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Jun 12, 2008

Wendy rated it:

This is the book that famously won the Newbery over Charlotte's Web, and was that ever a travesty. I can accept that a certain number of books will be dull reading for me, but this isn't even well written--there are a number of places where the main character says or thinks things that don't make any sense for him; for example, if the only person he's ever known is the old man who's raised him, would he really call him "the old Indian" in his head?

This definitely goes at t More...

5 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 16, 2011

Jill rated it:

I didn't care much for the story line but I found some beautiful and memorable quotes from this book. The "Open your eyes" quote has become a daily mantra; these days I need something to help me get out of bed in the morning.

"Their eyes were deep, dark pools, beautiful and sad."

"Cusi was glad to begin his new task, although usually he did not like to do it. But today it seemed easier than thinking. Some thoughts are hard to think about."
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Feb 27, 2011

Pakawut rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Feb 09, 2010

Lars rated it:

Dated. Probably written and chosen as a Newbery winner with the best of intentions--it's about noble descendants of the noble Incas--a half century plus later, it just feels like Clark was trying too hard to be noble. The prose, presumbably emulating the noble speech of noble native people, is stilted: 'The morning was cold with the coldness of before dawn. It was gray with the grayness of before dawn."

I'd blame it on the 50s, but the two other Newbery winners I've read fro More...

3 comments like

Jan 19, 2010

Otis rated it:

December SSR Book-A-Month
Title: Secrets of The Andes
Author: Ann Nolan Clark
Date started/date completed: Nov. 28th - Dec. 29th
Total Pages: 120
Rating of Book: 5 out of 10

Explanation: In this novel a young native american boy gets a chance to explore and experience things beyond the hidden valley where he has lived his entire life. His mentor Chuto, has always taken care of him. The two of them go on a journey where Chuto informs him about the religi More...

3 comments like

Jul 24, 2009

Debbie (Readerbuzz) rated it:

Secret of the Andes is a quiet story of an Inca boy growing up in the mountains of Peru, raising llamas. This boy, Cusi, knows little of his past, and has no home other than the mountains, no family outside his elderly mentor and his llamas.

Time passes and Cusi knows he must leave the mountain, leave his llamas, leave his mentor, and go to the city to seek out his heart’s desire. Will he find this heart’s desire? And, if he does, will it be what he thought it would be? A wonderful l More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 11, 2010

Jason rated it:

I'm a bit of an Inca-phile...having consumed many books on Incan history, their lives, and their ultimate demise following the Spanish Conquest in the early 16th Century.

And so I bought Secret of the Andes for my daughter...thinking that the Newberry Award winner would be a terrific way for me to share my interests with my avid reader. The book sat on her shelf for about a year. I moved it to my shelf for about another 6 months. And finally picked it up a couple of days ago.

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Dec 29, 2011

Darlene rated it:

I read this book aloud to my children. It won the 1953 Newbery Medal.

This story is about an Incan boy named Cusi, who lives in a hidden valley in the Andes Mountains of Peru. It is a lonely life for him, with only an older man named Chuto and the pack of llamas that they care for as companions. A wandering minstrel comes to the valley one day, and he notices the golden “earplugs” (a spool-shaped ornament that made of gold that is inserted into the earlobe to stretch it) in Cusi’s ear More...

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Jun 25, 2010

Snorkle rated it:

This felt like a sad excuse for a Newbery Medal. The writing was poor and I couldn't get over how many contradictory sentences there were. The boy would be confused and depressed one minute and then the very next sentence he would be excited and happy. I wished the author would just make up their mind. The story was all over the place. There were added details that didn't have anything to do with the overall plot and I was often confused because I didn't know why certain things were relevant or More...

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Feb 19, 2009

Kelliec rated it:

I love this book. It has inspired a great deal of learning about Ancient Indian Cultures in our home. Specifically, the Incas. My motherhood dream is to hike up Machu Pichu with my children in tow as a sort of tribute to all we've learned about the Ancients and Spanish Invasion of Peru and the Andes.

There's only one part of the book I don't care for. It happens late in the story when Cusi, a shepherd boy in the High Andes, becomes swept up in a family while shopping alone for the More...

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Apr 18, 2009

Sherry (sethurner) rated it:

"What are you doing, Cusi?" An old Indian stood looking down at a boy who lay on an overhanging rock, gazing into the valley below.

I first read Secret of the Andes as a sixth grader, and I remember liking the Newbery winner, but I remembered little of it except the image of living in the hidden valley of the Andes - and llamas. I had forgotten that the story centers on a young boy who is the descendent of Inca royalty, the same royalty that was betrayed and slaughtered More...

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Oct 23, 2011

Kailey rated it:

I like the story line and the characters, but the writing style is a bit bland. Not much action or dialogue. Much of the culture, looks, and behaviour of the Peruvians and Incas reminds me of the Mazau Indian tribes in Mexico. So I can imagine quite clearly their gestures and looks, the rural backroads and trails, the homespun clothing and dirty sandaled feet, b/c I grew up buying things in the market from tribal people come into town for one day to sell their wares.

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Dec 05, 2010

Wendy rated it:

2.25 stars. I enjoyed this book for the first chapter or two and then I just wanted it to hurry and finish. It became more confusing and tedious as it went on. I did appreciate the gentle way of life and the characters Chuto and Cusi and I can respect the Incas' need to for preserving their customs/heritage, etc. I was surprised to read in other reviews that this book won the Newbery award over Charlotte's Web. What a shame.

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May 04, 2009

Jim rated it:

best known, if at all, for being the book that beat out Charlotte's Web for the Newbery medal. enjoyable novel about a boy living w/an old man, some llamas and a dog in the Peruvian mountains. the boy finds his destiny. one big complaint, my only one, the boy is named Cusi and the old man is named Chuto - why have the two lead characters w/such similar names?
better than Charlotte? no, but a good book and a good read aloud.

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Nov 11, 2009

Janis rated it:

This story of a young llama herder who must leave the valley where he grew up to find his heart's desire has a surprisingly mystical quality for a children's book and offers a mysterious plot that kept me intrigued in spite of its somewhat dry writing style. For those young readers who wish to pick up this 1953 Newbery winner, I'd recommend they first learn a little about the Incas and the Spanish conquest of their empire.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Sep 28, 2011

Sarah added it

This book has been on our shelves since I was a little girl, and I never read it, but I decided to pick it up after a recent trip to Peru. While it does capture some of the ancient mystery of the misty mountains of Peru, I didn't care for the book and really struggled to get through this slim volume. Maybe it would have felt more magical if I had read it as a kid?

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Jun 08, 2009

Wendy rated it:

I agree that the characters are flat, and that somehow it feels a tad dated. I am not sure that today's kids would give a hang for Cusi as Clark has written it. It does give a good feel for the geography and culture of Peru, though I wonder now in 2009 how much of that is still intact.

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Jun 14, 2011

Dallin rated it:

The book certainly wasn't incredibly entertaining or stimulating, but it was at least mildly thought-provoking. It was pretty easy to draw parallels to my own life and the world I know, and it was a good reminder to hold close to the things that matter most. :)

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Jun 03, 2011

Kristen rated it:

Working our way through the older Newberry Awards. Wonderful book to take camping in the mountains and also a good book for teaching critical thinking. The mystery is slowly artfully unwrapped. The kids had lots to talk about after each chapter. Oh, and Colin wants a llama.

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Jul 17, 2009

Cstrand rated it:

This one was just okay. I wish it had been a little more cohesive from beginning to end, an end that felt a little rushed and stilted after all the build-up during the rest of the book. Lovely relationships in the story however and a quick read.

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Sep 16, 2009

Melany rated it:

My friend reccomended this book to me and it truly was capturing. Of course my culture being Peruvian I would find it fascinating but the author describes his journey so specifically and I've read it twice since.

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Sep 05, 2010

Melissa rated it:

Interesting. A nice story about a child in a "conquered" culture. There were a few oddities, such as referring to stars by Greco-Roman names, when everything else is related to Inca traditions.

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Mar 07, 2009

Emily rated it:

A book about an Incan Llama shepherd. He comes of age and finds out some interesting things about his heritage. I liked the mystery aspect of it. It wasn't my favorite, but okay.

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Feb 14, 2010

Becca rated it:

The plot moves kind of slow, which is why when I tried to read this as a kid I didn't get very far. The moral of the story is good though. Newbery winner.

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Feb 08, 2011

Karen rated it:

I really appreciate Newbery's ability to award esoteric subjects and allow the general public to peep into these worlds: Llamas, Peru, and Incas. This story only added to my desire to visit Machu Picchu and Cusco. I was struck by the difference between living on the Andes mountains with one adult and llamas as opposed to living in Los Angeles in the 21st century.

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Dec 16, 2009

Meaghan rated it:

I really wanted to love this book, but found it somewhat confusing and unfortunately mystifying. I wonder if I'd find it more fascinating if I were 10 years old? I am now on a quest to see what the other Newbery contenders were in 1953.

1 comment like

Nov 11, 2009

Robb rated it:

Too slow. The book is interesting because it deals with the native blood still passing on, and each one learning trades of their ancestors, but it just seemed to move really slow and choppy.

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Jul 09, 2010

Josh rated it:

This book just didn’t capture my interest for some reason. I found the pacing slow, although I liked the story.

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Jul 02, 2010

Cheryl rated it:

The value in this book, in my opinion, is the exposure to the Aztec culture of Peru. Otherwise, the story was a strange one and I am not exactly sure what the message was. I felt that there was a lot of loose ends and unexplained. Nonetheless, I did find the Aztec culture information very interesting.

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Jun 07, 2011

Sreenidhi marked it as to-read

it was pretty good, but the beginning was boring for my taste. We read this for a class book...

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