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Circle Dance
Set on the Uintah-Ouray Indian Reservation, Circle Dance is a gripping story about love, loss, and the need to see beyond oneself.
The Twitchells, a white family living on the reservation, have provided foster care for a little Indian girl, Chipeta, since she was abandoned as a baby. Twelve-year-old Britta Twitchell's world is turned upside down when Chipeta's birth mother suddenly decides she wants her daughter back. And there's nothing the Twitchells can do about it --- at least that's what Mama says. But Britta figures she can do plenty.
Outfitted with a backpack full of oranges, a couple of canteens, and a pea-green army blanket, Britta takes her little sister and runs away into the red rock desert of northeastern Utah. An unexpected encounter with a diamondback rattler brings them home after just a few days, and Britta is forced to find new ways of dealing with her cultural prejudices as well as the inevitable loss of Chipeta. Along the way she comes to discover that, as her grandpa puts it, "Differ'nt don't necessarily mean worse. Sometimes it means better. Sometimes it just means differ'nt."
The Twitchells, a white family living on the reservation, have provided foster care for a little Indian girl, Chipeta, since she was abandoned as a baby. Twelve-year-old Britta Twitchell's world is turned upside down when Chipeta's birth mother suddenly decides she wants her daughter back. And there's nothing the Twitchells can do about it --- at least that's what Mama says. But Britta figures she can do plenty.
Outfitted with a backpack full of oranges, a couple of canteens, and a pea-green army blanket, Britta takes her little sister and runs away into the red rock desert of northeastern Utah. An unexpected encounter with a diamondback rattler brings them home after just a few days, and Britta is forced to find new ways of dealing with her cultural prejudices as well as the inevitable loss of Chipeta. Along the way she comes to discover that, as her grandpa puts it, "Differ'nt don't necessarily mean worse. Sometimes it means better. Sometimes it just means differ'nt."
- GenresChildrens
152 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 12, 2017
Chipeta's Indian mother abandoned her when Chipeta was a baby. So the Twitchells took her in and raised her as their own. However, four years later, Chipeta's mother wants her back. All of the family is upset, but especially twelve-year old Britta. She can't figure out why nobody is doing anything, and so she and her sister take Chipeta (now Dori) and run away. Things go very wrong, but Britta keeps trying to think of some way that they can keep Dori. However, the tribal laws and the national laws are against them.
I enjoyed this book and learned about tribal customs and laws. It's a nice story about diversity and the importance of family. However, I felt that Britta acted more like a 10-year old than she did a 12-year old.
I enjoyed this book and learned about tribal customs and laws. It's a nice story about diversity and the importance of family. However, I felt that Britta acted more like a 10-year old than she did a 12-year old.
November 9, 2009
From the cover, I thought this book would be a little strange, but I really ended up liking the book and thought the author wrote well. It's a nice story.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews