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The Porcupine Year (The Birchbark House)

3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 · rating details · 321 ratings · 93 reviews

Here follows the story of a most extraordinary year in the life of an Ojibwe family and of a girl named "Omakayas," or Little Frog, who lived a year of flight and adventure, pain and joy, in 1852.

When Omakayas is twelve winters old, she and her family set off on a harrowing journey. They travel by canoe westward from the shores of Lake Superior along the rivers of northe...more

Hardcover, 208 pages

Published September 2nd 2008 by HarperCollins (first published 2008)

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Jul 03, 2008 Betsy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Louise Erdrich writes The Birchbark House. It becomes a National Book Award Finalist. No surprises there. Louise Erdrich writes The Game of Silence. It does slightly better than its predecessor and wins the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Very good, but still not surprising. Now the third book in Erdrich’s "Birchbark House books” (surely there’s a better name for them, right?) is present and accounted for. The Porcupine Year picks up where the last book left off without a glitch, hi...more Louise Erdrich writes The Birchbark House. It becomes a National Book Award Finalist. No surprises there. Louise Erdrich writes The Game of Silence. It does slightly better than its predecessor and wins the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Very good, but still not surprising. Now the third book in Erdrich’s "Birchbark House books” (surely there’s a better name for them, right?) is present and accounted for. The Porcupine Year picks up where the last book left off without a glitch, hitch, or hiccup. Readers who have never read Erdrich’s books in this series, or who haven’t seen them in a very long time won’t need much help in catching up and understanding Erdrich’s magnificent world. How far will this latest installment in the chronicles of Omakayas and her family go? It remains to be seen. The only thing I can say with certainty is that The Porcupine Year does not disappoint. It gives the series a richness and fullness it might not have had before.

It’s 1852 and 12-year-old Omakayas and her Ojibwe family are traveling west to escape the expansion of the white settlers encroaching on their land. In trying to decide where to go next, the family and their companions must choose a route. At last they decide to go north to be reunited with family there. All too soon the trip turns more perilous than anyone expected. There are other tribes to avoid, lost children to take care of, fires to escape, and a traitor whose actions bring about the death of a beloved character. Still, through it all Omakayas keeps a clear head and a loving heart. An Author’s Note at the end offers additional information on the Ojibwe language and its many dialects. A glossary provides pronunciations and definitions of Ojibwe terms.

How do you recount a story about a people in dire peril of losing their way of life without making the book deeply, deathly, oppressively depressing? Some people would go the opposite direction and try to stuff the book full of false hopes and forced cheer. Credit Erdrich with indulging in none of this. Which is not to say that the book isn't often funny. As always, she has a sense of humor and what I liked most about The Porcupine Year was how that sense of the absurd filters in right from the start. At the beginning of the book Omakayas's brother Pinch gets a faceful of porcupine quills (the accompanying picture is worth the cover price alone). Then, when he and Omakayas return home to find their family convinced that the kids are dead, the boy has the audacity to suggest that it would be a perfect time for the siblings to cover themselves in flour and pretend that they are ghosts of themselves. That right there sets the tone for the rest of the book. On the one hand you have people dealing with very real issues and grief too huge to name. On the other hand, you have characters that key into the wonderful absurdity of life. You have people like Pinch who aren’t afraid to get a little profane, even when people’s hearts are panting on the floor (to steal a phrase). And an author who can strike that balance and strike it well is an author you should keep a close eye on. You never know where they’re going to lead you next.

What also helps the book along is Erdrich’s sense of how people really are and how they act when they’re under stress. Sometimes you see the best in them, but more often than not you get all their insecurities and concerns on parade for everyone to see. There’s a wonderful moment when Pinch (now Quill) is returned from a capture by his father Deydey that puts his mother’s emotions on perfect display. Look at how Erdrich describes the scene. “Yellow Kettle always confused her affection with anger, and even as she put her head against Deydey’s chest, she gave a furious shake of her hand at Quill and cuffed at him before he darted away.” These little details make the book worth reading. I love the loving insults Omakayas and her brother throw at one another in the morning and how much she misses them when he gets distracted with other matters.

As with the Little House on the Prairie books (a series these books are often compared to), the characters in Erdrich’s world learn and grow. I’m going to be sad indeed when Quill is too old to pull pranks and drive his sister nuts. Or when Two Strike isn’t a headstrong hellion anymore. As with the previous books there’s plenty of hardship, pain, and sorrow to this series. Yet there’s always that tempering of the bleak with hope. The Porcupine Year serves to satisfy old fans and lure in new ones. Wherever Omakayas’s journey takes her, we’ll be poor indeed if we can’t come along. A worthy companion piece.

Ages 8-12(less)

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Jan 17, 2009 Eva Mitnick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children, historical-fiction

Louise Erdrich has always struck me as being a particularly warm and accessible writer, for whom humor is never far away and who can write about tragic events with a poignancy that never veers into pathos.

The Porcupine Year is the third – but not the last – in the series about an Ojibwe girl named Omakayas and her close-knit extended family. The Porcupine Year relates the events of the year 1852, during which the family is uprooted from their beloved home next to Lake Superior in Minnesota all...more

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May 03, 2011 kari rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, 5-star, childrens-books

Beautiful.
This book has more action that the previous two in this series and I liked that, even though I did like the gentleness of the first two as well.
Omakayas and her family have been forced to leave their home and this book is all about what happens on their travels, both the good and the bad.
I enjoy the writing of this series a great deal. It is very vivid and the descriptions are lovely while not being overdone. I like to know how things look or feel, but don't need page after page of a...more

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Nov 02, 2010 Kate Winkler rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book did not interest me at all. It was boring and did not grab my attention. It reminded me of a book that I would dread reading in middle school. As a future teacher I want to be sure to choose books that I feel will interest my students. My goal is to engage them in reading and keep them interested in it. This book would not be at the top of my lists when choosing books for my students.
I tend to have an interest in books that I can relate to and this might be a reason why this book did...more

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Oct 31, 2010 Connie rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was really boring! I think young adults would have trouble keeping interest in this book. I think it tells a good story—the natives being pushed off their land by the whites. However, the way it was written was just boring and uninteresting. I could not pay attention to it. I found myself rereading a lot of the passages. It definitely didn’t connect with me.

With that said, I did not hate the book. It wasn’t pleasurable to read and I wouldn’t read it again. However, I do respect the imp...more

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Feb 16, 2010 Parry Rigney rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, kid-lit

The Porcupine Year is the sequel to Louise Erdrich's The Birchbark House and The Game of Silence. I know I would have loved these books as a child, and I love them now.

The stories follow the lives of Omakayas, a young Ojibwe girl, and her family, in the mid 19th century. What I enjoy most about these stories are the memorable characters I feel I've come to know and love. I also enjoyed reading about the details of the family's everyday life.

While the books are often very funny, and describe many...more

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Aug 18, 2009 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-literature, fiction, historical-fiction, reviewed-for-slj, young-adult-fiction

Gr 5-8-This sequel to The Birchbark House (Hyperion, 1999) and The Game of Silence (HarperCollins, 2005) continues the story of Omakayas, an Ojibwe girl who in 1852 is now 12 winters old. She and her family have been displaced by the United States government and are looking for a new place to live. When Omakayas and her younger brother become separated from their family during a night hunting expedition, Pinch has a run-in with a porcupine that he decides to keep as his medicine animal. The litt...more

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Jun 28, 2009 Elizabeth K. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-new-reads

Lovely, lovely story about an Ojibwe family living in the mid-19th century who are migrating westward as American settlers are slowing encroaching on traditional native lands. This is the third in a series. They're compared a lot to the Little House books, and there is something satisfying about seeing roughly the same era from the point of view of Native people. The illustrations even have a Garth Williams feel to them. Most of the action is from the view of 12 year old Omakayas, and includes f...more

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Jan 30, 2010 L- Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: multicultural-literature

The story unfolds with twelve year old Omakayas, an Ojibwe girl living in the mid 1800’s, hunting for food with her younger brother, Pinch. The children literally run into a porcupine who becomes the medicine animal for her brother then taking on the name Quill. This narrative flows beautifully as the reader experiences life of Native Americans, traveling to find new homes to settle as the United States government pushes them on. Through the eyes of Omakayas, we relate to this journey of hardshi...more

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Apr 23, 2009 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, juv

Okay, I'll confess - I put off reading this series because it sounded boring. It sounded earnest and dull. I picked up a copy of the first book, The Birchbark House and it's been sitting on my shelf, unread, for ages. Something else always sounded more enticing. But when The Porcupine Year showed up in School Library Journal's Battle of the Books, I picked it up. And I'm glad I did.

It's always an interesting experiment to jump into a series in midstream - this is the third book, and I believe E...more

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Feb 06, 2012 L12_Marie Schiller rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fic, mclit, native-american, e-source-movie, e-source-audio

The Porcupine Year is the third book in the Birchbark House series about the protagonist, Omakayas by Louise Eldrich. 12 year old Omakayas is an Ojibwe girl in 1852 America. This book is a heartwarming story that chronicles the struggles of Omakayas and her family as they search for a new safe place to live after being removed from their home by the United States government.

The story catches you from the beginning with banter between Omakayas and her brother Pinch. The banter soon turns to surv...more The Porcupine Year is the third book in the Birchbark House series about the protagonist, Omakayas by Louise Eldrich. 12 year old Omakayas is an Ojibwe girl in 1852 America. This book is a heartwarming story that chronicles the struggles of Omakayas and her family as they search for a new safe place to live after being removed from their home by the United States government.

The story catches you from the beginning with banter between Omakayas and her brother Pinch. The banter soon turns to survival and working together when they accidentally go over a waterfall. Humor replaces danger when Pinch saves a porcupine that later becomes his “medicine animal” and wants to live perched on his head! The two are reunited with their extended family and start their long journey north to start a new life. Numerous difficulties are thrown in their path as they make their way across the landscape. The reader lives one year of Omakayas’ life and learns about the customs, relationships and spiritual beliefs of this Ojibwe Native American family. The overwhelming theme of sticking together to survive continues throughout the entire book as the family encounters the cruelty of other Native Americans, starvation, abduction and death but ends with Omakayas’ coming of age when she receives her “first moon (puberty).” Along the way the reader gets to see how each situation, good and bad, is dealt with and thus learns a great deal about Native American culture.

I happen to love Native American symbolism and spiritualism and found myself really enjoying this book. Eldrich does a beautiful job of describing the setting so young readers can visualize not only the landscape but the mood and thoughts of the characters with simple but moving authentic dialogue. She is of Chippewa descent and clearly has an authentic perspective about the life of a Native American in this era. The pencil drawings although rare, also lent themsleves to the beauty of the book. I can see how this text won the ALA Notable Children’s Book Award.

It is suggested that the age range of this text is grade 3-8. I would suggest it not be used with 3rd to 5th grade children because of some of the “intense” material and the amount of background knowledge needed to comprehend the text. This possibly disturbing material includes a story about a person being eaten by dogs. In addition, there are many aspects of the book that need scaffolding. The names in the book are difficult to pronounce and I found myself confused as to which character was male or female. I was fortunate to have listened to the text on a CD and received the correct pronunciation. Younger students might become frustrated with the unusual names. I also have a great deal of background information about Native American rituals and beliefs and found it easy to fill in any gaps. Things like “spirit cloth”, medicine animal’ and “first moon” as well as the Native American symbolism and beliefs about nature would need to be discussed with children prior to reading. Discussions about the onset of puberty also need to be considered. Instructors need to make individual determinations as to the maturity of their students as well as their background knowledge. This is not a stand- alone text but may be offered toward the end of a unit on Native American life.

I did not read the other two books in the series, The Birchbark House and The Game of Silence but I look forward to doing so in the future.(less)

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Jun 10, 2009 Jan marked it as to-read

Recommended by Carolynne Lathrop:

"This is third in a series that began with The Birchbark House. In this book Omakayas, an Ojibwe, is a teenager, and struggles with what that means in her life, as she helps her family move from their beloved island, because of increasing white settlements. Their lives are challenged by a more difficult winter than some, and by the shameful betrayal by their Auntie Muskrat's husband. This is a very engaging book, in which Omakaya's relationship with her family (e...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Michale rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: child-s-play, ladies-first

Somehow I missed this when it came out. This is Erdrich's third book in the series tracing the life of an Ojibwe girl Omakayas (and her brother Pinch, renamed Quill) in the 1850s, as their family is forced by the American governmnet to relocate. The parallels to Laura Ingalls Wilder are obvious, and although I loved those books, these are exceptional, and include Erdrich's own illustrations. The Ojibwe (Chippewa) family life as presented is full of humor, love and empathy, including respect for...more

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Apr 20, 2009 Carmine rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: middle graders

Shelves: family, historical-fiction, juvenile-fiction, realistic-fiction, women-in-the-west

Third book in the Birchbark House series. Endearing family story of Omakayas and her family as they face hardship, betrayal and loss in the Great Lakes in 1852. Omakayas is on the cusp of becoming a young woman and experiences a shift in her relationships with others in her group. She still has an amusing, loving, but antagonistic relationship with her younger brother Quill. The lighter thread running through this tale is the porcupine who adopts Quill at the start of the story, riding around on...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Shonna Froebel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This historical novel is told from the point of view of Omakayas, a young Ojibwe girl in the 1800s. The Ojibwe were being driven out of their native lands by white settlement and relocating into areas already occupied by other tribes. As Omakayas and her family move north and west, they encounter difficult situations and a fight for survival.
This is a story of native history, of coming of age, and of family. The reader will learn some Ojibwe words along the way, with a glossary provided.
I've had...more

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Aug 10, 2011 gina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, children, historical-fiction, native-american

I thoroughly enjoyed The Porcupine Year. I didn't realize it was in the midst of a series and I will have to go back and read the others now... Erdrich does such a good job of transporting you to this Native American "slice" of history, helping you see the world through these first peoples eyes as they encounter European Americans. I felt I was there with them during the starving time. The children's adventures are sure to bring a smile to your face and I grew attached to the children's characte...more

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Nov 01, 2010 Staci Caputo rated it 2 of 5 stars

"The Porcupine Year" was an interesting book, but it was not my favorite. I feel like I really couldnt get into this book enough to where it made me want to read on. One part in this book really caught my attention and made the whole book seem to be about maturing and groing up. "Omakayas was no longer a little girl. She was that cratures somewhere between a chils and a woman. A person ready to test her intelligence." This really caught my attention becuase it is showing that she is a brave pers...more

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May 02, 2010 Scarlett Sims rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s, for-school, historical-fiction, leisure, multicultural, native-american, ya

I know three stars doesn't seem like much, but I've been deflating the ratings a bit because I felt like I was giving everything five stars and there wasn't quite enough stratification.

This is the third book in a series, but I haven't read the other two and this made a good standalone also. I would like to read the other two now. The only reason I gave it three stars was that even though I think it was well-written, it's just not my kind of book. I've never been into survival-type stories. It wa...more

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Mar 16, 2009 Deborah rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: kids

Although I hadn’t read the two earlier books in the series, I enjoyed this book thoroughly, and quickly grew to care for its characters: the thoughtful Omakayas, her feisty brother Quill, strong old Tallow with her beloved dogs, and a host of others. The setting is the Great Lakes regions of Minnesota and Wisconsin in 1852, and the action follows a small group of the Objibwa tribe as they journey to a new home, encountering sorrow and joy along the way. Woven through the narrative are grandmothe...more

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Nov 07, 2008 Monica Edinger rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrensliterature, award-worthy

Engrossing. Builds slowly and beautifully. As elegantly written as the previous book.

1 like · like · see review

Jan 18, 2009 GraceAnne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-teach

Darker, sadder, and even more beautiful than the first two in this gorgeous series.

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Jan 06, 2011 Travis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009

Two years after Omakayas and her family were forced to leave their island, they still haven't found a new permanent home. The Porcupine Year follows them through another year as they make their way north.[return][return]These books just keep getting better and better. I definitely liked this one best of all. It was a lot more of an adventure story than the first two.[return][return]Apparently there will be more books in the series, but considering the author's note says the next one will be abou...more

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Nov 20, 2008 Wendy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Wendy by: Heavy Medal blog

Shelves: 2008-award-possibilities

A great book! I think it's the best published-in-2008 book I've read; it's absorbing, funny, sad, exciting. The book reminds me of Little House in the Big Woods or On the Banks of Plum Creek, in the way it combines detailed descriptions of daily life and tasks, family incidents, and a young girl's thoughts. (Oh. I see I'm far from the first to make this comparison.)

It's interesting to contrast this with The Underneath, which I just read recently; some of the incidents are just as shocking and sa...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by LadyJay for TeensReadToo.com

Omakayas, or Little Frog, is now twelve winters old. Her family, members of the Ojibwe tribe, have been forced from their homes on the Island of the Golden-Breasted Woodpecker, and are now making the long journey to Lac Du Bois, where members of her extended family are living.

Omakayas and her family face many hardships throughout their journey. Omakayas and her brother, Quill, are almost killed in the rushing waters of a swollen river; their provisions fo...more

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Apr 05, 2009 Erin Sterling rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: youth-historical, youth-fiction, language, story, read-in-2009

Set in the 1850s, this book follows the tale of an Ojibwe family in Minnesota region as they're forced to move out of the island that has always been their home. It's the sequel to The Birchbark House (which I haven't read), and is a worthwhile read, dealing with loss, betrayal, friendship, and family. 12 year old Omakaya is a brave, sweet girl who still bickers with her brother while is also beginning to have feelings for another boy in the camp. I wonder if kids would find parts of the story s...more

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May 15, 2009 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-historical

The third book in Erdrich's series (The Birchbark House, The Game of Silence) finds Omakayas, now 12, and her family on the move as they search for a new home. The small group faces starvation, bears, and potentially hostile tribes as they travel by canoe in the early 1850s. The title comes from a porcupine Omakayas' little brother befriends as a pet. Despite the cute porcupine, there is not as much humor as in the first book, but a little romance. A main character dies, in a brave and touching...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Terry added it

Shelves: z-2011-bookaday, z-2011-books, need-teen-reviewer, middle-grade-readers, read-aloud-books, ez-readers-transitional

Little Kid Reaction: Review pending.

Big Kid Reaction: The story is poignant, funny, and at times heart wrenching. I found myself frustrated with trying to pronounce the Native American words and sometimes re-reading a passage from an earlier chapter trying to find details I seemed to miss. The Porcupine Year is part of a series, and while it can be read on its own, I think it would have been more enjoyable if I had read The Birchbark House first.

Pros: Plenty of adventure and endearing character...more

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Jun 09, 2009 Carolynne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, indian

This is third in a series that began with The Birchbark House. In this book Omakayas, an Ojibwe, is a teenager, and struggles with what that means in her life, as she helps her family move from their beloved island, because of increasing white settlements. Their lives are challenged by a more difficult winter than some, and by the shameful betrayal by their Auntie Muskrat's husband. This is a very engaging book, in which Omakaya's relationship with her family (especially her rascally little brot...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 06, 2009 Jamie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 12-14, historical, multiculti

I think I need to just create a macro for when I read a historical fiction book and it does all the things I hate in historical fiction.

If I were teaching a curriculum on Native American history I might use this book to supplement an assignment. But I was never engaged in the story (OK, maybe when the old woman was killed by the bear) and in fact I was downright bored.

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Dec 12, 2008 Laurie added it

Recommended to Laurie by: Wendy

Shelves: wmslibrary

I may re-read The Birchbark House, because Wendy says Porcupine is much better but I didn't like it as much as I remember liking Birchbark. Both books have some very sad moments, and the part in Porcupine where the family is accosted was so painful to read. I liked the humorousness of the brother and his pet, and the brother/sister interplay.

While the multigenerational family makes a great cast of characters, I felt Erdrich could have done more to identify and differentiate between them. That di...more

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About Louise Erdrich

Karen Louise Erdrich is a American author of novels, poetry, and children's books. Her father is German American and mother is half Ojibwe and half French American. She is an enrolled member of the Anishinaabe nation (also known as Chippewa). She is widely acclaimed as one of the most significant Native writers of the second wave of what critic Kenneth Lincoln has called the Native American Renais...more Karen Louise Erdrich is a American author of novels, poetry, and children's books. Her father is German American and mother is half Ojibwe and half French American. She is an enrolled member of the Anishinaabe nation (also known as Chippewa). She is widely acclaimed as one of the most significant Native writers of the second wave of what critic Kenneth Lincoln has called the Native American Renaissance.

For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/louise-e...

From a book description:

Author Biography:

Louise Erdrich is one of the most gifted, prolific, and challenging of contemporary Native American novelists. Born in 1954 in Little Falls, Minnesota, she grew up mostly in Wahpeton, North Dakota, where her parents taught at Bureau of Indian Affairs schools. Her fiction reflects aspects of her mixed heritage: German through her father, and French and Ojibwa through her mother. She worked at various jobs, such as hoeing sugar beets, farm work, waitressing, short order cooking, lifeguarding, and construction work, before becoming a writer. She attended the Johns Hopkins creative writing program and received fellowships at the McDowell Colony and the Yaddo Colony. After she was named writer-in-residence at Dartmouth, she married professor Michael Dorris and raised several children, some of them adopted. She and Michael became a picture-book husband-and-wife writing team, though they wrote only one truly collaborative novel, The Crown of Columbus (1991).

The Antelope Wife was published in 1998, not long after her separation from Michael and his subsequent suicide. Some reviewers believed they saw in The Antelope Wife the anguish Erdrich must have felt as her marriage crumbled, but she has stated that she is unconscious of having mirrored any real-life events.

She is the author of four previous bestselling andaward-winning novels, including Love Medicine; The Beet Queen; Tracks; and The Bingo Palace. She also has written two collections of poetry, Jacklight, and Baptism of Desire. Her fiction has been honored by the National Book Critics Circle (1984) and The Los Angeles Times (1985), and has been translated into fourteen languages.

Several of her short stories have been selected for O. Henry awards and for inclusion in the annual Best American Short Story anthologies. The Blue Jay's Dance, a memoir of motherhood, was her first nonfiction work, and her children's book, Grandmother's Pigeon, has been published by Hyperion Press. She lives in Minnesota with her children, who help her run a small independent bookstore called The Birchbark.

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