"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... read full description
reviews
Jul 03, 2008
Elizabeth
rated it: 
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
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Jan 17, 2009
Eva
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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 Superi More...
May 03, 2011
kari
rated it:
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 pa More...
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 pa More...
Apr 05, 2011
Brenda
rated it: 
Raise your hand if you have a pet. OK, keep it up if your pet is a dog. Hands up if your pet is a cat. A fish. . . a ferret. . . a horse. . . a porcupine. What? No one has a porcupine? The boy in this story does have a porcupine as a pet, and it rides around on his head. When the boy first met the porcupine it was in a tree and he was trying to catch it to eat it. (He and his sister had been in their canoe and gone through some rapids and were thrown thrown overboard - but that's another story)
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Nov 02, 2010
Kate
rated it: 
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 boo More...
I tend to have an interest in books that I can relate to and this might be a reason why this boo More...
Oct 31, 2010
Connie
rated it:
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 respe More...
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 respe More...
Feb 16, 2010
Parry
rated it:
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 ver More...
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 ver More...
Aug 18, 2009
Kim
rated it:
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
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Jun 28, 2009
Elizabeth
rated it:
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
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Jan 30, 2010
L- Lisa
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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 hard
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Apr 23, 2009
Jess
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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 boo More...
It's always an interesting experiment to jump into a series in midstream - this is the third boo More...
Nov 20, 2008
Wendy
rated it:
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 More...
It's interesting to contrast this with The Underneath, which I just read recently; some of the incidents are just as More...
Feb 06, 2012
L12_Marie Schiller
rated it:
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 t More...
The story catches you from the beginning with banter between Omakayas and her brother Pinch. The banter soon t More...
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Jun 10, 2009
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 w More...
"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 w More...
Jun 15, 2011
Michale
rated it:
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
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Apr 20, 2009
Carmine
rated it:
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
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Aug 10, 2011
gina
rated it:
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'
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Nov 01, 2010
Staci
rated it:
"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 showin
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May 02, 2010
Scarlett
rated it:
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 More...
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 More...
Mar 16, 2009
Deborah
rated it:
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
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Jan 06, 2011
Travis
rated it:
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
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Oct 10, 2008
Jennifer
rated it:
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 ri More...
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 ri More...
Apr 05, 2009
Erin
rated it:
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
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May 15, 2009
Stephanie
rated it:
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
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Jun 09, 2009
Carolynne
rated it:
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 bro
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Feb 06, 2009
Jamie
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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.
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.
Dec 12, 2008
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 t More...
While the multigenerational family makes a great cast of characters, I felt Erdrich could have done more to identify and differentiate between t More...
Aug 10, 2009
Cathy
rated it:
I loved this simple yet riveting tale of a young Ojibwe girl during her year-long journey to find a new home...and I think she found herself, too. Erdrich's writing is rich in descriptive detail and her research is obvious in the care she takes to get the time and place right. But her writing is sensitive, too, and her depth of feeling is what pulled me into this story.
