it to anyone.
By the way, if anyone knows much about Elizabeth George Speare, I would be interested in knowing more about her. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Ella Enchanted
I really enjoyed reading Ella Enchanted. It was a very good book. It is about a royal girl named Ella, who had a problem. When she was born a fairy gave her a gift the gift of obedience. Ella hates this gift. It is always getting in her way.
When her mother dies she is devistated. She can't tell anybody about the curse.
She finds friendship with a young prince. Her father decides that it would be better if she went to boarding school with her two fathers friend's daughters.
The girls find out that Ella is obedient. But they do not know why. She decides to run away.
She ends up with her father and he has decided to marry the woman. She is not pleased. But her guyfriend wants her to marry him. What about the curse? You have to read the book to find out!

This would be an awsome collection
I'll start with the books I haven't read. Because I haven't read "Dear Mr. Henshaw" and "One Eyed-Cat" I had to give this collection only four stars though I'd love to give it five. "Dear Mr. Henshaw" was part of my elementary school library. Everyone was demanding that I read Mr. Henshaw, but there were so many other books to read so I never got around to it. I had never heard of "One Eyed-Cat" when I was young, but from what I hear it is worth the read.

Scott O'Dell is one of my all time favorite authors. I have read "Island of the Blue Dolphins" a million times and would read it a million more. It is the story that first drew me to the Native American culture and his other works were equally enticing. The story of Karana's survival alone on the island of her birth and the life and family she makes for herself there is magnificent. Her neverending yearning for her people, but continuing love for the home she makes creates a bittersweet ending when she leaves for her people. It is made even more sad when in his author's notes O'Dell revealed that her people never made it to their new home and that is why they never sent for her. Scot O'Dell writes an alluting tale of a woman who must survive on her own. I would heartily recommend any book he has written.

Elizabeth George Speare is not far behind on my favorite author list. I also read "The Sign of the Beaver" a million times. It is a wonderful story of a wary friendship between a teenage white settler left to care for their new home while his father goes to fetch his mother, sister, and the soon to be born baby and a teenage Indian who has inherited the bitterness of his culture to the white man. Together they teach each other what is needed to know to survive in the other's world. Another bittersweet ending, this is a wonderful story about how two radically different people can learn to respect the other and what they have to offer. "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" is the story about a girl from the Caribbean who is tossed into her own survival story when she must live with her Puritan relatives. Here, her culture of clashes with the rigid structure of the Puritan people who consider her a hopeless sinner. They radically distrust her and it comes to a head when she is accused of witchcraft. The only drawback of this story is that it helps to understand the Puritans and it is my experience that their history is learned in highschool when one is just a tad old for her works. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A great book with interesting sort of plot through it.
A boy named Matt is left alone in Maine Woods. His father has left him to go and get his new baby sister. The really cool things happen when a boy is left in the woods with Indians. Matt and an Indian meet and the book get really good. I think that the best thing in this book is the relationship and the way it changes. They start out as true enemies, but weird events in this story make the relationship grow. The amazing part is the reactions that Attean (the Indian) has. Also the stories he tells. This is a great book with a really great plot and very fun to read. I really enjoyed it.

A well written book.
This book is one of the best books I have ever read.Its got sadness,happiness,and most of all this book has a lot of adventure.Its about a 12 year old boy who has to live on his own in the wilderness of Maine.He meets Indians and learns there way of living. ... Read more