The Winter People.

Joseph Bruchac. 2002/2003. Read by Robert Ramirez. 3 tapes. 4.5 hrs. Recorded Books. #97464. 1-40255566-0. $29.00. Vinyl; plot. notes. JS *

From KLIATT's September 2002 review of the book,: "Bruchac turns to his own family's history as the basis for this novel about a raid in 1759 on a small Abenaki village named St. Francis in what is now Quebec. The people of the village were closely tied to the French colonists and had raided English settlements to their south; this was a retaliatory raid that killed many women and children. The main narrator is a tall youth, Saxso, whose father is dead. Saxso feels that he hadn't been vigilant enough when his mother and little sisters were taken captive by the English. Saxso tracks the party south for days and eventually rescues them. What will most appeal to YA readers is the strength, knowledge, and courage of young Saxso as he travels along through the wilderness to save his family."

Bruchac does such a fine job reading it would be hard to imagine another voice as the narrator of a story that describes the lives and customs of Native Americans and at the same time brings to light the terrible injustices they suffered. In the voice of 14-year-old Abenaki boy Saxso, Bruchac lets his voice retain a flat, serious tone. His pronunciation of Indian and French words seems flawless and this is the kind of audiobook that will draw anyone interested in the incredible courage of a young boy. Bruchac's reading gives it even more depth. Sally Tibbetts, LRC, Maine West H.S., Des Plaines, IL