Items related to Drift
Synopsis
'No food, all lost,' said the girl. 'We die ever so soon.' She sat on the trunk of a fallen tree. 'No mans here,' she said. 'Land of bears, all ever bears.'
Rafe the white boy had been forbidden to play with the 'heathen' Indian girl Tawena. But when the two are swept on an ice floe into the heart of the North American wilderness, far from the settlers' village, only the girl's Indian skills can preserve them from the awesome danger they face. Can Rafe adopt the Indian expertise he needs to enable them to survive? And why does Tawena disappear when they meet two Indian women?
A compelling novel of survival and of the growing respect between cultures, told by a master storyteller.
'A tremendous writer' Irish Times
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
William Mayne has now published almost one hundred books for children including the Carnegie Medal winning book A Grass Rope (1957).
From School Library Journal
Grade 6 Up Superficially, this is the story of the kidnapping of a white boy by two Indian women and the attempts of an Indian girl to help him while avoiding capture herself. The language is spare, characters are sketched in with great economy, and the atmosphere is as bleak and harsh as the late winter setting. None of this description, however, conveys the great beauty and vivid imagery of Mayne's writing, nor the depth and complexity of his creation. Through parallel narratives examining the same characters and events, Rafe and Tawena reveal themselves and the gulf between their places in the world for readers to attempt to understand. It is a measure of Mayne's skill that that process is no easy one. Readers are forced to reexamine their own attitudes and biases during every step of Rafe's journey. The ending is particularly thought-provoking. Does Rafe learn from his experiences or is he able to forget them once back among his own people? How is Tawena changed by her part in the ordeal? Perhaps the only lasting effects are in the minds and hearts of readers. This is a special book, highly recommended for those who are ready for a challenge. It would be a wonderful read-aloud and a source of endless discussion for enriched and gifted classes. Barbara Hutcheson, Greater Victoria Pub . Lib . , B.C., Can
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherFaber & Faber
- Publication date2010
- ISBN 10 0571260454
- ISBN 13 9780571260454
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages156
- Rating
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