Horn Book (Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2006)

In a powerful historical novel, two Mohawk girls are sent to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. In spare prose poems with alternating first-person perspective, Carvell relates the sisters' heartbreaking attempts to "be good"; the denial of their culture; unending menial labor; and, from the school's director, racism and cruelty. Despite the inevitable tragedy, Carvell leaves readers with hope.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-In alternating free verse, two Mohawk sisters tell of their lives at the Carlisle Indian School near the turn of the 20th century. Carvell uses the experiences of her husband's family, and research from the Cumberland County Historical Society, to relate the stories of Mattie and Sarah. After their mother's death, their father sadly dispatches them to the boarding school, where the siblings cling to their language and a few precious items as the rest of their culture is stripped away from them. They long for family, for friendship, and for home, but their attempts to obtain any of these things result in a tragic and true-to-life ending. The inner-thought narratives allow readers to connect with the characters. Though the voices are nearly identical, making it difficult sometimes to tell the girls apart, and the voice of African-American Mr. Davis is awkwardly and inconsistently colloquial, Carvell has put together a compelling, authentic, and sensitive portrayal of a part of our history that is still not made accurately available to young readers. All libraries will want this title on their shelves.-Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Starred Review ALA Booklist (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2005)

Starred Review Mattie and Sarah try to be good when their father, a Mohawk, sends them to Pennsylvania's Carlisle Indian Boarding School at the turn of the twentieth century. He believes it's best, but the children suffer cruel abuse. Mattie, falsely accused of stealing, is beaten and publicly shamed, and things only get worse. The sisters tell their story in alternating first-person, free-verse narratives, which reveal their close bond, their longing for home, and the vicious pressure to assimilate (Mrs. Dwyer says, "if we work hard, we will be as good as white people"). A few adults are kind, and the sisters make new friends, but the vicious school director encourages bullying and betrayal. The girls' voices sometimes sound similar, but different typefaces make it easy to tell who is speaking, and readers will be deeply moved by the sisters' loving connection in a world of cruel authority. Carvell based the story on the experiences of the members of her husband's Mohawk family, four of whom attended Carlisle. The gripping drama of displacement and forced assimilation has much in common with some of the immigration stories reviewed elsewhere in this issue.

Kirkus Reviews

In her second novel, Carvell ( Who Will Tell My Brother?, 2002) employs alternating voices to create a poignant verse novel telling the historically sensitive story of Mohawk sisters who were sent to the Carlisle Indian School after the death of their mother. Forced to abandon their language and all things from home, the sisters and the other students at Carlisle struggle to be true to their heritage. Marching wherever they go, learning menial tasks, being punished for displaying any remnants of their Indian life and strict enforcement of stringent rules create a disparaging environment. Mattie's and Sarah's struggle to survive amid intolerance and cruelty brings about a bittersweet ending. This satisfying read will awaken young readers to a situation often ignored in our history. (Fiction. 9-14)