ALA Booklist (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2004)

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.

Horn Book (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2005)

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.

Kirkus Reviews

<p>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)</p>

School Library Journal

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 Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.