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Summary
Summary
Charlie's beloved grandfather is ill, and Charlie will do anything to save him. He brings home Blue Sky, a lively baby raven, because his Native American friends claim the intelligent birds have powerful medicine. Grandfather, a naturalist, is intrigued, and urges Charlie to keep a nature journal about Blue Sky. But caring for--and protecting--a wild creature is a huge responsibility. Charlie's observations teach him wondrous things about ravens--and some surprising lessons about humans. Weaving natural history, myth, and a family narrative about life and death, Jean George proves again why she is one of the most admired children's writers working today.
Author Notes
Jean Craighead George was born on July 2, 1919 in Washington, D.C. She received degrees in English and science from Pennsylvania State University. She began her career as a reporter for the International News Service. In the 1940s she was a member of the White House press corps for The Washington Post.
During her lifetime, she wrote over 100 novels including My Side of the Mountain, which was a 1960 Newbery Honor Book, On the Far Side of the Mountain, Julie of the Wolves, which won the Newbery Medal, Julie, and Julie's Wolf Pack. She also wrote two guides to cooking with wild foods and an autobiography entitled Journey Inward. In 1991, she became the first winner of the School Library Media Section of the New York Library Association's Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature. She died on May 15, 2012 at the age of 92.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Fans of My Side of the Mountain and Julie of the Wolves will embrace this heartfelt addition to George's repertoire of nature-themed novels. Here the author weaves threads of Native American lore and scientific fact into a moving story set in the Grand Teton Mountains about a boy and a raven. After hearing from Singing Bird, his Native American friend, that "ravens could cure people," 13-year-old Charlie captures a nestling and presents the baby bird to his ailing grandfather, a naturalist. Granddad takes an immediate interest in the tiny raven, whom Charlie names Blue Sky, and encourages his grandson to conduct a study of the bird. Charlie's quest to learn whether "ravens are good" (as his friend Singing Bird believes), "bad" (as neighbor Mr. Spinder insists)-or just plain mysterious-leads him to make some unexpected and profound discoveries about nature. Charlie's irrepressible curiosity forms a poignant contrast with his aging grandfather's quiet wisdom. Blue Sky's unpredictable antics add suspense and humor to the story. Readers will come away from this book inspired to take a closer look at their environment in order to find the kind of unexplainable wonders that Charlie observes during his study of Blue Sky. Ages 9-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Inspired by a legend that ravens can cure illness, Charlie captures a baby raven and brings it to his ailing grandfather, a retired naturalist. Grandfather and grandson study Blue Sky+s often mysterious behavior in a novel whose plot is overwhelmed by its detailed accounting of raven life. Still, George+s clear prose and simple line drawings should appeal to young nature lovers. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-7. Thirteen-year-old Charlie, concerned about his grandfather's declining health, hears a Teton/Sioux legend that ravens can cure the sick. He brings a nestling home and Granddad, an old naturalist, teaches him to care for the bird, Blue Sky, and how to record observations of its behaviors. Charlie learns much from Blue Sky, who imprints on the boy and serves as a source of interest and amazement to the entire family. Noted nature writer George weaves together personal and family experiences (her brother, Frank, and nephew, Charlie, studied raven behavior, and George herself kept a pet crow) with scientific facts to create a satisfying family story that will appeal to animal lovers everywhere. A secondary plot involving a Teton/Sioux classmate adds depth to the story, but center stage belongs to Blue Sky, a cunning, highly intelligent bird that requires his morning ritual with Granddad, recognizes humans with intent to harm, and even learns to mimic Granddad's refrain to Charlie: write it down. --Kay Weisman Copyright 2004 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-9-After his Teton Sioux Indian friend Singing Bird tells him that ravens can "cure people," Charlie, 13, is determined to get one. Blue Sky, his entertaining chick, endears himself to the family after he imprints on Charlie and, for a time, the teen's naturalist grandfather, who has suffered a heart attack, seems to improve as he leads his grandson through a raven research project. The author incorporates numerous fascinating bits of scientific information about raven behavior, including a vocalization glossary; the story is technically accurate and offers a vivid sense of place and a window into Native American beliefs through storytelling. Unfortunately, too many unusual incidents undermine the novel's credibility. For example, the raven saves Charlie's grandmother from a mountain lion attack, the bird speaks, and the ravens sense and react to a neighbor's fear and hatred of them. Line illustrations that often do not resemble these birds detract from an otherwise affecting adventure story. Readers will be moved by Charlie's relationship with both Blue Sky and his grandfather, and will close the book with a healthy respect for the natural world and an increased understanding of how to conduct nature research. Buy where George's books are in demand.-Ellen Fader, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
George delivers another inspiring story in which nature plays a profound role in the life of a child. Charlie's grandfather is recovering from a heart attack, but Singing Bird, his Teton Sioux friend, tells him that ravens can cure sick people. He wonders, as he has also heard, if the dark birds have evil, even supernatural, abilities. After capturing a baby raven, Charlie decides to observe him, officially to see the effect of the environment on humans, unofficially to see if Grandpa improves. When given a drum of the Kangi Yuha tribe, or Raven Owners, who had to know the mysteries of the Raven, Charlie is determined to become as knowledgeable. While recording the bird's good, bad, and mysterious habits, Charlie realizes that there aren't true dividing lines between good and bad in the natural world and discovers that his relationship to the bird is a symbiotic one. A remarkable intergenerational tale with the beautiful landscape of the Grand Teton Mountains as a backdrop. (raven glossary, author interview) (Fiction. 9-13) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Table of Contents
1 Blue Sky | p. 3 |
2 Granddad | p. 12 |
3 Singing Bird | p. 23 |
4 The Teepee | p. 33 |
5 Day Care | p. 46 |
6 Babysitters | p. 56 |
7 The People Students | p. 66 |
8 Independence Day | p. 79 |
9 Other Raven Speak | p. 86 |
10 Messages from the Earth | p. 98 |
11 Raven Power | p. 108 |
12 The Raven Owners' Drum | p. 117 |
13 The Raven Cache | p. 134 |
14 The Ancient Connection | p. 142 |
15 The Raven and the Boy | p. 156 |
16 The Perfect Round Stone | p. 167 |
17 The Nest | p. 180 |
Raven Glossary | p. 191 |