10/28/2013
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.)

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.)

"Cooper here demonstrates that there’s plenty of magic left in her pen, delivering a powerful and memorable novel."

* "Cooper has written a richly plotted, lyrical, and near-epic novel...this is simply an unforgettable reading experience."

"Ghost Hawk is a treasure.... Beautifully written, vivid with its manifest love for the land, it is a story of suffering and survival, both tragic and heroic."

"Susan Cooper has asked the ghosts of our shared history to sing. And when she asks, they always do."

Ghost Hawk is the work of a writer with great imaginative power and long-practiced narrative skill. I was swept up in the story, shocked, moved, and enthralled - and completely convinced by the historical background. I haven't read anything better for a long time."

"Rich period detail makes for an immersive experience."

On the eastern coast of seventeenth-century America, eleven-year-old Little Hawk is led into the woods far from his family's village and left alone for three months. If he survives, he will return a man. Little Hawk's first person narrative takes readers with him on this harrowing physical and spiritual journey, and then back to his village, where he finds that only his grandmother and his best friend have survived the white man's plague. Slowly they connect with the survivors in other villages, and together they make a new community. Fear of the English settlers does not keep Little Hawk from becoming friendly with them, and a few years later, on a trip to another village, Little Hawk stops to help an Englishman trapped under the branch of a fallen tree. Unfortunately a hostile Englishman misinterprets Little Hawk's help as an attack, and Little Hawk is killed. Now Little Hawk's ghost takes up the narrative, and tells the story of John Wakely, a cooper's apprentice who for some reason is able to see and speak with Little Hawk's ghost. John also believes in friendship between the English and the natives, and takes counsel from Little Hawk's ghost, even learning the native language. But in the atmosphere of intolerance and strict adherence to principle exhibited by the Plymouth inhabitants, John's beliefs are dangerous. At odds with the Plymouth community, John leaves to set up his own household in New Providence, the village founded by Roger Williams when he too, was banished from Plymouth for his liberal ideas. Little Hawk then describes the inevitable war between the English and the natives, and a final encounter with Little Hawk's ghost in modern times completes the narrative. Cooper's blend of historical and fantasy fiction is thought-provoking and challenging, paving the way for discussion of issues still being dealt with today. Besides being an exciting read, Ghost Hawk would be an outstanding choice for language arts literature circles. Reviewer: Magi Evans

12/01/2013
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

09/01/2013
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

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)