Racing the Sun - Softcover

Pitts, Paul

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0380754967 ISBN 13: 9780380754960

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1988

Synopsis

Being an American in ian wasn't something twelve-year-old Brandon Rogers liked to advertise. His father had left his Indian heritage behind when he went to college and Brandon had grown up in suburbia-just a regular kid. Who neededembarrassing mumbo-jumbo to make you look different? But then Brandon's Navajo grandfather moved off the reservation and into the lower bunk in Brandon's room!

It wasn't easy having a roommate who chanted himself to sleep and got you out of bed before sunrise to race the sun. But now Brandon's learning lessons he'll never forget. Like how to take on the old ways without giving up the new. And how to grow up proud and strong ... with a heritage as real as an old man's love.

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8 This thought-provoking, realistic story, interspersed with many comic moments, is narrated by a typical and appealing 12-year-old boy who, along with his best friend Ham, is a member of the UGA club, "Underachieving Goof-offs of America." Although young Brandon Rogers is a Navajo Indian, he has been raised with middle-class American values, and is "Navajo like Ham is Jewish." When Brandon's dying grandfather comes from the New Mexican reservation to be cared for in his son's home, the cultural clash that results is a source of problems between father and son as well as between grandfather and grandson. Brandon manages to sneak his grandfather back to the reservation by bus. It is there that both son and grandson finally come to terms with their Navajo origins and family traditions. Besides offering a glimpse of Navajo reservation life and culture, this fast-reading novel has enough humor to keep it from becoming overly sentimental and a universal message that makes it worthwhile reading for children of any cultural background. Yvonne A. Frey, Peoria Public Library, Ill.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

This affecting story about a suburban Navajo boy should find a broad audience. Brandon, 12, is happily ensconced in UGA (Underachieving Goof-offs of America) with his best friend Ham, content to live the middle-class life his father has carved out for his family. Then Brandon's Navajo grandfather comes to live with them, bringing his smoky smell, his chants and his ample dignity and charm. His very presence disrupts the family, reminding them of reservation life, but Brandon is drawn to him. Their gentle, loving bond, based on Brandon's learning "the important things" from his grandfather, changes the boy in believable, positive ways. If this is just a bit idealized in its treatment of minor characters, it is nonetheless engagingly told and refreshingly modern. The story's themes are more subtle than the strident cover will lead readers to expect. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0380754967
• ISBN 13: 9780380754960
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 150