ALA Booklist (Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 1993)

This sequel to Next Spring an Oriole (1987) continues the story of the Mitchell family, settlers on the Michigan frontier in 1840. When Mr. Mitchell learns that the government may try to relocate the nearby Potawatomi Indians, he tries to warn the group, especially one family whom he has befriended. Later, when Mitchell's young daughter, Libby, is visiting her friend Fawn at the Indian camp, soldiers suddenly appear, and Libby, who is mistaken for a member of the tribe, is kidnapped along with everyone else. Libby fears she will never see her family again, but after several intense and grueling days, Fawn's father manages to spirit Libby and his family safely back to Michigan. With quiet dignity, Whelan's simple story, based on a real event, conveys the Native American point of view concerning land ownership. Although the closeness of these two very different families may seem somewhat idealized, Libby and Fawn's friendship is well drawn. Large typeface and the many appealing charcoal illustrations make the novel a good choice as a first chapter book, especially for young history buffs. Teachers looking for novels on frontier life will find this useful as well. (Reviewed Dec. 1, 1993)

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2006)

In Night, young pioneer Libby is mistakenly included in the U.S. government's deportation of the Potowatomi Indians; in Shadow, Libby and her family move to the remote wilderness of northern Michigan. These sequels to Next Spring an Oriole are lively and entertaining historical fiction. Both books include expressive black-and-white drawings.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-Whelan successfully follows the writer's dictum of ``show, don't tell'' in this brief novel set in northern Michigan in the 1840s. Libby's best friend is Fawn, a Potawatomi girl who lives nearby. The two families have supported each other through some hard times, so Libby's mother and father are distressed when government agents talk about moving the Indians out of Michigan. One day, Libby disobeys her father and visits the Potawatomi camp for a ceremony-the same day soldiers come to force the clan west. Dressed in her friend's clothes, Libby suffers with the People as they are herded like sheep south and west, until Fawn's family risks their own safety to return her to her parents and to regain their freedom. Just as Alice Dalgliesh did in The Courage of Sarah Noble (Scribners, 1987), Whelan uses action, integrated plot, and well-drawn characters to personalize history, creating powerful, immediate images that humanize the Indians without preaching. Period details, including some Potawatomi words, keep the story firmly fixed in time. An exciting adventure sure to provoke strong feelings, this is for new or reluctant readers, and would make a good read-aloud.-Sally Bates Goodroe, Houston Public Library