Spirit Quest
by Jennifer Frick-Ruppert
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Pub Date Apr 18 2017 | Archive Date Apr 17 2017
Description
Skyco, an Algonquin boy, is heir to the great chief Menatonon, but he has much to learn before he can take his place within the tribe. He studies with the shaman Roncommock, who teaches him how to enter the spirit world and communicate with spirits and other animals, while he also learns practical skills of hunting, fishing, and starting a fire from other men in his village. But learning to throw a spear with an atlatl and shoot arrows with a bow are just precursors to the ultimate test, the husquenaugh, when he is challenged to use his hard-earned skills to survive the harrowing life-or-death ritual.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
"The Legend of Skyco (gives) great value to Chowanoke life before the coming of the English." -Marvin T. Jones, founder of the Chowan Discovery Group
"...an important book for our mainstream urban-industrial culture that in general has little knowledge of the natural world and essentially no initiation rites, ceremonies, nor celebrations for young men or women coming of age. Nothing that deliberately defines those transitions from one stage of life to another. But this book is just as entertaining as it is informative. In essence it’s a great ride in a literary time machine that takes us back to what some might say was “a better time.” When things were just as God or The Great Spirit made them and when we humans were more at home and at one with it all. Lucky are we to be travelers on this great ride with Jennifer Frick-Ruppert and the historical characters she has brought back to life through her fiction." - Thomas Crowe, The Smoky Mountain News
Marketing Plan
National consumer paid advertising; comprehensive social media campaign; targeted library outreach; influencer outreach; local author readings and events; Goodreads ARC giveaways
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781944995119 |
| PRICE | $15.99 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Tierra T, Reviewer
cute story loved it! the cover is so cute. it really was a wonderful read and I liked all the characters
Jo M, Reviewer
I really like the fact that the plot is simple. Essentially, the writer takes us on the protagonist's journey from childhood to manhood. Although there are minor tensions and problems, the main narrative is single-tracked. This gives the reader the space and time to truly explore the characterisation, setting and description. Nothing happens fast so there is opportunity to absorb it all.
I found the dialogue stilted. Indeed, the characters felt more rounded when described by the writer than when interacting with one another. I'm sure their linguistic structures were a deliberate narrative device to suggest they are speaking in their Mother Tongue but I found it grating and preferred the pages where description flowed unimpeded by dialogue.
Educator 350559
*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
This is a fictional story based on the Californian Algonquin before the landing of the British in America. It is about a boy called Skyco and his quest to become a man, his eventual following of the line of his mother, and to become chief. The idea of the spirits and connecting and understanding the different animals was an interesting line, and something that I enjoyed reading.
There was a lot of the story which I enjoyed, the characters are fleshed out and we are given humorous back stories of the children and life of the tribe. However, it felt like an over-simplification at times and a little too much information where it wasn't needed, bogging the story down for slow reading.
Overall, it was a fun and informational story, based loosely on a true character and notes and information gathered on tribes from the 1500s.
Amy M, Reviewer
Skyco, an Algonquin Indian boy, learns the values of honesty, family, and pride during his journey into manhood, which was exciting and well researched. I not only learned a lot about the Indian struggles to survive, but about their culture and beliefs. This was an interesting, exciting book.
Erin R, Educator
Yay for more indigenous voices in YA literature! Jennifer Frick-Ruppert transports readers back to pre-European contact America in what today would be the state of North Carolina. Skyco is a member of the Algonquin nation and is about to begin the all important transition from childhood to adulthood by making his spirit quest. Along with other young men of the tribe, Skyco is given a teacher and must complete a series of tasks that will lead him to his destiny. Will Skyco be the next chief of his tribe? Or will he become a medicine man?
Heavily researched, imagine my surprise when I completed the book and discovered that Skyco was a real person. It certainly adds an extra dimension to the story. The author's note was quite fascinating and is accompanied with an appendix of Algonquin vocabulary. Due to the latter, I would suggest that readers find a bound copy rather than an ebook so that you can flip back and forth.
"Spirit Quest" transported me to the right time and place and rang true about Native American life before interactions with the Europeans. The story affirms the customs and teachings of the people with a great deal of respect and the illustrations created by Lorna Murphy are carefully placed within the text.
Although this book didn't have me on the edge of my seat, I really liked the story for its focus on the teachings of the Algonquin nation.
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