Mary Louise Clifford

Reviewed by Grandma Bev for TeensReadToo.com

This book reveals history through the eyes of the Native Americans as they lived it. History usually details the settling of Jamestown and the Chesapeake Bay area from the viewpoint of the English colonists, and we can only guess at what the Indians experienced. In WHEN THE GREAT CANOES CAME, Clifford shows us their hardships and emotions through the storytelling of the female chief, Cockacoeske, successor to Powhatan, as she relates the tribal history to the boy, Lost Owl, and his friends. The boys are at the age that their ancestors had their huskenaw, or coming of age ordeals and rituals.

While the native language and names are challenging to pronounce and the tribal relations require some effort and concentration to keep straight, the story about this exciting chapter in our history is thought-provoking and compelling.

Cockacoeske describes the days before and after the arrival of the European settlers. The great chiefs, Powhatan and Opechancanough, deal with the invaders to the best of their ability through the harsh weather and the atrocities committed by the English. The story is told through episodes of the Pamunkey everyday life, interspersed with storytelling sessions.

Mary Louise Clifford's extensive research is evident in this footnoted account of 17th-century America. An epilogue tells of the fate of the tribes after the Jamestown Island settlement in 1607. Ten illustrations, a bibliography, map, genealogical chart, and chronology add to the reading experience. This book would be an outstanding extra accompaniment for early American history studies in elementary school or home school to help put that era in perspective.

Meet Powhatan, Pocahontas, Captain John Smith, John Rolfe, and other historical legends in a whole new perspective.… (més)

Reviewed by Bri P. for TeensReadToo.com

Katie Walker was a pioneer in her own way. I know you are saying "who is she?" I had never heard of her.

Katie Walker was thrown into the role of lighthouse keeper out of necessity. Her son, Jacob, had to row Katie's husband, John, to Staten Island for medical treatment from their lighthouse at Robins Reef Lightstation, New York City. John's last words of "mind the light, Katie" are the title of a fascinating book about lighthouses, their importance, and some of the women who became official lighthouse keepers -- not a very feminine position and not a high-paying job, either.

WOMEN WHO KEPT THE LIGHTS: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF FEMALE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS is a very popular book for adults to read. MIND THE LIGHT, KATIE offers a smaller version and easier to read account of 33 women who held this non-traditional position. Many of these women fought incredible odds to gain official recognition as a keeper of the light. Sometime the daughters of lighthouse keepers would find their husbands by assisting men in keeping the lights burning bright. They may at times have married sons of lighthouse keepers or men who were old enough to be their own fathers.

I think girls ages 12 and up would love to read about women who fought for equality and success in doing "men's work." I have always liked seeing different lighthouses and like learning about the "olden days." I don't think I could have been like any of these women, since they must have gotten terribly lonely working by themselves 365 days a year.

Anything men can do, women can do better, or at least as well as, in lighthouse keeping!… (més)