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Written in Stone
Rosanne Parry author of Heart of a Shepherd , shines a light on Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest in the 1920s, a time of critical cultural upheaval.
Pearl has always dreamed of hunting whales, just like her father. Of taking to the sea in their eight-man canoe, standing at the prow with a harpoon, and waiting for a whale to lift its barnacle-speckled head as it offers its life for the life of the tribe. But now that can never be. Pearl's father was lost on the last hunt, and the whales hide from the great steam-powered ships carrying harpoon cannons, which harvest not one but dozens of whales from the ocean. With the whales gone, Pearl's people, the Makah, struggle to survive as Pearl searches for ways to preserve their stories and skills.
Pearl has always dreamed of hunting whales, just like her father. Of taking to the sea in their eight-man canoe, standing at the prow with a harpoon, and waiting for a whale to lift its barnacle-speckled head as it offers its life for the life of the tribe. But now that can never be. Pearl's father was lost on the last hunt, and the whales hide from the great steam-powered ships carrying harpoon cannons, which harvest not one but dozens of whales from the ocean. With the whales gone, Pearl's people, the Makah, struggle to survive as Pearl searches for ways to preserve their stories and skills.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published June 25, 2013
28 people are currently reading
808 people want to read
About the author
Rosanne Parry
17 books451 followersHey there,
I'm the author of several novels for young readers, including the NY Times best seller, A WOLF CALLED WANDER and A WHALE OF THE WILD. There is information about all my books on my website.
I write because I love the power of story to illuminate and uplift our world. I try to write things that are heartfelt and encourage conversation in families and classrooms. If you wanted to ask me a question or invite me to come speak at your school or library, I'd love that. There's a contact me area on my website
When I'm not writing I try to be an advocate for literacy and libraries whenever I can. I like to read (obviously) and hike and dance and go to the beach and play the harp and write in my treehouse.
I'm the author of several novels for young readers, including the NY Times best seller, A WOLF CALLED WANDER and A WHALE OF THE WILD. There is information about all my books on my website.
I write because I love the power of story to illuminate and uplift our world. I try to write things that are heartfelt and encourage conversation in families and classrooms. If you wanted to ask me a question or invite me to come speak at your school or library, I'd love that. There's a contact me area on my website
When I'm not writing I try to be an advocate for literacy and libraries whenever I can. I like to read (obviously) and hike and dance and go to the beach and play the harp and write in my treehouse.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
December 4, 2013
Finding books of historical fiction for kids about Native Americans is an oddly limited proposition. Basically, it boils down to Pilgrims, the Trail of Tears, the occasional 1900s storyline (thank God for Louise Erdrich), and . . . yeah, that’s about it. Contemporary fiction? Unheard of at best, offensive at worst. Authors, it seems, like to relegate their American Indians to the distant past where we can feel bad about them through the conscience assuaging veil of history. Maybe that’s part of what I like so much about Rosanne Parry’s Written in Stone. Set in the 1920s, Parry picks a moment in time with cultural significance not for the white readers with their limited historical knowledge but for the people most influenced by changes both at home and at sea. Smart and subtle by turns, Parry tackles a tricky subject and comes away swinging.
A girl with a dream is just that. A dreamer. And though Pearl has always longed to hunt whales like her father before her, harpooning is not in her future. When her father, a member of the Makah people of the Pacific Northwest, is killed on a routine hunt, Pearl’s future is in serious doubt. Not particularly endowed with any useful skills (though she’d love to learn to weave, if anyone was around to teach her), Pearl uncovers on her own a series of forgotten petroglyphs and the plot of a nefarious “art dealer”. Now her newfound love of the written word is going to give her the power to do something she never thought possible: preserve her tribe’s culture.
It’s sort of nice to read a book and feel like a kid in terms of the plot twists. Take, for example, the character of the “collector” who arrives and then immediately appears to be something else entirely. I probably should have been able to figure out his real occupation (or at least interests) long before the book revealed them to me, and yet here I was, toddling through, not a care in the world. I never saw it coming, and that means that at least 75% of the kids reading this book will also be in for a surprise.
I consider the ending of the book a bit of a plot twist as well, actually. We’re so used to our heroes and heroines at the ends of books pulling off these massive escapades and solutions to their problems that when I read Pearl’s very practical and real world answer to the dilemma posed by the smooth talking art dealer I was a bit taken aback. What, no media frenzied conclusion? No huge explosions or public shaming of the villain or anything similarly crass and confused? It took a little getting used to but once I’d accepted the quiet, realistic ending I realized it was better (and more appropriate to the general tone of the book) than anything a more ludicrous premise would have allowed.
If anything didn’t quite work for me, I guess it was the whole "Written in Stone" part. I understood why Pearl had to see the petroglyphs so as to aid her own personal growth and understanding of herself as a writer. That I got. It was more a problem that I had a great deal of difficulty picturing them in my own mind. I had to do a little online research of my own to get a sense of what they looked like, and even that proved insufficient since Parry’s petroglyphs are her own creation and not quite like anything else out there. It’s not an illustrated novel, but a few choice pen and inks of the images in their simplest forms would not have been out of place.
Now let us give thanks to authors (and their publishers) that know the value of a good chunk of backmatter. 19 pages worth of the stuff, no less (and on a 196-page title, that ain’t small potatoes). Because she is a white author writing about a distinct tribal group and their past, Parry treads carefully. Her extensive Author’s Note consists of her own personal connections to the Quinaults, her care to not replicate anything that is not for public consumption, the history of whaling amongst the Makah people, thoughts on the potlatch, petroglyphs, a history of epidemics and economic change to the region (I was unaware that it was returning WWI soldiers with influenza that were responsible for a vast number of deaths to the tribal communities of the Pacific Northwest at that time), the history of art collectors and natural resource management, an extensive bibliography that is split between resources for young readers, exhibits of Pacific Northwest art and artifacts, and resources for older readers, a Glossary of Quinault terms (with a long explanation of how it was recorded over the years), and a thank you to the many people who helped contribute to this book. PHEW! They hardly make ‘em like THIS these days.
I also love the care with which Parry approached her subject matter. There isn’t any of this swagger or ownership at work that you might find in other authors’ works. Her respect shines through. In a section labeled “Culture and Respect” Parry writes, “Historical fiction can never be taken lightly, and stories involving Native Americans are particularly delicate, as the author, whether Native or not, must walk the line between illuminating the life of the characters as fully as possible and withholding cultural information not intended for the public or specific stories that are the property of an individual, family, or tribe.” In this way the author explains that she purposefully left out the rituals that surround a whale hunt. She only alludes to stories of the Pitch Woman and the Timber Giant, never giving away their details. She even makes note the changes in names and spellings in the 1920s versus today.
I don’t know that you’re going to find another book out there quite like Written in Stone. Heck, I haven’t even touched on Pearl’s personality or her personal connections to her father and aunt. I haven’t talked about my favorite part of the book where Pearl’s grandfather haggles with a white trading partner and gets his wife to sing a lullaby that he claims is an ancient Indian curse. I haven’t done any of that, and yet I don’t think that there’s much more to say. The book is a smart historical work of fiction that requires use of the child reader’s brain more than anything else. It’s a glimpse of history I’ve not seen in a work of middle grade fiction before and I’d betcha bottom dollar I might never see it replicated again. Hats off then to Ms. Parry for the time, and effort, and consideration, and care she poured into this work. Hats off too to her editor for allowing her to do so. The book’s a keeper, no question. It’s just a question of finding it, is all.
For ages 9-12.
A girl with a dream is just that. A dreamer. And though Pearl has always longed to hunt whales like her father before her, harpooning is not in her future. When her father, a member of the Makah people of the Pacific Northwest, is killed on a routine hunt, Pearl’s future is in serious doubt. Not particularly endowed with any useful skills (though she’d love to learn to weave, if anyone was around to teach her), Pearl uncovers on her own a series of forgotten petroglyphs and the plot of a nefarious “art dealer”. Now her newfound love of the written word is going to give her the power to do something she never thought possible: preserve her tribe’s culture.
It’s sort of nice to read a book and feel like a kid in terms of the plot twists. Take, for example, the character of the “collector” who arrives and then immediately appears to be something else entirely. I probably should have been able to figure out his real occupation (or at least interests) long before the book revealed them to me, and yet here I was, toddling through, not a care in the world. I never saw it coming, and that means that at least 75% of the kids reading this book will also be in for a surprise.
I consider the ending of the book a bit of a plot twist as well, actually. We’re so used to our heroes and heroines at the ends of books pulling off these massive escapades and solutions to their problems that when I read Pearl’s very practical and real world answer to the dilemma posed by the smooth talking art dealer I was a bit taken aback. What, no media frenzied conclusion? No huge explosions or public shaming of the villain or anything similarly crass and confused? It took a little getting used to but once I’d accepted the quiet, realistic ending I realized it was better (and more appropriate to the general tone of the book) than anything a more ludicrous premise would have allowed.
If anything didn’t quite work for me, I guess it was the whole "Written in Stone" part. I understood why Pearl had to see the petroglyphs so as to aid her own personal growth and understanding of herself as a writer. That I got. It was more a problem that I had a great deal of difficulty picturing them in my own mind. I had to do a little online research of my own to get a sense of what they looked like, and even that proved insufficient since Parry’s petroglyphs are her own creation and not quite like anything else out there. It’s not an illustrated novel, but a few choice pen and inks of the images in their simplest forms would not have been out of place.
Now let us give thanks to authors (and their publishers) that know the value of a good chunk of backmatter. 19 pages worth of the stuff, no less (and on a 196-page title, that ain’t small potatoes). Because she is a white author writing about a distinct tribal group and their past, Parry treads carefully. Her extensive Author’s Note consists of her own personal connections to the Quinaults, her care to not replicate anything that is not for public consumption, the history of whaling amongst the Makah people, thoughts on the potlatch, petroglyphs, a history of epidemics and economic change to the region (I was unaware that it was returning WWI soldiers with influenza that were responsible for a vast number of deaths to the tribal communities of the Pacific Northwest at that time), the history of art collectors and natural resource management, an extensive bibliography that is split between resources for young readers, exhibits of Pacific Northwest art and artifacts, and resources for older readers, a Glossary of Quinault terms (with a long explanation of how it was recorded over the years), and a thank you to the many people who helped contribute to this book. PHEW! They hardly make ‘em like THIS these days.
I also love the care with which Parry approached her subject matter. There isn’t any of this swagger or ownership at work that you might find in other authors’ works. Her respect shines through. In a section labeled “Culture and Respect” Parry writes, “Historical fiction can never be taken lightly, and stories involving Native Americans are particularly delicate, as the author, whether Native or not, must walk the line between illuminating the life of the characters as fully as possible and withholding cultural information not intended for the public or specific stories that are the property of an individual, family, or tribe.” In this way the author explains that she purposefully left out the rituals that surround a whale hunt. She only alludes to stories of the Pitch Woman and the Timber Giant, never giving away their details. She even makes note the changes in names and spellings in the 1920s versus today.
I don’t know that you’re going to find another book out there quite like Written in Stone. Heck, I haven’t even touched on Pearl’s personality or her personal connections to her father and aunt. I haven’t talked about my favorite part of the book where Pearl’s grandfather haggles with a white trading partner and gets his wife to sing a lullaby that he claims is an ancient Indian curse. I haven’t done any of that, and yet I don’t think that there’s much more to say. The book is a smart historical work of fiction that requires use of the child reader’s brain more than anything else. It’s a glimpse of history I’ve not seen in a work of middle grade fiction before and I’d betcha bottom dollar I might never see it replicated again. Hats off then to Ms. Parry for the time, and effort, and consideration, and care she poured into this work. Hats off too to her editor for allowing her to do so. The book’s a keeper, no question. It’s just a question of finding it, is all.
For ages 9-12.
July 25, 2013
I wanted to like this book because I enjoy many things having to do with Native history, but this book fell rather flat for me. I did like the relationship between Pearl and her aunt Susi - very intimate and close. I wanted this book to be more like Julie of the Wolves and it wasn't.
June 24, 2013
http://thestylinglibrarian.com/2013/0...
Written in Stone review, author interview below: Warning: I am a HUGE fan of Rosanne Parry. I respect and appreciate her as an author, person, reader, library advocate, and friend. Luckily, I received this book as an advanced readers copy on my Kindle through Netgalley. I’ve never taken more notes or highlighted more text while reading an eBook. There were so many poignant portions and rich language in this novel. Here’s a summary of the book from the publisher: “A young girl in a Pacific Northwest Native American tribe in the 1920s must deal with the death of her father and the loss of her tribe’s traditional ways.” What stood out to me: Eight Thoughts:
1. I know I completed reading a fantastic historical fiction book about how one girl, Pearl, rises above expectations and creates her own path into the future following her interests, skills, and passions.
2. The story presented the difficulty with a person living on a tribe being torn between staying on the reservation or exploring outside when there are huge setbacks in the community. It also shares how creativity can help the survival of a community, even with many who are trying to exploit people.
3. What connects a community? The simple tradition of drumming… I loved the integration of drumming through this book.
4. This gorgeous line: “I could be the teller now. I could make his life real. I could raise him out of the water with words.” and this one: “My children’s footprints, my grandchildren, they were leading me now.” and finally, this one: “Have the courage of my ideas.”
5. This was a painful, honest reflection on attempts to exploit Native tribes.
6. Word I loved: “pin-neatness” – when Pearl described her Aunt Susi’s home.
7. Reading the authors note in the book, Rosanne mentioned how a cedar tree is interconnected to with other trees throughout the forest so that there is not a single tree but instead an interconnected forest. She mentioned this because there were many connections that brought her through the creation of the book, no single origin. BEAUTIFUL.
8. Also, I love how Rosanne was inspired by her former students when teaching on a Native American reservation asking the poignant question: “Why is the story never about us?”
Rosanne Parry has the talent for creating the most beautiful characters. I’ve loved reading all of her books so far and was NOT disappointed with her newest title. Here is her Pinterest collection for Written in Stone: The pictures really help the story come to life and Rosanne’s thoughts that accompany the pictures are full of insight:
(Thanks Rosanne for giving me permission to use some of the pictures/captions in this post!) http://pinterest.com/rosanneparry/wri...
Here is a fantastic blog post Rosanne wrote about using Pinterest to help promote and share inspiration for Written in Stone: http://rosanneparry.com/a-recipe-for-...
Also, here is a free downloadable teacher’s guide from Random House. They’ve done a beautiful job with it. It’s got common core references and many more fantastic useful tools for sharing Written in Stone in the classroom: http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/r...
Thank you so much to Rosanne for agreeing to this interview:
Are there any authors or books that you liked as a child that you still read now?
I spent a good part of today rereading 3 books I loved in 1st and 2nd grade—My Father’s Dragon, Elmer and the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland by Ruth Stiles Gannett. I have a story for younger readers that I’m working on right now and I wanted to see how the Dragon Stories really worked and think about which elements appealed to me the most and how the three books worked together as a series. I’m not at all sure I want to write a series but if I do I want to learn everything I can about them. I don’t have a degree in English or an MFA in creative writing or in fact any formal training in writing stories, so the only thing I have to go on is my respect for the good work I see and careful study of how an admired author achieved what she did in the story.
Have you read any children’s literature books recently?
I read quite a lot. I’m always researching something for a book, and my friends come out with books I’d like to read and my kids are reading things they want to talk about with me. Some of what I read is up on Goodreads but not everything. I read a play by August Wilson this week and a book about writing humor called Here’s the Kicker and the Ruth Stiles Gannet books and a book of poetry by National Book Award winning Nikki Finney and the newspaper. I finished Seraphina last week. It was written by the amazing Rachel Hartman and edited by my own editor Jim Thomas. I started Rogue a story about a girl on the Autism spectrum by Lyn Miller Lachman but somebody in my family wandered off with it before I finished. I would love to take whole week off and read Poison by Bridget Zinn and both of Laini Taylor’s newest books and Code Name Verity and the new Terry Pratchett book, Dodger.
What was a favorite genre you read as a child? How have your tastes changed as an adult?
As a child I read more non-fiction than anything else by far. I was curious about everything so I looked for books about animals, and weather and foreign countries and how to draw and how to build things and chemistry and history and outer space. I also read a lot of folk and fairytales and I loved mythology which is classified as non fiction though I’m still not sure why. I adored maps and exploded diagrams and blue prints and architectural renderings. (My father was an engineer and taught me a little bit about drafting and always had blueprints lying about.) I liked secret codes and sheet music. I read a ton of biographies. I was fascinated by espionage and also farming. What can I say? The world is an interesting place.
Do you still have any of your books from when you were a child?
One of the reasons I decided to send my work to Jim Thomas at Random House was because when I met him at an SCBWI retreat we discovered we had many favorite books in common including The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin. We are close in age so we read from the same edition with this beautiful cover.
A few years ago when Ursula had a reading in Portland, I brought the copy I’d read and reread a zillion times for her to sign for my editor. As she was signing she asked what books I’d written so I told her about Heart of a Shepherd. She said she’d read and enjoyed it and recommended me to her friends at the Fishtrap workshop (where I’ve since been a workshop presenter). I have never been more astonished and pleased in my entire life! When I told my editor Ursula liked our book he was so thrilled he sent me his copy of Wizard of Earthsea that he’d read when he was a boy so that I wouldn’t be lonely for mine.
Do you have a key writing tips for kids? Or adults?
1. It’s okay to set aside a story that isn’t working and come back to it later. Working writers do this all the time.
2. Spelling and punctuation really don’t matter until you are ready to show your work to another reader. The first several drafts can be as messy as you want when you are the only one reading them.
3. It is not possible to write a story that will please everybody. But it is helpful to write a story with one particular reader in mind. If you can connect deeply with just one reader who you know and care about, chances are lots of other people will connect to your story too.
Do you have a new book being released in the next year?
Yes, Written in Stone will come out on the 25th of June. I am so excited about this story. It’s the book that made me a writer. I worked on Written in Stone off and on over more than 15 years. It’s a cultural survival story set among the Makah of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. I always find it difficult to sum up my own work but here’s a great summary from the Publisher’s Weekly review:
Paying tribute to the fortitude of Northern Native American tribes, Parry (Second Fiddle) creates a vivid novel tracing a Makah orphan girl’s coming of age during the early 1920s. At one time, 13-year-old Pearl held an esteemed position in her tribe as the daughter of “the best whaler of the Makah” and a master weaver. Now, Pearl’s parents are dead, and she is uncertain about her position in the world. She considers leaving home to work in the city like many struggling natives, including her independent-minded cousin. It isn’t until a white stranger threatens to trick local tribes out of their oil-rich land that Pearl realizes her need to preserve her people’s traditions and, especially, their stories.
I’m going to have a book launch party at Powells in Beaverton, Oregon on June 28th at 7:30 pm. I’ll have some first foods from the Quinault and Makah and some artwork to look at and hopefully lots of friends to share the moment with! If you’re in Portland at the end of June, I hope you’ll come.
If you weren’t a writer, what occupation would you be working in?
I loved teaching and I miss it when I’m away from the classroom. I’m sure I’d still be a teacher if I wasn’t writing.
Did any teacher or mentor specifically influence you in your career?
I am blessed to live in a vibrant community of writers in Portland but rather than brag about them all, let me give one example of how I’ve been mentored.
When Second Fiddle was in the planning stages, I mentioned to Virginia Euwer Wolff that I’d admired her story Mozart Season and was writing a book about girl musicians who play in a string trio. I didn’t realize at the time that Virginia is an accomplished chamber musician herself. She invited me to her niece’s home for an evening of classical music exactly as chamber music was meant to be heard—in a home among friends. In addition to her own Trio Con Brio, her friends and relatives sang opera, played piano, flute, guitar, and cello in various combinations. It was a magical evening and gave me insight into the relationship small ensemble players have with each other. My book was all the richer for it.
Virginia has gone on to encourage my own return to playing violin and has been a generous encourager of my daughters’ musical endeavors. I’ve since met many more people in Portland’s music community, which will (I hope) lead to more books with a musical element in them. A librarian I met at Virginia’s house concert recently asked me to do a music and poetry event with him in the Dalles. We each wrote 3 poems on the theme of Love and War and then chose companion songs for each to be played by he and I on bass and violin and an assortment of his friends on piano, saxophone, mandolin, drums, harmonica, double bass and bagpipes. The event was a real creative stretch for me. I’d never done a poetry reading before and never played with a band. But that event lead to a connection with a radio host in town who took Written in Stone to read and hopefully review and maybe even do an interview on the radio. I realize this is a very long answer but that is the beauty of mentoring. It may begin with a small act of generosity but sometimes that one interaction leaves a positive ripple in a person’s life years later. I hope I can be that mentor for somebody some day.
*Do you have any favorite topping you like on your pizza? (in honor of my husband who thinks it would be cool if I collect a list of author’s favorite pizza “You can learn a lot about a person from the pizza topping they like.”) – I’d really appreciate you answering this one!!
They have Pizza Hut in Germany, which I found particularly funny when I lived there because in German Hut means hat. What I did not find funny was that they served a pizza that had corn and broccoli on it. No. I’m not making that up. It tastes just as vile as you are imagining. I know because I tried it. Here is a combination that sounds just as strange and is surprisingly delicious—Italian sausage and grapes. No kidding. Sometimes you just have to try something to know if it will work.
The habit I never break for my writing practice is…read it aloud before you show it to anybody.
If someone had told me…that being an author would one day mean that I spent a long sunny afternoon standing on a flat bed truck playing my violin with dozens of kids and then signing books for them and then going to a youth prison to talk about books with kids there and then going out to dinner with an author whose work I really admired, well I would have thought they were crazy. In fact even after it happened, I still think they’re a little crazy. I also think that I am the luckiest person in the world!
Why do people always assume…that my characters opinions are my opinions. I’d die of boredom if all my characters thought and felt and acted in the same way I would. There is no story fun in writing a character like me. I love to explore characters that do things I’d never try or view the world in a way I barely understand.
Written in Stone review, author interview below: Warning: I am a HUGE fan of Rosanne Parry. I respect and appreciate her as an author, person, reader, library advocate, and friend. Luckily, I received this book as an advanced readers copy on my Kindle through Netgalley. I’ve never taken more notes or highlighted more text while reading an eBook. There were so many poignant portions and rich language in this novel. Here’s a summary of the book from the publisher: “A young girl in a Pacific Northwest Native American tribe in the 1920s must deal with the death of her father and the loss of her tribe’s traditional ways.” What stood out to me: Eight Thoughts:
1. I know I completed reading a fantastic historical fiction book about how one girl, Pearl, rises above expectations and creates her own path into the future following her interests, skills, and passions.
2. The story presented the difficulty with a person living on a tribe being torn between staying on the reservation or exploring outside when there are huge setbacks in the community. It also shares how creativity can help the survival of a community, even with many who are trying to exploit people.
3. What connects a community? The simple tradition of drumming… I loved the integration of drumming through this book.
4. This gorgeous line: “I could be the teller now. I could make his life real. I could raise him out of the water with words.” and this one: “My children’s footprints, my grandchildren, they were leading me now.” and finally, this one: “Have the courage of my ideas.”
5. This was a painful, honest reflection on attempts to exploit Native tribes.
6. Word I loved: “pin-neatness” – when Pearl described her Aunt Susi’s home.
7. Reading the authors note in the book, Rosanne mentioned how a cedar tree is interconnected to with other trees throughout the forest so that there is not a single tree but instead an interconnected forest. She mentioned this because there were many connections that brought her through the creation of the book, no single origin. BEAUTIFUL.
8. Also, I love how Rosanne was inspired by her former students when teaching on a Native American reservation asking the poignant question: “Why is the story never about us?”
Rosanne Parry has the talent for creating the most beautiful characters. I’ve loved reading all of her books so far and was NOT disappointed with her newest title. Here is her Pinterest collection for Written in Stone: The pictures really help the story come to life and Rosanne’s thoughts that accompany the pictures are full of insight:
(Thanks Rosanne for giving me permission to use some of the pictures/captions in this post!) http://pinterest.com/rosanneparry/wri...
Here is a fantastic blog post Rosanne wrote about using Pinterest to help promote and share inspiration for Written in Stone: http://rosanneparry.com/a-recipe-for-...
Also, here is a free downloadable teacher’s guide from Random House. They’ve done a beautiful job with it. It’s got common core references and many more fantastic useful tools for sharing Written in Stone in the classroom: http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/r...
Thank you so much to Rosanne for agreeing to this interview:
Are there any authors or books that you liked as a child that you still read now?
I spent a good part of today rereading 3 books I loved in 1st and 2nd grade—My Father’s Dragon, Elmer and the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland by Ruth Stiles Gannett. I have a story for younger readers that I’m working on right now and I wanted to see how the Dragon Stories really worked and think about which elements appealed to me the most and how the three books worked together as a series. I’m not at all sure I want to write a series but if I do I want to learn everything I can about them. I don’t have a degree in English or an MFA in creative writing or in fact any formal training in writing stories, so the only thing I have to go on is my respect for the good work I see and careful study of how an admired author achieved what she did in the story.
Have you read any children’s literature books recently?
I read quite a lot. I’m always researching something for a book, and my friends come out with books I’d like to read and my kids are reading things they want to talk about with me. Some of what I read is up on Goodreads but not everything. I read a play by August Wilson this week and a book about writing humor called Here’s the Kicker and the Ruth Stiles Gannet books and a book of poetry by National Book Award winning Nikki Finney and the newspaper. I finished Seraphina last week. It was written by the amazing Rachel Hartman and edited by my own editor Jim Thomas. I started Rogue a story about a girl on the Autism spectrum by Lyn Miller Lachman but somebody in my family wandered off with it before I finished. I would love to take whole week off and read Poison by Bridget Zinn and both of Laini Taylor’s newest books and Code Name Verity and the new Terry Pratchett book, Dodger.
What was a favorite genre you read as a child? How have your tastes changed as an adult?
As a child I read more non-fiction than anything else by far. I was curious about everything so I looked for books about animals, and weather and foreign countries and how to draw and how to build things and chemistry and history and outer space. I also read a lot of folk and fairytales and I loved mythology which is classified as non fiction though I’m still not sure why. I adored maps and exploded diagrams and blue prints and architectural renderings. (My father was an engineer and taught me a little bit about drafting and always had blueprints lying about.) I liked secret codes and sheet music. I read a ton of biographies. I was fascinated by espionage and also farming. What can I say? The world is an interesting place.
Do you still have any of your books from when you were a child?
One of the reasons I decided to send my work to Jim Thomas at Random House was because when I met him at an SCBWI retreat we discovered we had many favorite books in common including The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin. We are close in age so we read from the same edition with this beautiful cover.
A few years ago when Ursula had a reading in Portland, I brought the copy I’d read and reread a zillion times for her to sign for my editor. As she was signing she asked what books I’d written so I told her about Heart of a Shepherd. She said she’d read and enjoyed it and recommended me to her friends at the Fishtrap workshop (where I’ve since been a workshop presenter). I have never been more astonished and pleased in my entire life! When I told my editor Ursula liked our book he was so thrilled he sent me his copy of Wizard of Earthsea that he’d read when he was a boy so that I wouldn’t be lonely for mine.
Do you have a key writing tips for kids? Or adults?
1. It’s okay to set aside a story that isn’t working and come back to it later. Working writers do this all the time.
2. Spelling and punctuation really don’t matter until you are ready to show your work to another reader. The first several drafts can be as messy as you want when you are the only one reading them.
3. It is not possible to write a story that will please everybody. But it is helpful to write a story with one particular reader in mind. If you can connect deeply with just one reader who you know and care about, chances are lots of other people will connect to your story too.
Do you have a new book being released in the next year?
Yes, Written in Stone will come out on the 25th of June. I am so excited about this story. It’s the book that made me a writer. I worked on Written in Stone off and on over more than 15 years. It’s a cultural survival story set among the Makah of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. I always find it difficult to sum up my own work but here’s a great summary from the Publisher’s Weekly review:
Paying tribute to the fortitude of Northern Native American tribes, Parry (Second Fiddle) creates a vivid novel tracing a Makah orphan girl’s coming of age during the early 1920s. At one time, 13-year-old Pearl held an esteemed position in her tribe as the daughter of “the best whaler of the Makah” and a master weaver. Now, Pearl’s parents are dead, and she is uncertain about her position in the world. She considers leaving home to work in the city like many struggling natives, including her independent-minded cousin. It isn’t until a white stranger threatens to trick local tribes out of their oil-rich land that Pearl realizes her need to preserve her people’s traditions and, especially, their stories.
I’m going to have a book launch party at Powells in Beaverton, Oregon on June 28th at 7:30 pm. I’ll have some first foods from the Quinault and Makah and some artwork to look at and hopefully lots of friends to share the moment with! If you’re in Portland at the end of June, I hope you’ll come.
If you weren’t a writer, what occupation would you be working in?
I loved teaching and I miss it when I’m away from the classroom. I’m sure I’d still be a teacher if I wasn’t writing.
Did any teacher or mentor specifically influence you in your career?
I am blessed to live in a vibrant community of writers in Portland but rather than brag about them all, let me give one example of how I’ve been mentored.
When Second Fiddle was in the planning stages, I mentioned to Virginia Euwer Wolff that I’d admired her story Mozart Season and was writing a book about girl musicians who play in a string trio. I didn’t realize at the time that Virginia is an accomplished chamber musician herself. She invited me to her niece’s home for an evening of classical music exactly as chamber music was meant to be heard—in a home among friends. In addition to her own Trio Con Brio, her friends and relatives sang opera, played piano, flute, guitar, and cello in various combinations. It was a magical evening and gave me insight into the relationship small ensemble players have with each other. My book was all the richer for it.
Virginia has gone on to encourage my own return to playing violin and has been a generous encourager of my daughters’ musical endeavors. I’ve since met many more people in Portland’s music community, which will (I hope) lead to more books with a musical element in them. A librarian I met at Virginia’s house concert recently asked me to do a music and poetry event with him in the Dalles. We each wrote 3 poems on the theme of Love and War and then chose companion songs for each to be played by he and I on bass and violin and an assortment of his friends on piano, saxophone, mandolin, drums, harmonica, double bass and bagpipes. The event was a real creative stretch for me. I’d never done a poetry reading before and never played with a band. But that event lead to a connection with a radio host in town who took Written in Stone to read and hopefully review and maybe even do an interview on the radio. I realize this is a very long answer but that is the beauty of mentoring. It may begin with a small act of generosity but sometimes that one interaction leaves a positive ripple in a person’s life years later. I hope I can be that mentor for somebody some day.
*Do you have any favorite topping you like on your pizza? (in honor of my husband who thinks it would be cool if I collect a list of author’s favorite pizza “You can learn a lot about a person from the pizza topping they like.”) – I’d really appreciate you answering this one!!
They have Pizza Hut in Germany, which I found particularly funny when I lived there because in German Hut means hat. What I did not find funny was that they served a pizza that had corn and broccoli on it. No. I’m not making that up. It tastes just as vile as you are imagining. I know because I tried it. Here is a combination that sounds just as strange and is surprisingly delicious—Italian sausage and grapes. No kidding. Sometimes you just have to try something to know if it will work.
The habit I never break for my writing practice is…read it aloud before you show it to anybody.
If someone had told me…that being an author would one day mean that I spent a long sunny afternoon standing on a flat bed truck playing my violin with dozens of kids and then signing books for them and then going to a youth prison to talk about books with kids there and then going out to dinner with an author whose work I really admired, well I would have thought they were crazy. In fact even after it happened, I still think they’re a little crazy. I also think that I am the luckiest person in the world!
Why do people always assume…that my characters opinions are my opinions. I’d die of boredom if all my characters thought and felt and acted in the same way I would. There is no story fun in writing a character like me. I love to explore characters that do things I’d never try or view the world in a way I barely understand.
March 20, 2014
In the late 1990s, one of the big stories circulating amongst Native people was what was happening with the Makah Nation in the state of Washington. For the first time in decades, they were going to go whaling. Choosing to hunt again was their choice. It was the exercise of their sovereignty.
They had stopped whaling in the 1920s because commercial whaling had overwhelmed the gray whale, such that it was placed on the endangered animals list. When the gray whale was removed from that status, the Makah nation's leaders declared their intent to resume their whale hunt. Their desire to do so was challenged by groups that did not want them to hunt and it ended up in court. The Makah won the case. Environmentalists were furious. There was intense media coverage. Protesters carried signs that said "Save a Whale, Hunt a Makah." The school received bomb threats. The hunt took place in May of 1999.
That knowledge is what I brought to my reading of Written In Stone.
Parry wanted to write a book that reflected the children she taught Taloha school some years ago, but I don't think she succeeded, partly because she was so heavily invested in a performance she saw when she was in 5th grade by a person who was performing Native stories. That person is not affiliated with any of the tribes in that area. His identity was awkwardly constructed, but Parry's embrace of him and that identity is indicative of the vast body of misinformation about American Indians that circulates as legit. I've said a lot more at my website. If you're interested in details of where the story fails (for me), please go to http://americanindiansinchildrenslite...
They had stopped whaling in the 1920s because commercial whaling had overwhelmed the gray whale, such that it was placed on the endangered animals list. When the gray whale was removed from that status, the Makah nation's leaders declared their intent to resume their whale hunt. Their desire to do so was challenged by groups that did not want them to hunt and it ended up in court. The Makah won the case. Environmentalists were furious. There was intense media coverage. Protesters carried signs that said "Save a Whale, Hunt a Makah." The school received bomb threats. The hunt took place in May of 1999.
That knowledge is what I brought to my reading of Written In Stone.
Parry wanted to write a book that reflected the children she taught Taloha school some years ago, but I don't think she succeeded, partly because she was so heavily invested in a performance she saw when she was in 5th grade by a person who was performing Native stories. That person is not affiliated with any of the tribes in that area. His identity was awkwardly constructed, but Parry's embrace of him and that identity is indicative of the vast body of misinformation about American Indians that circulates as legit. I've said a lot more at my website. If you're interested in details of where the story fails (for me), please go to http://americanindiansinchildrenslite...
June 27, 2014
This author set the standard high with her first book, The Heart of a Shepherd - on my list of top 10 children's novels. This book was good and I learned a great deal about the culture of the Maka.
June 26, 2013
Set on the Makah Indian Reservation on the remote Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, Written in Stone takes a look at traditional whaling practices of the Makah that continue today, and how the loss of this ceremonial hunt threatened the livelihood of the tribe.
The story is told through the eyes of Pearl, a young Makah whose mother and sister died in the influenza pandemic in the 1920s and whose father died on a whale hunt. When the whales begin to disappear, she worries that no one will be left to tell their stories and keep their traditions alive.
Without the meat, bone, fat and other things the Makah harvested from whales, their very survival is in peril. Pearl’s uncle, aunt, and her grandparents contemplate leaving to seek work in lumber mills, canneries and other places along the Pacific coast. In the end, Pearl draws on her own creativity and ingenuity as well as the wisdom she has learned from her parents and grandparents to stay true to her heritage while forging a path for the future.
Early in her teaching career author Parry lived near the Makah on the Quinalt Indian Reservation. She beautifully captures the wonder of the place while weaving in details of coastal tribal life in the early 1900s as she tells Pearl’s story. At the end, she provides a glossary of terms as well as a bit of history about the Makah.
Mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 9 to 12 reading Written in Stone will be able to discuss the history of the times, how women were limited to certain roles, and how Pearl ultimately found her voice to preserve what was important to her. I highly recommend it.
The author provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The story is told through the eyes of Pearl, a young Makah whose mother and sister died in the influenza pandemic in the 1920s and whose father died on a whale hunt. When the whales begin to disappear, she worries that no one will be left to tell their stories and keep their traditions alive.
Without the meat, bone, fat and other things the Makah harvested from whales, their very survival is in peril. Pearl’s uncle, aunt, and her grandparents contemplate leaving to seek work in lumber mills, canneries and other places along the Pacific coast. In the end, Pearl draws on her own creativity and ingenuity as well as the wisdom she has learned from her parents and grandparents to stay true to her heritage while forging a path for the future.
Early in her teaching career author Parry lived near the Makah on the Quinalt Indian Reservation. She beautifully captures the wonder of the place while weaving in details of coastal tribal life in the early 1900s as she tells Pearl’s story. At the end, she provides a glossary of terms as well as a bit of history about the Makah.
Mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 9 to 12 reading Written in Stone will be able to discuss the history of the times, how women were limited to certain roles, and how Pearl ultimately found her voice to preserve what was important to her. I highly recommend it.
The author provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
July 26, 2013
I was drawn to this book when it lay on a exhibitor's table at the American Library Association conference in June 2013. I noticed the cover art and I thought (hoped) it might be about the Makah culture on the US Olympic Peninsula. Bingo!
It's written for children in grades 4-7, but I enjoyed every word and was drawn to the wisdom and courage of a young girl determined to preserve her tribe's culture and her family's heritage. I am anxious to share it with friends in Neah Bay and to learn if the story is as genuine as I think it is.
The book and the Educator Guide include connections to the Common Core State Standards. Highly recommended.
It's written for children in grades 4-7, but I enjoyed every word and was drawn to the wisdom and courage of a young girl determined to preserve her tribe's culture and her family's heritage. I am anxious to share it with friends in Neah Bay and to learn if the story is as genuine as I think it is.
The book and the Educator Guide include connections to the Common Core State Standards. Highly recommended.
February 17, 2019
If you liked this book, you might also enjoy:
✱ Call of the Whales
✱ Between Two Worlds
✱ Julie of the Wolves
✱ The Birchbark House series
✱ Call of the Whales
✱ Between Two Worlds
✱ Julie of the Wolves
✱ The Birchbark House series
December 6, 2015
This was an enjoyable read set between the past and present. The writing is lyrical and really paints a picture. You can feel the angst of what life must have been like in the villages as they changed against their wishes and as they fought to hold on to their ways.
January 14, 2014
The van ride was abuzz with students flipping back and forth between a collage of languages: English, Chinese, French, Singlish. Speaking in multiple languages for these high schoolers is like breathing. For me it is a reminder that I am a monolingual foreigner living in a different culture. I feel like a child looking through a window pane at a lush candy display case. Chocolate candy, that is. Yum. I see the candy and people inside but don't hear them. Even immersed in Chinese culture it is difficult understanding customs. That is what makes this book so amazing. The author, who is an outsider to the Pacific Northwest Indians, creates a story that makes it seem she is Native American. She captures the traditions, economics, society, and religion and uses rich language to develop a character that speaks to any young girl no matter what her nationality. Not an easy feat in a book that is less than 200 pages.
Pearl Shaw was honored and highly regarded as the daughter of the best whaler and weaver in the Makah tribe during the 1920s until being orphaned recently. Her world is rapidly changing as Native American traditions and way of life are being threatened by foreigners overhunting whales and mill industries expelling pulp and paper pollution that is poisoning rivers and depleting salmon populations. The Makah have to find different ways to earn money and many are heading toward cities, factories, and dangerous timber jobs. Pearl is not sure what she wants to do with her life and muses, "I would have to learn something of value now that the power had gone out of my name." When a trickster tries to con her villagers out of their natural resources, Pearl realizes that she must be the storyteller or voice of her people preserving their traditions and rich past.
*spoiler alert*
The controversial messages in this book could take on a preachy tone, but the author avoids that trap with understatements that are more powerful than lectures. When the con man wants to celebrate with her family by drinking whiskey, Pearl reveals a repeated saying by her uncle, "Whiskey was invented for the purpose of stealing from Indians." That loaded sentence reveals a painful past full of the exploitation of Native Americans by foreigners. One of the few times there is a speech of some sort it is laden with wisdom and hope. Pearl's grandma spoke at the potlatch,"I believe the whales have seen the greed of the big whaling ships. They have gone deep, they have taken my son, our finest whaler, with them. They will wait in the deep for men to change their ways. And we will wait with them." She continues to exhort the listeners to honor the whales even when they are gone. "For I believe, I do believe our whales will come back to us one day." Adding strain to the community was a law banning the practice of the potlatch, a gift-giving feast where lavish gifts were given or destroyed and reciprocated. Pearl explains how another tribe was not able to reciprocate after her tribe gave them most of their goods, adding to their lack of food. By disrupting the potlatch, the government disrupted the Native Americans economic system.
Some of the transitions between chapters were confusing and I lost my sense of place. I had to go back and reread some sections, such as when it looks like Pearl is going to take the canoe and follow the men after the potlatch and then doesn't. The Pitch Woman is mentioned as some scary person that kept Pearl from going off into the night but the story isn't revealed to the reader. The author says in the notes at the end that she didn't explain the Pitch Woman or the Timber Giant story out of respect for the Native Americans and feeling that they are not her stories to tell but theirs.The reader gets the gist that it is a Boogey-man type story but I was confused not realizing it was to scare Pearl into not going after the men. I can't ever recall an author purposefully weakening their story out of respect for a culture. This act shows tremendous empathy for the Makah people and their traditions. Perhaps she could have invented her own story to strengthen the chapter.
The characters are distinct from each other and easy to visualize. Pearl describes cousin Charlie as a "hunter of applause." He is a bit lazy, yet good at entertaining and assessing people. He sees that the white man doesn't understand that his grandpa wants him to observe him making a mask so he graciously offers his seat directing the adults in a way that makes everyone not be annoyed with each other. Henry, the oldest cousin, is kind and willing to bend traditions when changes mean the best option for the family. He's not afraid to publicly disagree with others, but isn't disagreeable in the process; hence, people listen to him. Pearl is less diplomatic and more blunt but she's so good at observing others that the epilogue suggests she learns how to be a leader herself and like her father, she finds strength in the stories of her heritage.
The author shows Pearl's grief over the death of her parents from anger to sadness. Pearl is angry at her Aunt Loula who has never lost any member of her family and who criticizes Pearl's lack of talent at basket-weaving. Pearl hangs onto a shell of her mothers and rubs it whenever she wonders what her mother would have done in a difficult situation. In a moving scene she releases the shell into the ocean so her father can find it in case he is alive underwater with the whales and needs a sign of sacrifice from her. She is moving toward the comfort of the memory of her parents found not in an object, but in her mind.
The prejudiced shown toward the Makahs is seen at the department store and theater. The girls at the counter paid no attention to Pearl and her cousin, Ida. At the theater a mom blatantly got up and moved when Pearl's family sat down in the aisle. Charlie poked fun by imitating a snobbish woman resulting in his family laughing off the shunning. Minority groups all have stories about being looked down upon. I have my own overseas stories. I, too, choose to laugh. But sometimes it is hard to overlook as Pearl describes at the theater: "We had paid the same cash price for a ticket, but their silent indifference said you don't belong here, as clear as shouting. Charlie Chaplin was as funny as ever, but this time I didn't laugh." Parry's story makes me think I should work harder at understanding the culture I am living in. If she can make sense of the Native Americans, then I can maybe make more sense of my surroundings in a Chinese culture. Whether I'm successful or not it doesn't matter. I just need to work harder to open that window pane and crawl into the cultural candy shop.
Pearl Shaw was honored and highly regarded as the daughter of the best whaler and weaver in the Makah tribe during the 1920s until being orphaned recently. Her world is rapidly changing as Native American traditions and way of life are being threatened by foreigners overhunting whales and mill industries expelling pulp and paper pollution that is poisoning rivers and depleting salmon populations. The Makah have to find different ways to earn money and many are heading toward cities, factories, and dangerous timber jobs. Pearl is not sure what she wants to do with her life and muses, "I would have to learn something of value now that the power had gone out of my name." When a trickster tries to con her villagers out of their natural resources, Pearl realizes that she must be the storyteller or voice of her people preserving their traditions and rich past.
*spoiler alert*
The controversial messages in this book could take on a preachy tone, but the author avoids that trap with understatements that are more powerful than lectures. When the con man wants to celebrate with her family by drinking whiskey, Pearl reveals a repeated saying by her uncle, "Whiskey was invented for the purpose of stealing from Indians." That loaded sentence reveals a painful past full of the exploitation of Native Americans by foreigners. One of the few times there is a speech of some sort it is laden with wisdom and hope. Pearl's grandma spoke at the potlatch,"I believe the whales have seen the greed of the big whaling ships. They have gone deep, they have taken my son, our finest whaler, with them. They will wait in the deep for men to change their ways. And we will wait with them." She continues to exhort the listeners to honor the whales even when they are gone. "For I believe, I do believe our whales will come back to us one day." Adding strain to the community was a law banning the practice of the potlatch, a gift-giving feast where lavish gifts were given or destroyed and reciprocated. Pearl explains how another tribe was not able to reciprocate after her tribe gave them most of their goods, adding to their lack of food. By disrupting the potlatch, the government disrupted the Native Americans economic system.
Some of the transitions between chapters were confusing and I lost my sense of place. I had to go back and reread some sections, such as when it looks like Pearl is going to take the canoe and follow the men after the potlatch and then doesn't. The Pitch Woman is mentioned as some scary person that kept Pearl from going off into the night but the story isn't revealed to the reader. The author says in the notes at the end that she didn't explain the Pitch Woman or the Timber Giant story out of respect for the Native Americans and feeling that they are not her stories to tell but theirs.The reader gets the gist that it is a Boogey-man type story but I was confused not realizing it was to scare Pearl into not going after the men. I can't ever recall an author purposefully weakening their story out of respect for a culture. This act shows tremendous empathy for the Makah people and their traditions. Perhaps she could have invented her own story to strengthen the chapter.
The characters are distinct from each other and easy to visualize. Pearl describes cousin Charlie as a "hunter of applause." He is a bit lazy, yet good at entertaining and assessing people. He sees that the white man doesn't understand that his grandpa wants him to observe him making a mask so he graciously offers his seat directing the adults in a way that makes everyone not be annoyed with each other. Henry, the oldest cousin, is kind and willing to bend traditions when changes mean the best option for the family. He's not afraid to publicly disagree with others, but isn't disagreeable in the process; hence, people listen to him. Pearl is less diplomatic and more blunt but she's so good at observing others that the epilogue suggests she learns how to be a leader herself and like her father, she finds strength in the stories of her heritage.
The author shows Pearl's grief over the death of her parents from anger to sadness. Pearl is angry at her Aunt Loula who has never lost any member of her family and who criticizes Pearl's lack of talent at basket-weaving. Pearl hangs onto a shell of her mothers and rubs it whenever she wonders what her mother would have done in a difficult situation. In a moving scene she releases the shell into the ocean so her father can find it in case he is alive underwater with the whales and needs a sign of sacrifice from her. She is moving toward the comfort of the memory of her parents found not in an object, but in her mind.
The prejudiced shown toward the Makahs is seen at the department store and theater. The girls at the counter paid no attention to Pearl and her cousin, Ida. At the theater a mom blatantly got up and moved when Pearl's family sat down in the aisle. Charlie poked fun by imitating a snobbish woman resulting in his family laughing off the shunning. Minority groups all have stories about being looked down upon. I have my own overseas stories. I, too, choose to laugh. But sometimes it is hard to overlook as Pearl describes at the theater: "We had paid the same cash price for a ticket, but their silent indifference said you don't belong here, as clear as shouting. Charlie Chaplin was as funny as ever, but this time I didn't laugh." Parry's story makes me think I should work harder at understanding the culture I am living in. If she can make sense of the Native Americans, then I can maybe make more sense of my surroundings in a Chinese culture. Whether I'm successful or not it doesn't matter. I just need to work harder to open that window pane and crawl into the cultural candy shop.
August 2, 2013
Originally posted at City of Books
I've never read anything like Written in Stone before, so I was surprised at how much I liked it! I've always liked historical fiction, so I loved reading about the Makah people and their culture. I've actually read a little bit about the Inuits, commonly known as Eskimos, and I found the whaling tradition of the Makah quite similar to the narwhal hunting of the Inuits. Written in Stone is such an inspiring story, and I seriously recommend this one for kids and adults alike.
This book is set in the 1920s, where Pearl is the only daughter of a famous whaler. When her father never returns one day after a hunt, Pearl realizes she's lost him forever like she lost her mother, and her life begins to change. We learn about the Makah tribe and the difficulties they face, as well as the determination of a girl willing to do anything to save her tribe and survive.
Pearl is an incredible protagonist. I empathized with her so easily, and I loved her strength and wisdom. She has just become an orphan, but she doesn't sit and mope around. She tries to do whatever she can to help her family survive. Learning to weave even though no one in her tribe can teach her, thwarting a fake art collector, saving her tribe's land, immortalizing her family's tradition... She does it all, though she's just a girl. Since this book is set in the 1920s, there is of course a lot of gender discrimination. But Pearl transcends that, and I find that really amazing.
This book is basically a flashback from Pearl when she's a grandmother, and the prologue and epilogue are set in present time, which is 1999. The epilogue is one of the best I've ever come across! Olden tradition blended beautifully with that of modern time, and it almost brought tears to my eyes. Also, the author's note at the end of the book is really important to read if you love history and culture. Rosanne Parry explains most of the Makah traditions, and I really enjoyed reading all of that. It puts the book into context better, and you get a better sense of Pearl's lifestyle and environment. All in all, this is an amazing historical novel, and it definitely got me interested in more books like this! I'd love to find out more about other tribes and how they're faring in the present.
*Thank you to Rosanne Parry and Random House for providing an ARC for review*
I've never read anything like Written in Stone before, so I was surprised at how much I liked it! I've always liked historical fiction, so I loved reading about the Makah people and their culture. I've actually read a little bit about the Inuits, commonly known as Eskimos, and I found the whaling tradition of the Makah quite similar to the narwhal hunting of the Inuits. Written in Stone is such an inspiring story, and I seriously recommend this one for kids and adults alike.
This book is set in the 1920s, where Pearl is the only daughter of a famous whaler. When her father never returns one day after a hunt, Pearl realizes she's lost him forever like she lost her mother, and her life begins to change. We learn about the Makah tribe and the difficulties they face, as well as the determination of a girl willing to do anything to save her tribe and survive.
Pearl is an incredible protagonist. I empathized with her so easily, and I loved her strength and wisdom. She has just become an orphan, but she doesn't sit and mope around. She tries to do whatever she can to help her family survive. Learning to weave even though no one in her tribe can teach her, thwarting a fake art collector, saving her tribe's land, immortalizing her family's tradition... She does it all, though she's just a girl. Since this book is set in the 1920s, there is of course a lot of gender discrimination. But Pearl transcends that, and I find that really amazing.
This book is basically a flashback from Pearl when she's a grandmother, and the prologue and epilogue are set in present time, which is 1999. The epilogue is one of the best I've ever come across! Olden tradition blended beautifully with that of modern time, and it almost brought tears to my eyes. Also, the author's note at the end of the book is really important to read if you love history and culture. Rosanne Parry explains most of the Makah traditions, and I really enjoyed reading all of that. It puts the book into context better, and you get a better sense of Pearl's lifestyle and environment. All in all, this is an amazing historical novel, and it definitely got me interested in more books like this! I'd love to find out more about other tribes and how they're faring in the present.
*Thank you to Rosanne Parry and Random House for providing an ARC for review*
November 16, 2017
This book relates the story of Pearl, a young American Indian girl in the 1920s- a member of the Makah Nation and her desire to participate in her tribe's whale hunts. However, commercial whaling and over exploitation of the whale population by non-Indians takes away the tribe's ability to keep the hunts as a part of their culture. Tumultuous events, such as the deaths of her mother and sister from the world wide flu epidemic that circled the globe after World War One; her father being lost during a whale hunt and change her tribe experiences in the 1920s brings many challenges to Pearl. However, she survives and as an elderly woman decades later; is able to see the Makah resurrect many of their traditions and aspects of their culture.
The author Rosanne Parry, spent years teaching among the Native American Indian communities of the Pacific Northwest. Her novel is well researched and an authentic portrayal of one American Indian girl's life during the 1920s. WRITTEN IN STONE has been loved and embraced by children of all backgrounds. Including American Indian children of Pacific Northwest tribal nations. I myself am an American Indian and former children's librarian. I can attest to children loving the story of Pearl and her adventures. American Indian children I knew who read this book were so very excited about it. As a former children's librarian; I was very happy to see that Pearl appears on the book's cover illustrations. I highly recommend this book.
The author Rosanne Parry, spent years teaching among the Native American Indian communities of the Pacific Northwest. Her novel is well researched and an authentic portrayal of one American Indian girl's life during the 1920s. WRITTEN IN STONE has been loved and embraced by children of all backgrounds. Including American Indian children of Pacific Northwest tribal nations. I myself am an American Indian and former children's librarian. I can attest to children loving the story of Pearl and her adventures. American Indian children I knew who read this book were so very excited about it. As a former children's librarian; I was very happy to see that Pearl appears on the book's cover illustrations. I highly recommend this book.
January 3, 2014
This story, told from the viewpoint of a young Makah girl, daughter of a whaler/storyteller, is lovely. It takes place after WW1, and is a piece of Native history that I haven't read much about. Everything is in transition, and it's pretty clear which direction things are moving. Parry writes with sensitivity and delicacy, but manages to communicate the grief underlying the events unfolding with clarity and emotional impact. I loved the device of the first and last chapters being in the very-near past, it was a relief to know that some of the old ways were saved.
I'm sometimes impatient with afterwords, wishing that the story could just stand alone, but the afterword here I liked- though I'm not sure it was essential.
Review copy provided by the publisher.
I'm sometimes impatient with afterwords, wishing that the story could just stand alone, but the afterword here I liked- though I'm not sure it was essential.
Review copy provided by the publisher.
January 30, 2016
Thirteen-year-old Pearl’s world was changing. It is 1923, but her villager’s way of life seemed to be gone forever when their best hunters spent weeks on the ocean but couldn’t find whales. For generations, the Makah tribe hunted whales surviving on its bounty, but commercial ships and the white man’s way of life changed everything for them.
Read the rest of my review on my blog (don't forget to follow my blog!): http://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.c...
Read the rest of my review on my blog (don't forget to follow my blog!): http://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.c...
July 18, 2013
3.5 stars
Good historical fiction about a people not included much if at all in children's fiction. There are universal themes (loss of parent, changing times, differences between generations) along with some subjects more unique to the Makah people of the story (exploitation by white people, cultural preservation, loss of land and sea). I appreciated Parry's notes at the end, which gave more background on the Makah and why she wrote this story, and the respect with which she approached writing about a culture not her own. I am curious how Makah people may feel about this book.
Good historical fiction about a people not included much if at all in children's fiction. There are universal themes (loss of parent, changing times, differences between generations) along with some subjects more unique to the Makah people of the story (exploitation by white people, cultural preservation, loss of land and sea). I appreciated Parry's notes at the end, which gave more background on the Makah and why she wrote this story, and the respect with which she approached writing about a culture not her own. I am curious how Makah people may feel about this book.
July 31, 2013
The Makah tribe of the Pacific Northwest were whale hunters....in canoes. They told the story of the Raven, and told his story through dance and exquisite costumes. They believed in terrible creatures such as the Timber Giant, and lived in a beautiful world of forests bordered by the Pacific.
Pearl tells a story of her family in the early 1900's and how their world changes to adapt to the changing times. It is a very interesting reflection of being culturally sensitive to telling the native-American perspective.
August 20, 2013
I loved this one not only because of the strong young heroine who was so strong physically, mentally and emotionally, or because of the insights into an old culture, or because of way the characters had to think outside of the traditional box they were used to in order to survive; but I loved that it took place on the Washington coast where I visited many times as a kid! Two summers ago we hiked and camped on the beach by La Push! I know this was a good book because nearly a month after reading it I still think of this girl and what she did!
October 27, 2013
I loved Roseanne Parry's first novel Heart of a Shepherd that was a beautifully written novel about a young boy discovering his religious calling -- a topic rarely found in young adults novels. In Written in Stone, Parry using historical fiction again to tell the story Pearl and Native American young woman from the Pacific Northwest who discovers who she is while learning more about her tribe. We see many of the critical issues facing tribes in the 1920 as they cope with treaty violations, exploitation and assimilation efforts.
November 10, 2013
The Makah have a long tradition of whale hunts to provide for the tribe. But on this hunt, which became their last, Pearl's father died and the whales have disappeared. Having lost her mother and brother in the influenza epidemic five years earlier, Pearl has never felt more alone. Now she must figure out where where she fits both in the changing tribe and the modern world outside it. And how will the tribe survive without the whales that they depended on? This is a timeless tale of finding one's place in society and balancing old traditions with new ideas. Recommended for grades 5-8.
December 3, 2013
This book made me think about my own grandmother (age 94) and the history of our family. Thankfully, we have lots of writers in my family that remind me of the main character, Pearl, who keeps the record of her people. Pearl captured my attention and pulled at my heartstrings, from the beginning right through to the end. A beautiful adventure story that all ages could enjoy. So glad I picked up this book this morning!
July 25, 2013
This was a very strong story. Though the story was fictional, it is based on the Makah tribes back in the twenties. I enjoyed the familiarity of this story and kind of wish there were more like it of puget sound tribes. The story is told from the perspective of Pearl Carver and all he encounters as the world of her tribe and family changes. A very powerful story and an easy yet interesting read.
July 23, 2013
I liked this better than I thought I would. The young girl is a strong personality and we see her struggle with the tension between change and tradition. Framed by a current story, the novel's story focuses on the post-WWi period. Details of tribal life and the relationships among the groups in the region paints a picture of the region that isn't often available.
July 17, 2014
Rosanne Parry has gotten a lot of flack for this book, and I think that's unfair. I found it to be a sensitively written, sincere attempt at writing great historical fiction with a native main character. It was a good story that celebrated native life in the pacific Northwest in the 1920s. Well done.
October 24, 2013
The narrative is slow, but I think that actually added to the story. I liked Pearl's resolve (and sometimes pigheadedness) and the way the novel was not just about her finding her footing, but her entire tribe finding their footing.
February 23, 2014
Unlike some reviewers, I tore through this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm thrilled to have a novel to support the 4th grade Washington state history curriculum, especially from the point of view of a young, Makah girl.
July 1, 2013
A beautifully written book. I appreciate how respectful she is of the native traditions. Don't forget to have a box of Kleenex handy!
January 21, 2014
I really liked this one, especially the end matter. The amount of respect with which Parry treats the community she is writing about and the topics is astounding. An excellent title.
July 10, 2014
Really well done book about a Native American girl in 1920s Pacific Northwest. Would make great school-related reading for middle grade (4th-8th grade) students, especially in the Pacific Northwest.
March 8, 2019
If you want a much longer, detailed discussion about how this book fails to properly depict Indigenous children in literature, please see this blog post between a reviewer and the author:
https://americanindiansinchildrenslit...
If you want a shorter reason why this jumps out as problematic, here it goes: This story is authored by a non-Indigenous person who has taken it upon their shoulders to put a "child of color" on the cover of a book. Armed with good intentions, the writing begins and the author really wants to "do things right." However.... if you know anything about American Indians you should know that anytime someone says they are a "Native American princess" people roll their eyes. Read a few pages into this book where the child protagonist is talking about being a "princess" and you realize that even though the author had good intentions, they didn't do enough research--there is no such thing as a Makah princess. The author also suggests children were playing "pirates and Indians" which again.... so problematic! Skips over any relevant discussion of the Makah whale hunt of the 1990s because author decides children wouldn't understand. Ugh.
Short version: Author meant well but author failed to provide pivotal Makah children's fiction. This is, at best, Indigenous children's literature through a very White lens.
Note: I know some of you will wonder, so I'll answer before you have to ask. I have zero problem with non-Indigenous people writing Indigenous characters into their fiction. I don't mind what genre they wish to tackle. I merely ask that they do some research before adding to generalizations and stereotypes that Indigenous people have been combatting since colonization. If you cannot write a female Indigenous character without using "princess" terminology, you have not done the research.
https://americanindiansinchildrenslit...
If you want a shorter reason why this jumps out as problematic, here it goes: This story is authored by a non-Indigenous person who has taken it upon their shoulders to put a "child of color" on the cover of a book. Armed with good intentions, the writing begins and the author really wants to "do things right." However.... if you know anything about American Indians you should know that anytime someone says they are a "Native American princess" people roll their eyes. Read a few pages into this book where the child protagonist is talking about being a "princess" and you realize that even though the author had good intentions, they didn't do enough research--there is no such thing as a Makah princess. The author also suggests children were playing "pirates and Indians" which again.... so problematic! Skips over any relevant discussion of the Makah whale hunt of the 1990s because author decides children wouldn't understand. Ugh.
Short version: Author meant well but author failed to provide pivotal Makah children's fiction. This is, at best, Indigenous children's literature through a very White lens.
Note: I know some of you will wonder, so I'll answer before you have to ask. I have zero problem with non-Indigenous people writing Indigenous characters into their fiction. I don't mind what genre they wish to tackle. I merely ask that they do some research before adding to generalizations and stereotypes that Indigenous people have been combatting since colonization. If you cannot write a female Indigenous character without using "princess" terminology, you have not done the research.
September 27, 2019
Great historical fiction for kids between 9-14. There are so many topics to explore as one read this book. I learned things about Makah and Quinault cultures that I didn't know about. It's neat how Quinault speakers say the months of the year which starts in April (Pangwuh?am Huhnsha?ha-Time When the Geese Go By) and end in March (Panjans-Time of the Sprouts) which is poetic and visual descriptive. I love to learn new languages and how speakers see the world through their language. Following a young Makah girl named Pearl, daughter of Whalers, in this story just gives you an idea why many Natives may be suspicious or not trusting to outsiders. The community is awesome but you can see that the family unit are the ones who stay with you, in good and tough times. By the way, the writer isn't Native and she doesn't know everything. She did her research and perhaps worked with some Natives along the way; she also recommend some books for the readers to research and learn on their own about the Makah and Quinault and the people of the Pacific NW. I appreciate this white middle class woman writing from a point of view of a young girl, not sharing her cultural identity and doing in a respectful way. For example, Ms. Parry didn't try to find the secrets of the Whalers or anything private about that culture to share. Some things are meant for certain groups of people to know and not for outsiders to know.
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