In this classic frontier adventure, Lois Lenskireconstructs the real life story of Mary Jemison, who was captured in a raid as young girl and ra... read full description
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Aug 31, 2011
Malissa
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I went into this book a bit skeptical of its choice as one of the books for our county-wide read this year, the theme of which is "Native American Culture." I couldn't help thinking that a book by a white author written about a white girl taken captive by Native Americans might not really fit the theme. However, I was really impressed with this book.
It's based on the true story of Mary Jemison, a pioneer girl who as taken captive by the Senecas around the age of 13. In the More...
It's based on the true story of Mary Jemison, a pioneer girl who as taken captive by the Senecas around the age of 13. In the More...
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Jun 12, 2008
Christy
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Jan 30, 2012
Ellen
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Indian Captive is one of my favorite Newbery Honor Awards book especially while studying early American history. It is a glimpse into the life of the Seneca Indian tribe during the mid to late 1700s.
In this classic Newbery Honor Award book, Lois Lenski authentically reconstructs the fascinating story of Mary Jemison's capture, flight, and early years with the Seneca Indians. Lenski has brought her special talents for research, for writing, and for drawing to this true American s More...
In this classic Newbery Honor Award book, Lois Lenski authentically reconstructs the fascinating story of Mary Jemison's capture, flight, and early years with the Seneca Indians. Lenski has brought her special talents for research, for writing, and for drawing to this true American s More...
Nov 19, 2009
Jelinas
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Civil rights and equality have made a lot of headway against racism in the last century.
"Well, duh," some might say.
"But there's still so far to go!" others might protest.
I personally grew up without any particularly scarring incidents of racism. Sure, I got made fun of for my small eyes and flat face, but so did the white girl with the big nose and, personally, I think she took it a lot harder than I did.
It's great that the s More...
"Well, duh," some might say.
"But there's still so far to go!" others might protest.
I personally grew up without any particularly scarring incidents of racism. Sure, I got made fun of for my small eyes and flat face, but so did the white girl with the big nose and, personally, I think she took it a lot harder than I did.
It's great that the s More...
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Oct 15, 2009
In the courageous novel Indian Captive,by Lois Lenski the character Molly Jemison portrays bravery and true heart from beginning to end.
This novel takes place in past time Pennsylvania on the frontier, where Molly's family grows corn and doesn't think Seneca indians will attack them. Soon they find out they were wrong! Molly is separated from her family and has to survive alone with the indian people."a pioneer never quits" is my school moto and Molly fits the moto well. " More...
This novel takes place in past time Pennsylvania on the frontier, where Molly's family grows corn and doesn't think Seneca indians will attack them. Soon they find out they were wrong! Molly is separated from her family and has to survive alone with the indian people."a pioneer never quits" is my school moto and Molly fits the moto well. " More...
Nov 24, 2009
Deirdre
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I recently found a box of books that I hadn't opened for many years. In it were several books from my youth that I had wanted to read at some point. Indian Captive was one of them.
I really enjoyed this story much more than I thought I would. Lois Lenski did a good job of helping me feel a little girl's turmoil at being kidnapped from her family and forced to live among people she didn't look like or understand. Lenski did a lot of research for this novel, and so I felt as though I le More...
I really enjoyed this story much more than I thought I would. Lois Lenski did a good job of helping me feel a little girl's turmoil at being kidnapped from her family and forced to live among people she didn't look like or understand. Lenski did a lot of research for this novel, and so I felt as though I le More...
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Sep 28, 2011
Courtney
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This book helped me learn about the time period by showing a white girls point of view as an Native American captive. It showed me how Native Americans lived, what they ate, how they farmed, fished, hunted, and cooked. One example of this is when Molly's friend, Little Turtle, shoots a deer. The tribe celebrates him as a great hunter and thank the gods for sending them food.
I think most 8th graders would find this book easy and boring. There were hardly any vocabulary words. Also there was More...
I think most 8th graders would find this book easy and boring. There were hardly any vocabulary words. Also there was More...
Mar 10, 2010
Amanda
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I found this book on a shelf in my house and decided to read it because I like Indian stories. It was an okay book, its written more for ages 8 to 12. Lois Lenski does a good job of describing Molly (Mary) Jemison's feelings of being captured by French men and Indian's. Molly is taken away from her family to live in an Indian village.
Lenski had did a lot of reaserch for this book because this is based on an actual ture story. But Lenski does a good job of portraying Molly's struggles as s More...
Lenski had did a lot of reaserch for this book because this is based on an actual ture story. But Lenski does a good job of portraying Molly's struggles as s More...
Sep 20, 2010
Jennifer
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This book was a lite read and I feel it was well written...although it ended rather abruptly. I didn't feel like the author was rushing the ending, it just came out of no where to me.
I am very intrigued by the story of Mary Jemison now and would like to dig up the original biography. If this story portrays Mary correctly, then I am in awe of how she came to love the people who massacred her family. She saw the reality of war and the pain both sides endure because of it. For that rea More...
I am very intrigued by the story of Mary Jemison now and would like to dig up the original biography. If this story portrays Mary correctly, then I am in awe of how she came to love the people who massacred her family. She saw the reality of war and the pain both sides endure because of it. For that rea More...
Nov 01, 2010
I just finished this book. I got it from Mrs. Mcleod's class library. I found it very interesting because it was based on the life of a real person. Mary Jemison lived in pioneer days. Her family was captured by Indians and Mary was taken to a Seneca tribe. She was adopted by two sisters as a replacement for a brother that was killed. Mary learned much about Native American ways. Eventually she was given a chance to go back to the white world, but she choose to stay with her Seneca family
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Jun 21, 2011
Kari
rated it:
I finally read this! I totally found it in an instant, a book I grabbed off the library shelf for my sister, never expecting my library to have this.
It was interesting how Lenski knew to write some of the things about the Indians she included, like how they would go hungry instead of always making sure they had food on hand, but when the hunters came with food or the corn grew, they feasted for a few days and ate "20 meals a day" until all the food was gone instead of savi More...
It was interesting how Lenski knew to write some of the things about the Indians she included, like how they would go hungry instead of always making sure they had food on hand, but when the hunters came with food or the corn grew, they feasted for a few days and ate "20 meals a day" until all the food was gone instead of savi More...
Oct 07, 2010
Kris
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I remember loving this book when I was 11 or so, I had my own copy and so when I saw it on the shelves at the library I snatched it up to see if it was as good as I remembered.
Nope. It's still worth a read, but I much preferred Lynda Durrant's "Beaded Moccasins" to this one. Mary Jemison is a whiny pain in the butt. I'd have let her escape, sheesh.
Also I don't know if the library edition I had has the same language/phrasing as my remembered edition. It seemed l More...
Nope. It's still worth a read, but I much preferred Lynda Durrant's "Beaded Moccasins" to this one. Mary Jemison is a whiny pain in the butt. I'd have let her escape, sheesh.
Also I don't know if the library edition I had has the same language/phrasing as my remembered edition. It seemed l More...
Jun 09, 2011
For some reason, this book is always linked in my mind to "Catherine, Called Birdy" and "Walk Two Moons". Maybe I read them at approximately the same age. They are all about girls of around 12 or 13 years old, so maybe I identified with them. But just as "Catherine, Called Birdy" gave me my first glimpse at medieval life, "Indian Captive" taught me what Native American life was like. The book is incredibly well researched and has the same kind of detailed
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Dec 03, 2010
Caroline
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I can vividly remember sitting in my 4th grade class as my teacher read this book to us. Every single person in our class was staring intently at our teacher, wondering what would happen next. This non-fictional story that is presented in a fictional way is so captivating to me, even today. It was so sad and so true which made everyone able to think about the time period and the obstacles that this girl went through in order to survive. This book is so great to teach the history of the Seneca In
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May 18, 2010
Halle
rated it:
Mary Jeison was a girl of twelve years old,she lived on a farm in
eastern pennsylvania in 1758.
She had sisters:Jane,& Betsey, & brothers John,Tom, & Mattew.
One spring morning somthing happend, a band of indian warriors invaded
the house. They took Mary and the rest of the family was left behind and killed. They took Mary to Southern Ohio, then sold her to some other indians from the Seneca Village on the Genesee River,what is now western new york. Mary did not like More...
eastern pennsylvania in 1758.
She had sisters:Jane,& Betsey, & brothers John,Tom, & Mattew.
One spring morning somthing happend, a band of indian warriors invaded
the house. They took Mary and the rest of the family was left behind and killed. They took Mary to Southern Ohio, then sold her to some other indians from the Seneca Village on the Genesee River,what is now western new york. Mary did not like More...
Dec 22, 2010
Rebecca
rated it:
The story of Mary Jemison a real person who was captured by Indians during French-Indian war, and lived as one for the rest of her life. It's aimed at young readers, but with a wealth of additional research into her tribe added for educational benefit. Mary is actually a historic person we know a great deal about, because when she was in her 70's she had her biography written (it's in the public domain now, is free in .txt, and is occasionally republished). The woman even has her own wikipedia p
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Dec 31, 2008
Mary
rated it:
I read this as a child and was happy to re-read it. The fascinating true story of a white girl who was taken captive by the Seneca people in 1758. It shows how she resisted both psychologically and physically but eventually, after learning that her biological family was dead, decided to stay with the Senecas, who loved her like their own. She lived the rest of her life with them. The cultural details about how the Senecas live are supposedly accurate, and I appreciate a glimpse into their way of
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Sep 03, 2008
The other John
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This is a fictionalized account of the story of Mary Jemison, a young teenager who was kidnapped by the Seneca Indians in the year 1758. Back then, the custom among the Seneca was to kill or kidnap a white settler for every one of their own people who were killed by the invading pioneers. Indian Captive tells the tale of Mary's capture and her subsequent adjustment to life among the Seneca. I found it to be a fascinating tale, as Mary moves from terror to sorrow to finally finding a place in her
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Mar 16, 2008
Mary
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This book is another in my quest to read all of the Newberry medalists. It didn't win the big enchilada, but it was an honoree. It is a fictionalized account of the true story of Mary Jemison, daughter of Scots-Irish immigrants, who was kidnapped from her Pennsylvania home by Seneca Indians during the French and Indian War. She learns a great deal about "wilderness" living from the Indians (It isn't wilderness to them, but their home.) and gradually becomes accepting of their ways.
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Jan 28, 2008
Ginny
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This remarkable book is based on the true story of the capture of Mary Jemison by Seneca Indians. Lois Lenski researched Seneca culture and read Mary's memoirs in preparation for writing this fictionalized account. While she does seem to romanticize Indian life at times, it's mostly a pretty balanced view of the two different cultures—-probably progressively so at the time this book was written (1941).
It's also a very insightful look at the complex psychological journey that Mary ma More...
It's also a very insightful look at the complex psychological journey that Mary ma More...
Oct 02, 2011
I love Lois Lenski. This is an honest, and impartial look at the life of a white girl who was taken by the Iroquois Nation, the Senecas in particular. This girl, Mary Jemison, ended up living the rest of her life with her adopted Seneca family, even though this book only chronicles the first two years of her captivity. She learns what drives the senecas and learns to love them, even while missing her white family so much she makes herself physically sick. It's a remarkable true story.
Oct 15, 2010
Laura
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I read this book to help in the reading group of my 5th grader. When I found out what this book was about I was really excited to read it. The story of Mary Jemison, a white girl, taken captive by Indians in 1758 when she was 12 years old. Her family was also taken captive but soon after killed by the Indians, but Mary (Molly) was taken to live as a Seneca. It is a very interesting story, but I didn't love the writing style nor the elementary reading level. Like I said, I read it for a 5th g
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Sep 05, 2011
Connor
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Sep 30, 2010
Beverly
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An historical fiction based on the real life of Mary Jemison, who was taken captive by renegade Shawnee and Frenchmen, about 1719. Her father always told her not to be "a feard" of Indians. They would love her "yeller hair." Alas, his words came true...her life was spared but her family was massacred.
She lived her entire life with the Seneca and became known as the White Woman of the Genesee River, in upstate New York.
She lived her entire life with the Seneca and became known as the White Woman of the Genesee River, in upstate New York.
Jan 15, 2011
Terri
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I've loved this book since I was a child. I first read it as a history assignment in the fifth grade, but have been drawn back to it a number of times since then. It's an easy read, but gives interesting perspective to the historical reviews of actual Indian captives in the 16- and 1700s. The fact that it's based on a true story makes it that much more poignant and entertaining. It will continue to be a favorite.
Apr 12, 2010
Anya
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I really like this book. I read it a long time ago and I would enjoy reading it again. It is about a girl who is captured by the indians when she is young. She has a prejudice among them for many years, but eventually she befriends them and when she is given the choice of going free or staying with them, she chooses to stay. This is after she learns that she is the only one left from her original family.
Mar 29, 2009
Julie
rated it:
It took me a while to get into this book. The author does not go into the details about her losing her family-- just the heartache of being without them while learning to live with the Seneca tribe. I didn't love the story because it was a little slow going. It did make me wish I could meet her (of course this all happened over 200 years ago). She would have been a fascinating person.
Feb 11, 2012
Julie (Manga Maniac Cafe)
rated it:
Waffling between 3.5 and 4 stars
Indian Captive made me think about how difficult it would be to be ripped away from your family and forced into a whole new life. I wouldn't have fared half as well as Molly. I am not brave or hardy, and I think I would have withered away to nothing after bidding my family farewell, not knowing if I would ever see them again.
full review soon at www.mangamaniaccafe.com
Indian Captive made me think about how difficult it would be to be ripped away from your family and forced into a whole new life. I wouldn't have fared half as well as Molly. I am not brave or hardy, and I think I would have withered away to nothing after bidding my family farewell, not knowing if I would ever see them again.
full review soon at www.mangamaniaccafe.com
Apr 29, 2010
Libby
rated it:
I probably would have given this one 4 stars, but I'm in a "mood" this week.
It was recommended as historical fiction, but it seems much more like non-fiction to me. In the same way the Little House on the Prairie books are non-fiction, I guess.
Well-told story. I liked the facts about Seneca life and the contrast between the two cultures. Neither one painted as bad, necessarily.
It was recommended as historical fiction, but it seems much more like non-fiction to me. In the same way the Little House on the Prairie books are non-fiction, I guess.
Well-told story. I liked the facts about Seneca life and the contrast between the two cultures. Neither one painted as bad, necessarily.
Sep 03, 2009
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