Starfish by James Crowley

Blackfoot Nation children Lionel and Beatrice steal a horse and run away from their boarding school to spend nine months hidden in a cabin in the Montana mountains, surviving in the old ways, thanks to the teachings of their grandfather and the help of an African American fugitive. Set in the early twentieth century, this appealing adventure includes horseback-riding feats, fights and children's games, and narrow escapes. Crowley's filmmaking experience is evident in this first novel. The pacing is solid, and both setting and action are clearly described and easy to picture. From nine-year-old Lionel's point of view, his 12-year-old sister, Beatrice, is larger than life: she looks like a warrior on the stolen horse and she goes her own way. In addition, the adults are complex characters—not all boarding-school officials are evil. This slightly romantic but well-written survival story includes an author Q&A that discusses his contacts in the Blackfeet Nation and a list of resources. Grades 4-8. --Kathleen Isaacs

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This book is a fairly easy read. I read it in three evenings. This is a fiction book based on historically accurate era information. What I like about this book is the development of relationships between the characters and the strong family bonds.  The emotion Mr. Crowley is able to get us to feel is significant. The details he provides and historical accuracy is good and really gives life to the story and makes you feel that not only are you there but that this could be a "for real" story too. This book carries a lot of emotion. For me, being a person with a rather strong sense of justice and mercy, this holds some strong emotion for me. I hate injustice. It is one thing that will fire me up every time.

I rate this book PG because of violent thematic elements as well as the undercurrent of racism. It is a late elementary to middle school reading level and content. It would be a great book for a kid to read to enhance a school lesson on the early 1900's and the creation of reservations and the mis-treatment of Native American's. It does warrant a parent-child discussion on racism and the wrongness of violence used for any reason.

For his first book James Crowley has done quite well. I hope he keeps writing.