Honors and Awards Books

This is a very nice story about a slave boy growing up on a Virginia plantation. It is taken from a true story, and a little about the person is written at the end. It is well written and enjoyable for children, and gives them a peak at what life must have been like as a slave without be morose. It is also well illustrated. My 7 year old requests it be read to her on a regular basis.

A little girl and her family go South to visit her grandma. When she gets there, things are not like at home. Black people and white people are treated differently. She sees "Colored" and "White Only" signs. She didn't like it. Things change when she went to visit her grandma again the next summer. Everyone could use the same bathroom, water fountain and waiting room.

I liked it because it taught me more about black and white people and the way things used to be.

Reviewed by: Jada Monet, 7-years old

It was a good book, but I have read better books and worst books. It made me want to go to London to see the clocks that John Harrisson made.

I would recommend it for people who want to know about history but don't like reading long books.

It's a very interesting book. Some books are very borring but this is a very fun book.This book is interesting because you can learn that lying is bad and what consequences it will bring to you.
I hope you buy this book;I relly recomented this book to you.

By:Darlin Benitez

In "Nothing but the Truth" by Avi, there is a 9th grader named Philip Malloy. In homeroom one day, he started to hum "The Star-Spangled Banner" that was played over the PA system everyday. His teacher, Miss Narwin, after asking him to stop many times, sent him to the principal. However, Philip was then just given a warning. After telling his parents what happened, they told him that he had the right. Philip hummed the next two days and again was sent to the principals. This time, he was suspended. After Philip got home, his father took him to their long time neighbor who was running for school board. Their neighbor had a reporter there for an interview. Philip told the lady what happened. With his, Philip's story was out in the paper. Before long, the suspension for Philip Malloy was known nationally. letters of hatred were sent to Miss Narwin telling her people like that shouldn't be teachers. After the whole thing, Philip did not want to stay in his school. He transferred to a new school. There, Philip was asked to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner". He started to cry, because he did not even know the words.

In "Nothing but the Truth" by Avi, there is a 9th grader named Philip Malloy. In homeroom one day, he started to hum "The Star-Spangled Banner" that was played over the PA system everyday. His teacher, Miss Narwin, after asking him to stop many times, sent him to the principal. However, Philip was then just given a warning. After telling his parents what happened, they told him that he had the right. Philip hummed the next two days and again was sent to the principals. This time, he was suspended. After Philip got home, his father took him to their long time neighbor who was running for school board. Their neighbor had a reporter there for an interview. Philip told the lady what happened. With his, Philip's story was out in the paper. Before long, the suspension for Philip Malloy was known nationally. letters of hatred were sent to Miss Narwin telling her people like that shouldn't be teachers. After the whole thing, Philip did not want to stay in his school. He transferred to a new school. There, Philip was asked to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner". He started to cry, because he did not even know the words.

Nothing but the Truth provides an interesting perspective on high school and the media culture that we live in today. As a young adult novel, this book deals with issues that teens can relate to: disenchantment with school, challenging of authority, disconnection with parents, and trying to carve out an identity. Philip has three conflicts in this story: one against Mrs. Narwin, one against the school system that was caused by his behavior, and ultimately with himself. The author provides a realistic portrait of a teenage boy. However, readers are not given any true insight as to why Philip behaves as he does. Suggestions for the behavior are made, but never explored. The reader never can understand how and if Philip has changed because of this incident. The other characters are given superficial development. They are mainly used as foils to interact with the main character. The actions and events are believable given today's media culture. The readers mainly see the story through Philip's eyes although the school administration and Mrs. Narwin do have some input. From Philip's viewpoint, the story is skewed in his favor. A strength of this novel is the issues that it raises. The media culture, challenging authority, and teenage angst all are presented in a fashion that would appeal to a teenage audience. This is an excellent resource for high school teachers. The realism of the novel could provide lively discussions for high school students. The issues that the story raises might make for some lively debates.

Okay this book was REALLY BORING! It had an ok plot when we read the back of the book but when we started to read it it was not written in a way that was interesting to us. Avi has some good books but this was not one of his better ones. Miss. Narwin sent to many letters to her sister, and there was barely (if not no) any reason for her to write to her sister. The memos were boring and we think Avi could have told us the information in a different way. Really bad.

An authentic and pleasant story of a girl with a handicapped brother. She feels tied down until her brother becomes lost. Then she learns to see her rivals, her brother, and her absent father in new ways. A book to recommend to students 11-15 as it authentically describes adolescent issues vis a vis family and peers. Insightful.

Personally I love this book. It is about a 14-year-old girl named Sara Godfrey who is going through a confusing summer. She is hitting puberty and feels depressed a lot of the time. Sara lives with her Aunt Willie, college-aged sister Wanda, a aging dog named Boysie, and her mentally handicapped 10-year-old brother, Charlie. Charlie also shows signs of autism (For instance his infatuation with his watch,) but this book was originally published in 1970 when imformation about autism was less widespread so it's not mentioned. One night Sara takes Charlie to the lake to see the swans, and something about them fascinates him. He wants to stay, but she takes him home with her. That night, Charlie wakes up and wanders out of the house trying to find them again and gets lost in the woods. That morning Sara and her family embark on a desperate search to find him. This book is a quick read but it's so good, with it's detailed descriptions and memorable charactors, that you won't feel cheated.

This is a good book for anyone who likes realistic fiction. I personally mainly read fantasy books. I didn't really enjoy the book, but it was our asigned book in school. If you like realistic fiction than you'll like this book.

ISBN 0140314202 - Put Betsy Byars and the Newbery Award on the cover of a book and you've already reeled me in - so to be disappointed is a bigger letdown than you'd think! Not a bad book, just not a great book.

Sara is the middle child, between mute Charlie and pretty Wanda. Their parents, one dead and one very absent, have tasked Aunt Willie with the care of the children and all seems fairly standard - a little bickering, a "you can't tell me what to do" argument, etc - until the day Sara takes Charlie to see the swans. Charlie finds the swans fascinating and soothing and doesn't want to leave, so when he looks out his window that night and sees something white moving, he is sure they have come to find him. Leaving the house in the darkness, Charlie becomes lost and Sara discovers things about herself, her brother and others in the hours after he is discovered missing.

For the first time, I find Byars' character's speech a bit off for their age. Sara's use of the word "bloomers" and the sentence "I just acted too hastily." don't seem to fit a girl in her early teens in the 1970s, although the reference to TV game shows of the time was amusing. Sara may be just "coming of age" but she ends up seeming, at times, like a much older adult - and not in the "mature for her age" sense. If you're looking to read all the Newbery winners, then you'll want to read this one. For a really good book, or even for the best Byars offers, this isn't it.

This book is a mixture of drama,emotions, and different kinds of relationships. A 10 year old boy getting lost,an aunt flipping out, an a bad father,daughter relationship,all in one small book. This book was really interesting to me because I could relate to a lot of the characters. Sara,Mary, and Wanda are the characters I could most relate to,just small details.It is hard for me to capture this book in a few sentences, and I could usually can.

I thought that this book was absolutely terrible. I thought it was focused on segregation and slaves more than any other African novel. I also thought that it had a very lame plot about two boys that are friends and one is African and one is very white. And throughout the story the friendship gets more dramatic and the two boys start to realize the laws of white and black and they are slowly separated apart. The book was so bad that about ten pages into it I started fall asleep and began to skim read. SB age 11

This review was written by one of my students as a writing assignment. I am a sixth grade teacher.

I had to read this book for my english class. every night for homework I had to read one chapter a night. For every chapter we read we had to pull out the five most important events that happened.on a white sheet of paper we had to divide it into six squares.In the first square we had to right the title of the book and then in the other 5 squares we had to right the five important events at the top and then under where we wrote the event we had to draw a picture explaining it. When we were done reading the book we would have a sixteen page comic book with pictures and writing. This book had sixteen chapters. In my opinion this book wasn't that exciting.I might of enjoyed it more if I didn't have to make the sixteen page comic book.Making the book was actually worse. If it wasn't for english I would have never finished this book because it was very boring.

In my English class, we had to read this book. I, along with everyone else in the class, think it was quite boring.

It had a lot of info though, which helped in social studies.

It's about a boy named Tengo who wants to go to school, and his friend is white, named Frikkie. Tengo starts to learn about Apartheid and eventually does go to school.

I suggest you read all you want. We only go a chapter at a time, so it's really slow and dull work for us.

This book was one of the best written, in my opinion. Christopher Paolini was only 15 when he wrote it! That fact still amazes me whenever I read it. The plot is a suspenseful everchanging object. Although some aspects of the plot were very predictable, like Brom's death, I thought the author kept us in the dark for most of the novel. Overall, great book!

This one was required reading for my son's middle school class. Focusing on two boys, one white (Frikkie), one black (Tengo)...from their beginnings as childhood friends to the ways that apartheid begain to separate then, this story is mostly compelling. It definitely held his interest but I'm not sure he would have felt compelled to read it if it was not required. SOme parts lagged and I had to keep asking questions to get him back on track.

From my perspective, I was bothered by the way the author seemed driven to twist the plot to drive home the inequities of apartheid, when a lighter touch would have sufficed.


Tengo wants to learn about the world and seems destined to be a scholar until the "agitators" force his school to become too formidable to attend, with police and security guards everywhere, with taunts from black "agitators" who scorn their peers who decide to attend school. This makes it nearly impossible for Tengo to stay the course.

Along the way, he is taken in by a kindly white family and given an opportunity to go to school. But he can't help being drawin into the ongoing political crisis, especially when relatives of his are being affected.


At times, it seemed that story lines were twsited, almost to the point of sacrificing the integrity of the plot. I found it hard to believe in some elements of the story, although I felt there was an excellent portrayal of the varying political and cultural differences amongst the blacks and the whites, from sympathetic whites to black "agitators" to those who simply wanted things to go on as they had for generations.

There was also plenty of room for discussion about the history in Africa, about apartheid and how things began to change.

Considering that this book was written by a very young author (only 15, I believe), it is amazingly well-written. Judged by the standards of good literature, however, there is clearly room for growth and maturity in Gordon's writing.

For the purposes of a school course on apartheid, discrimination, racism and social inequality, this book suffices.

this book was not a bad read at all but the lack of eleboration was bad barley and deatails on how it happend just plain old straight forward like for exaple he died no reason at all just that he is dead. the story itself has no purpose i find it almost nonfictional almost all of it tells you about hunting pearls either way the charetristics were good but the backround and eleboration were bad.

by mohmad sabha

Purchased it recently and read it again. Just as good as the first time. A story for all ages.

The book The Black Pearl has a very interesting story. This book takes place in La Paz, Baja California. In this book, Ramon wants to prove to his father, Blas Salazar, that he is just as good as Sevillano, Ramon's worst enemy and Ramon's father's best pearl diver, at pearl diving. Manta Diablo, the monster of the deep, guards "The Pearl of the Heavens," the ocean's biggest pearl, that Ramon wants to dive for. Ramon got "The Pearl of the Heavens" and brought back home. When Ramon tells his father about the pearl, his father gives it to the church. Luzum, an old Indian tells Ramon that he should give it back to the Manta Diablo because the monster will come after him. I recommend this book to both girls and boys who are at the age of thirteen and under because I don't think people over the age of thirteen would be interested in this book. I don't think that people over the age of thirteen would like the book because I don't it's exciting enough. Overall I thought this was a good book.

Some of Scott O'Dell's works are great, some are standard, and some are not worth the time. I was disappointed in this one. The plot is okay I guess, but it seems to lack anything very substantial, and is full of superstition. It tells the story of a son who goes into the pearl business with his father in Pa Paz, California. Nettled by the boasts of an employee, a pearl diver, he believes if he can find a pearl of gigantic proportions, he will be a man. In his father's absence, Ramon abandons his responsibilities, and convinces an Indian man who has sold them pearls to teach him to dive for them. He learns to search for pearls, but the Indian warns him away from a certain cave, where he believes the Manta Diabla resides. He tells Ramon that the pearls in that cave are the Manta Diabla's, and if anyone takes them, the Manta will pursue him until the pearl is returned. The Manta has spies all around who report to him the happenings when he is away. Ramon hunts in the cave anyway, believing the tale to be merely an old Indian legend. He finds an enormous black pearl, the size of a grapefruit, which has only a slight flaw, easily removed. The Indian counsels Ramon to return the pearl to the Manta Diabla, but scorning the tale, Ramon takes the pearl home. His father wanted to sell the pearl to one of the other pearl dealers in the town, but they were not willing to give him the sum he required, so he presented it to the virgin Mary image. Trusting in her to protect them after such a fine gift, Ramon's father sailed into the teeth of a violent storm, and his entire fleet was lost, with the exception of the Sevillano, the young man whose boasts had prompted Ramon's pearl discovery. The Indian insists that the storm was brought on by the Manta Diabla who wants his pearl back, and Ramon now believes him. He steals the pearl back with the intent to return it to the manta, but the Sevillano, armed with a knife, comes to steal it from him, intending to make his own fortune. Ramon is compelled at knife point to paddle the boat to the city where the Sevillano will sell the pearl, but the manta follows them, to recover his pearl, as Ramon is convinced. The Sevillano laughs at his fears, and tells him why his father's fleet was lost. The manta does attack them, and the Sevillano harpoons it, and ends accidentally strapped to the manta when he dives his last. Ramon stays in the area for a while to see if the Sevillano, who was known for his long dives, would reappear. When he does not, Ramon returns to the city and gives the pearl back to the Mary image, believing that she has protected him from the Sevillano and the Manta Diabla. He feels content that he has finally become a man.

This story is about a sixteen-year-old named Ramon Salazar's. His misfortunes begin when he retrieves an enormous black pearl from a secluded lagoon. This lagoon just happens to be the domain of a giant devilfish, which the locals call Manta Diablo. When Ramon realizes that having taken the pearl from the sea has caused unforeseen consequences for him, he attempts to return it. But in attempting to return the pearl, Ramon further imperial his life and his soul. I would recommend this book for those students in grades five through eight.

Sing down the moon is a book for ages about 11-13.
The main character is a girl named Bright morning, and she's a Navajo Indian. She gets kid-napped by the Spaniards.
When she gets back, she has this ceremony of becoming a woman.
After her tribe has a march, in the march they walked a lot and a lot of people got sick and died. Some people had hope and some people thought it was going to be the end.
During the march Bright Morning and Tall Boy got married.
It's a historical fiction story, and if you like historical fiction... I suggest you read it.
There were parts in the book which I think were not so good and I didn't really like it, but there were parts that were fine and pretty interesting.

The character that I like the most was Bright Morning. She is the main character. Her job is to take the flock of sheep to the aspen grove so they can eat. I think she was really brave because she did something nobody else in her tribe ever did before.

I think this is an excellent book to read and I think my friends will enjoy reading it because there are lots of surprises and it is never boring! I don't have a favorite part because I enjoyed reading the whole entire book. My name is Tori and I am 9 years old.

Sing down the moon was not such a bad book.
I mean Sing down the Moon is like a rollercoaster
some times it's good and some times it's not.

but it does take a good Auther to write a rollercoaster
book. I admire Scott O'dell the person who wrote this. Ok back to the book.
The good parts are when theres alot of action. the bad parts are
when it's dull.

I would want to tell you the bad parts and the good parts
but i don't want to spoil a really good book. So you read it and tel me if I'm correct. So until i see you by by.

Before Columbus, the only encounter Americans had with a European was in 888 A.D. when the Maya were visited by Kash-Kash of Qurtabah (Cordoba). The Iberian Muslim was well treated by his American hosts and returned to Iberia with a ship full of gold - a famous legend well familiar to Columbus 500 years later. Unfortunately, Kash-Kash had unwittingly left behind smallpox and the Mayans had to flee their infected city, which remained deserted for 200 years.

When Columbus arrived 500 years after Kash-Kash, he too brought smallpox along with steel bayonets and firearms. Small pox aside, even the most advanced American communities were no match for the technology of the boat people, who came from Spain, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, and England. The boat people fought amongst themselves for the privilege of waging war on the indigenous communites of America. Into the peaceful world of America came the murderous Europeans - the worst being the genocidal Protestant Anglos who, unlike the Catholics, did not consider Americans to be people and therefore seldom took them for spouses.

This short story about the fictional character Bright Morning and her eventual husband Tall Boy covers two years in the actual history of the Navaho Americans from 1863 to 1865. This was also the time of War Between the Yankee States, when the Yanks of the North fought against the Yanks of the South (the Yanks of the South called themselves Confederates). While the Yankee boat people fought between themselves, the Northern Yanks sent some of their army to remove Americans from their land - something they have always done but began in earnest during the 1820s with their leader Andy Jackson who forced the Cherokee Americans to walk to Oklahoma. Now, in 1864, Kit Carson was forcing Americans to leave their property and walk to Fort Sumter. The Americans, who have been doing Homeland Security since 1492 with little success, were unable to resist the Yanks save Geronimo and his cadre of 100 Homeland Security officers for a period of ten years (during that time they killed 7,000 invaders, which is 70 each).

In this tale, the two major characters manage to escape and return to their property, hiding in a canyon with their sheep. A tragic and emotionally unsettling story based on true events, what happened to the Americans at the hands of the Yanks is no different than what happened to the Indians in the 1940s at the hands of the Brits during the partition of India, or to the Palestinians at the hands of the boat people from Europe - it continues to echo today in Iraq, where 3,000 civilians flee each day.

One morning, while Navaho fourteen year old Bright Morning and her friend Running Bird are out in the fields of their home, Canyon de Chelly, tending sheep, they see strange men approaching. Before they can stop it, Bright Morning is kidnapped by the men, who turn out to be Spanish Slave-holders, and take her to a South-Western town, dominantly Mexican. She is sold as a slave to a Spanish speaking family, where she meets another slave, who can speak her language. Bright Morning tries desperately to find a way to get back to her people. The other slave imprisoned with her tells her the way, and Bright Morning is able to make a narrow escape back to her people. But when she returns, she finds her village under occupation of the "Long Knives", or American soldiers. After she is forsed into an arranged marriage with another Indian, Tall Boy, the Long Knives push the Navaho out of their land- and onto one of the most memorable events in American history- the Trail of Tears. Many all around her suffer and eventually die as they continue to walk on.
A very well written story, and very informative.

There's was a eleven year old boy named Adam. Adam and his father loved to travel the thirteenth century of England. Adam also brong a spaiel. Nick,Adam brother was stolen and Adam father suddenly look at. The roads was filled up with rich merchants, pilgrims. The road also filled up with thieves and sanits and priest's. Adam also had a dog.their were horse's that made Adam scream off the road again to hide behind a broken down rock. Adam was looking around after getting scared of the horse's and saw a couple of people stealing form a rich merchant. Adam said stop but then saw sheriff along the road and the sheriff stop them.
I like how his father got lost because, Adam to meet new people and Adam had a adventure. I didnt like how Adam brother got stolen because who would steal a kid and it would be dum t have a adventure by your self.

Good Book vs Bad Book (hard choice)

This was not exactly the best book but it's a pretty decent book. It is one of those novels you can put to the side if you have other books on your shelf. If you're wondering whether you should read this book or not. This review might help.
Below is a summary of this book.

Adam is sick of being stuck there without his father, and looks for him everyday. He does, however, make a best friend named Perkin. One day while visiting the widow, Dame Malkin, who kept Nick for him because dogs weren''t allowed at the Abbey, she tells him a surprise bit of news she has heard about his father. He finds out his father may be traveling into town with the court of Sir Edmund de''Lisle, who Roger is working for.
As soon as he finds this out he runs to the top of hill, with his harp, his dog, and his friend, to await the coming court who would bring his father, Roger the Minstrel. He is not disappointed when, at the end of the train, he recognizes a figure on a warhorse, with a viol slung over his shoulder. It was Roger! He ran up to him shouting "Roger, Roger". The man stopped, recognizes his son, and they have a quick reunion. Adam then asks if he is going to be travelling with him, and his father says yes, the next morning they will be leaving for London with Sir Edmund''s court.
" A road is home to a minstrel", Adam''s father says. Buth the rough roads of early England were also home to bands of thieves and robber knights. Before their journey begins, Adam''s dog is stolen and his father disappears. Adam is eleven years old, but is determined to travel alone, to find his father and dog.
This is a great children''s classic, set in medieval England. Great for just reading to or with your children, or if they are learning about this period in history. It gives great detail about the life in those times.

-http://www.shvoong.com/books/childrens-literature/1713321-adam-road/

I give this book three stars because it wasn't one of those "hard to put down books". I recomment this book for students 12-14. There is nothing really difficult to understand about this book but at some points, it does get sort of boring.

It's a good book to do a book report on any of you students who have to do summer projects. It is a really easy took to understand and can be pictured in your head.

F.W.I. This book was written from a twelve-year-olds view.
Please Rate Me

Good book for a middle school reader about a young, would be joker in medieval timess.

There's was a eleven year old boy named Adam. Adam and his father loved to travel the thirteenth century of England. Adam also brong a spaiel. Nick,Adam brother was stolen and Adam father suddenly look at. The roads was filled up with rich merchants, pilgrims. The road also filled up with thieves and sanits and priest's. Adam also had a dog.their were horse's that made Adam scream off the road again to hide behind a broken down rock. Adam was looking around after getting scared of the horse's and saw a couple of people stealing form a rich merchant. Adam said stop but then saw sheriff along the road and the sheriff stop them.
I like how his father got lost because, Adam to meet new people and Adam had a adventure. I didnt like how Adam brother got stolen because who would steal a kid and it would be dum t have a adventure by your self.

I did not like the book Adam of the road because it tells you a whole bunch of stuff about the characters before it gets to the story and by the time you get to the story you forget about the characters. I also did not like the fact that the book talks weird and it says like thou father I shall bla bla bla.

Revenge of the Whale is about a whaleship journey, with the ship Essex. Captain George Pollard faces many mysterious, and fatal incidents with two different kinds of whales, and many different kinds of weather. This whaleship sailed out of Nantuckett, MA to find only one resource...oil. But they've come across more than just oil, but tragedy along with it.

My personal favorite part of the book is when the crew first sees land in months. I liked this part of the book becuase, it gave me a great essence of releif. I also liked this part of the book becuase, it showed that God gave the crew mercy, something they've always needed. The last reason I liked this book is becuase, I was thinking about what the job description to be a whaler if they told the applicant everything, " You may find yourself eating your best friend, starving to death, dieing of thirst, and drinking the blood of turtles.
I reccommend this book to only a mature audience becuase, little kids would certainly not appreciate this incredible historical story. There is also some confusing and misleading parts of this book that young people wouldnt care for or understand. This story may also bring fear to a small child of the ocean or whales. Once again, mature audiences only!

In Revenge of the whales the whales ship Essex leaves port from Nantucket. The ship is hunting sperm whale for its oil. The whale ship does not spot a whale for some time when it does finally kill one the oil is collected. They continue around Cape Horn into the pacific where they a lot more sperm whales. One day while out at sea a whale is spotted near the side of the sperm whale rams the side and breaks the hull. The Essex turns over and is capsized. The men are now in the small whale boats which are row boats they adapted to be able to sail. The hang near the capsized salvaging parts. One day the oil starts to leak and come on board there ships the oil is very smelly and silk. So they set out for South America. They stay as a group. When they start to run out of food and the men start dieing the black men are eaten first. Then the off lenders are eaten and finally they must eat each other. The men reach a deserted island where the find fresh water and find tropical birds. They drink the blood to make the thirst go away. After stocking up three men stay because they can not stand to sail. The three ships become separated Chase's the first mate; Pollard the captain and, the off landlers in a storm. Chase is left with two men in his boat. Pollard must execute his own Cousin for food. This book was very good I would recommend to any one.

I recommend this book because I learned something from it. Like never messing with a wild animal because it can turn on you. Like the sperm whale in the book, it sunk the whale ship Essex. Also there is a big surprise in the book. The crewman of the Essex survived for 94 days! I think my grandfather would enjoy this book because he is into true tales like the whale ship Essex.

Revenge of the Whale is a survival suspense novel. Anyone who enjoys classic survival fiction like My Side of the Mountain and suspense novels like the Harry Potter books will enjoy Revenge of the Whale. It is hard to put down because the person who wrote it did such a good job ending chapters with cliffhangers. One such example is the last sentence of Chapter 3: "Nickerson's judgment: `This should not have been.'"
This book is about 14-year-old Thomas Nickerson, the cabinboy of the whaleship Essex. He and the 20 other men aboard the Essex deal with bad luck, broken and battered whaleboats, and one very angry sperm whale. The story starts with the sailors going aboard the Essex and sailing from Nantucket. They suffer a knockdown early in their voyage, a sign of the many trials they will soon face. Who will survive? Will young Thomas Nickerson live to tell the tale? Find out when you read Revenge of the Whale!

I had to read this book for a children's literature course, and I absolutely loved it! It is a wonderful book to teach children about real life struggles. I also think it is a great story to teach about conservation. The book is based on a true story and does contain cannabilism, but I think older students can handle the content. I was completly intrigued with the story, a young boy was only one a handful to live through the books ordeal. I think older students would like to learn about a boy their age going on this adventure. It goes great with Gone A-Whaling, a book on whaling and conservation. The whaling industry almost made whales extinct, something that is going on today with many animals. This book is great springboard to discuss real world issues.