Companion Reads

Teen ReaderThe Ransom of Mercy Carter by Caroline B. Cooney 

Deerfield, Massachusetts is one of the most remote, and therefore dangerous, settlements in the English colonies. In 1704 an Indian tribe attacks the town, and Mercy Carter becomes separated from the rest of her family, some of whom do not survive. Mercy and hundreds of other settlers are herded together and ordered by the Indians to start walking. The grueling journey -- three hundred miles north to a Kahnawake Indian village in Canada -- takes more than 40 days. At first Mercy's only hope is that the English government in Boston will send ransom for her and the other white settlers. But days turn into months and Mercy, who has become a Kahnawake daughter, thinks less and less of ransom, of Deerfield, and even of her "English" family. She slowly discovers that the "savages" have traditions and family life that soon become her own, and Mercy begins to wonder: If ransom comes, will she take it?

Birchbark HouseThe Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich

In a compelling and original saga, told from the point of view of a young Ojibwa girl in 1847, Omaykayas draws readers into the life of her Native American family. Covering in vivid detail their everyday life on an island on Lake Superior, Omakayas works and plays through the seasons, learning the ways of her people. (Birchbark House Series #1)

Fiction genre.

The Girl Who Loved Wild HorsesThe Girl Who Loved Wild Horses story and illustrations by Paul Goble 

In a nomadic community, horses play an important role in daily life, but one girl shows a stronger affinity for the horses than anyone else in her tribe. She cares for the horses, knows their favorite places to graze, and heals them when they’re hurt. One peaceful day, while she rests among the horses, a sudden thunderstorm disturbs the herd and she is swept away with them to a land far from her family.

A wild stallion, the leader of the wild horses, welcomes the girl and her horses into his herd and together they roam the hills, free and happy. When hunters from her community finally discover the girl after months of searching, they are overjoyed to find her safe and try to bring her home. The stallion fiercely defends the girl as one of his own, but she falls when her horse stumbles and the hunters are able to return her to her relatives. Though she was glad to see her parents and friends, the girl must ultimately make a choice. Will she stay with her people or return to her family of wild horses?