book data
1,692 ratings,
3.68
average rating, 207 reviews
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published
1993
(first published 1984)
by Dell
binding
Paperback
literary awards
Newbery Medal, The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
isbn
0440779030
description
When his father returns East to collect the rest of the family, 13-year-old Matt is left alone to guard his family's newly built homestead. One day, ...more
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avg 3.68
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
anyone
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Read in April, 2009
2.5 stars
This book was a well-written and entertaining boy-coming-of-age-in-nature story in the same genre as books like My Side of the Mountain, Summer of the Monkeys, and Where the Red Fern Grows. However, since it as copyrighted in 1983, and concerns Indians, I couldn't help but be wary of it, especially considering that it is a Newbery Honor book that I remember was required reading for most 4th graders when I was in elementary school. While the portrayal of Native Americans in...more
This book was a well-written and entertaining boy-coming-of-age-in-nature story in the same genre as books like My Side of the Mountain, Summer of the Monkeys, and Where the Red Fern Grows. However, since it as copyrighted in 1983, and concerns Indians, I couldn't help but be wary of it, especially considering that it is a Newbery Honor book that I remember was required reading for most 4th graders when I was in elementary school. While the portrayal of Native Americans in...more
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Read in December, 2007
An amazing story of a young man left to dfend his family's new homestead in Maine as his father travels back to MA to bring back his mother and siblings. During his time alone, he is comes to depend on the Native inhabitants of the region and learns about cultural differences between them.
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Read in April, 2008
This was a quick one. The thing I like about Elizabeth Goerge Speare is how she makes a place and time come alive. When I read her books I feel like I'm in the story. This was a lovely story about a white boy all by himself and what he learns from an Indian boy. A nice, quick read.
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Read in December, 2008
belajar tuh bisa dari sapa aja. mo belajar baca tulis pergilah ke si muka pucat. kalo mo belajar berburu dan membaca jejak, datanglah ke si kulit merah. getoooo....
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Read in September, 2008
recommended to Megan by:
Mrs. Messmanrecommends it for: EVERYONE!
WOW!!! Awsome book! I read it as a school requirement, all night. It's a shorter book but has so much meaning you really have to think about what Matt (Main Character) goes through.
In the very beggining of the book you find out that Matt who has lived in Massachussetts all his life, now has to move to the Territory of Maine (Takes place in the late 1700's) Together Matt and his dad build a cabin, plant crops and set up their land. It is then that Matt is told by his father that he'll...more
In the very beggining of the book you find out that Matt who has lived in Massachussetts all his life, now has to move to the Territory of Maine (Takes place in the late 1700's) Together Matt and his dad build a cabin, plant crops and set up their land. It is then that Matt is told by his father that he'll...more
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Read in January, 2009
I stumbled across this one while at the library with my kids and having read one of Speare's works before, I thought that I would give it a try. This is a period piece set in the early colonizing period of the United States, the mid 1700s. It tells of a 12 year old boy, left alone to watch over his family's new homestead and the relationship he forms with an Indian young man. The writing captures the essence of what life was like during this time, and exemplifies how the two boys can both tea...more
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A book that I reread now and again- set in the wilderness of Maine. Matt is left by his dad to keep the crop and cabin going while he goes back to get Mom and the younger kids. The mishaps pile up, a rifle stolen, a destructive bear foraging, and then Matt is stung by a hive of bees. Facing certain death, Matt is rescued by local Indians, his payment to them is to teach reading to a young brave who will be a leader in the tribe. A thorny relationship develops between the boys. Matt gains respect...more
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Read in August, 2008
it is a class book!!!!! kind of boring, but not always.
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Read in March, 1999
This well-written children's book did a great job showing what life was like for early American settlers and what kinds of relationships they were capable of having with the American Indians when they cooperated. This depicted a young boy who was asked to hold down the fort all by himself--I think he was about twelve years old--in a gesture of trust and a weight of responsibility that would never be put on a kid in our time. The child is able to hold his own once he accepts help from an Indian...more
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Read in November, 2007
In this book, "The Sign of the BEAVER," it talks about boy named Matt who tries to learn to hunt for himself. It can also be said as an transition from his boyhood to manhood. When his father leaves to retrieve the rest of his family, he has to learn to survive on his own. Later he meets Attean, who learn to speak English. Together, both Matt and Attean learn a lot about each other. I do not understand why Matt's father would leave him by himself? It doesnt make sense. I think it is w...more
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Read in March, 2008
I was assigned to read this book for one of my classes. I didn't think I would, but I ended up really enjoying this book! It is actually geared towards young adults, but I throughly enjoyed it! It would be a good book to get a young male interested in reading. Elizabeth George Speare has a way of writing that makes you feel like you are right there with the characters.
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I think I first read this book because Lisa was reading it in elementary school, and I was hooked! I LOVE historical fiction, and EGS writes it well! It made me think of how unforseen circumstances in those pioneer times could often be the difference between life or death! The relationship between the two boys, pioneer and Indian, is strong and well defined.
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Read in November, 2008
When left alone on a Maine homestead while his Father goes to fetch the rest of the family from MA, 12 year old Matt is helped by a local Indian tribe. As he teaches the chiefs grandson to read, the boy teaches him to be self-sufficient. very interesting...lots of how-to info, sad reality of native people being displaced, differences between cultures
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I wrote a review about this book before our class discussion. Even though this book won both the John Newberry Medal and The Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award among many other awards and honors and I still feel there were positive messages in the book, I can see the need to think twice about teaching it. I went to check the website oyate.org which is, to quote their site, "...a Native organization working to see that our lives and histories are portrayed honestly, and so that all peo...more
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Read in September, 2008
I had forgotten how much I like the "adventure" style books from my youth. :) While this one doesn't have the same magnitude of excitement that books like Robinson Crusoe or My Side of the Mountain have, it has the same sense of intrigue and anticipation. I particularly liked the appreciation the main character (Matt) develops throughout the book. At the beginning, he idolizes his father, who is treating Matt like a man as they work to clear the land, plant the crops, and build the...more
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recommends it for:
everyone
Matt is a young boy on the brink of becoming a young man in colonial America. He is left alone in a small cabin in Maine, while his father goes to fetch his mother and sister. Matt befriends an Indian boy whose father wants him to learn English. In return, the Indian boy teaches Matt about the forest, the animals, and what it means to become a man. After months Matt wonders if his family will return. As winter approaches he must make the difficult decision to go with the Indians or stay and wait...more
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recommended to Ashley by:
my mom :)
recommends it for: 5th graders and kids at heart of all ages :)
recommends it for: 5th graders and kids at heart of all ages :)
I forgot what a great book this was considering it was a long time ago...5th grade, woo woo! :) but over the holidays, my mom mentioned the book to my sister as a great read for her 5th graders so I went to revisit it and I was reminded what a touching and relevant book it is..nice walk down memory lane there! :)
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Read in November, 2008
Imagine being 12 years old and left to fend for yourself while your dad gets the rest of the family. A scary and yet exciting thought. This was an excellent book. It reminded me of Hatchet, another great book about survival. I enjoyed the interaction between Attean, the native American neighbor, and Matt, the "white boy". Truly a great book about friends, family, and survival.
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Read in February, 2009
O.k. so she is one on my favorite authors now. This is the 3rd book of hers I have read, 1 more to go. The book was good, it is so informative on the living practices of the settlers and the indians. This white teenagers boy learns so much from a teenager Indian boy, survival and a new way of thinking.
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