Dawn Rider

Kit Fox's sixteenth year with her people, the Bloods, is filled with preparations for an important buffalo run, talk of her older sister's coming marriage, and skirmishes with their traditional enemy the Snakes

Grade 5-8-- Like the feisty heroine of Hudson's Sweetgrass (Philomel, 1989), Kit Fox, a 16-year-old Blackfoot Indian girl living on the western prairies in 1750, may describe herself as an ordinary middle child, but she is vividly drawn as an appealing, strong character. The girl is drawn to the first wild horse that the men have captured; together she and Found Arrow, the horse's young guard, plot to keep her unapproved riding a secret. She demonstrates courage as she rides the animal to the Cree tribe in search of guns needed for an imminent enemy attack. Along with her story, readers glimpse details and patterns of daily life in the Blackfoot tribe, including work and eating habits, the ritual of the buffalo run, wedding and engagement customs, and rites of passage into adulthood. Especially poignant and ironic is the ending scene in which Kit Fox and Found Arrow exchange youthful hopes for the bright future of the Blackfoot because of the use of guns and horses. An historical native American novel, a romance, and a coming-of-age story, woven in flowing, lyric, descriptive language. --Yvonne Frey, Peoria Public Schools, IL
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Hudson, whose first novel was Sweetgrass , delves into the past again to present the world of a teenage Blackfoot Indian girl--this time in the early 18th century. Kit Fox, 16, a middle child and "nothing special to anyone," dreams of riding her chief's newly won horse, nervously guarded by Found Arrow and other men of the Blood band. But she must first overcome their prejudice against females, as well as their well-founded fear of the strange new animal. In exchange for helping him with his vision quest, Kit Fox gets Found Arrow to allow her to tame and finally ride the horse, which responds to her gentle handling. When the Bloods are attacked by the mounted Snake people, Kit Fox's equestrian skills are put to a grueling test: she must ride to get aid from allies or her people will perish. This book is to be valued for its authentic re-creation of a lost culture and a bygone time, but despite its exotic setting and period details, this is otherwise a fairly standard horse story. The freshness and emotional resonance that are a hallmark of the late author's first work are lacking here. This book stumbles with overlong dialogue and unpolished exposition where the other flowed with a seamless blend of speech and narrative. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.