Aviaq Johnston's <em>Those Who Run the Sky</em> is an exciting, coming-of-age story that should be read by every fifth-grader on the North American continent.

Pitu is a young Inuit boy. He is out hunting when a storm hits and he becomes lost, without his dogs or weapons, and the strange storm takes him to a spirit world where he faces some of the toughest tests imaginable - from terrifying, red-eyed wolves to a giant who wants to add Pitu to her zoo ("Ah! You are so cute!" she laughs at him "Even your voice squeaks like a little lemming!"). When he gets away, it is in to the hands of Taktuq, a grumpy, bitter old Shaman who has also lost his way and hasn't been able to leave this spirit world. Pitu comes to recognize that he is meant to be a shaman himself, but it will only be a worthwhile realization if he can find his way back to his land and his people.

This coming of age story is tremendously powerful. I don't know the Inuit mythologies or customs at all (though after reading this I feel as though I am maybe beginning to understand some of it), but the reader gets the sense that Pitu's journey has deep meaning to him and his culture and that there is some strong metaphors at work here. I wish I understood more of them! The young Inuit reader will likely pick up on this intuitively. The rest of us will get a sense of the power at work here, and we'll still understand the basic tenets of over-coming fears and the fight to survive and finding/forging your own path.

There is a lot of action here and at times we even get the 'out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire' rapid challenge after challenge which certainly keeps the reader turning pages, but I found the encounter and lessons from Taktuq quite interesting. While he's certainly painted as a bit of a curmudgeon, at his core he's still decent (he took Pitu in and helped him recover). But his bitter attitude is poisonous to Pitu who recognizes that this could be him if he doesn't find his way.

The adventure aspect will keep youngsters reading, but the message will sneak in and provide a thoughtful experience. This is 'Gary Paulsen' for a new generation of young readers.

Looking for a good book? <em>Those Who Run in the Sky</em> by Aviaq Johnston is a powerful coming of age story that reaches beyond the Inuit community and offers a strong message to all youngsters looking to find their place in the world.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This coming of age story centres around a young Inuit hunter named Pitu. One day he gets caught up in a violent snowstorm and loses his way. He discovers he has left the world he knows and has entered into a spiritual world of demonic mythological creatures that want to destroy him and prevent him from ever returning to his beloved home and the girl he loves.

He battles savage black wolves who stalk him non-stop and ugly, hideous water creatures that want to submerge him in the icy waters and end his life. He encounters a solitary giant women who keeps t native caribou and polar bears for pets. She is delighted to included Pitu into her menagerie.

He discovers a bitter fellow shaman, named Taktuq, who has been trapped in the spirit world for many years. He lives like a hermit and tries to shun Pitu. He only wants to be left alone nursing his misery and grief. Pitu manages to confront the old shaman and convince him to teach him all his shamanic powers so together they can leave that God-forsaken, evil wasteland and go back to the world of the living where his family is waiting for his return and so to his beloved girlfriend, Saima.

"Those Who Run in the Sky" unveils Inuit culture and customs.
The illustrations are such an enrichment to the story bringing the text alive. There is a glossary of Inuit words at the end of the book to help you understand some of the native language. The book is a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature - text. The writing is very well done. This novel can be used in both junior and intermediate classrooms and opens up wonderful dialogue to a deeper understanding of Inuit life. I highly recommend this book.