WHERE THE GREAT HAWK FLIES

“Once again, I felt like the seam on a sleeve, rent down the middle,” says Daniel Tucker, just turned 13. The son of an English father and a full-blood Pequot mother, he must thread his way between two worlds. Not easy when he meets a new neighbor who sees him as a wild animal, a “dirty Injun.” The dynamics of Indian and English, Tory and patriot, are complicated indeed in 1782 Vermont, before it became a state. In the alternating voices of Daniel and his neighbor Hiram, Ketchum expertly traces the growth of young Daniel, who learns he can take from both worlds and can become friends with someone once seen as an enemy. Surprisingly contemporary and relevant in its coming-of-age theme and its exploration of the roots of hatred and the possibilities of friendship, the tale is based on family history and is clearly a labor of love. Terrific historical fiction. (author’s note, a note on Pequot history and the Pequot language) (Fiction. 10-14)