Gary Robinson

16 yo West Seattle boy helps his family leave a dv situation and get into a shelter, is in a distracted driving accident that leaves him with a paralyzed leg. His mom gets him back in touch with his Duwamish roots and he becomes part of a canoe pulling journey to Cowichan.

For me this is local story, and I love that it is a realistic contemporary teen story -- love the focus on the Duwamish (they don't get enough press) and that the author (Cherokee/Choctaw) has a statement specifically thanking the local tribal people he talked to when researching the book. The details seem very believable and accurate, with the possible exception of the family being able to find a room in a shelter on only a couple of days notice -- sadly, that is not the reality in Seattle at this point. However, this is an experience that will resonate with many kids in Seattle, and I appreciate that it's part of the plot, and is presented as an ultimately positive, hopeful, part of the journey.

I found all of the parts of Jason's journey that connects him to the Raven canoe and the canoe puller family fascinating and inspiring. It was a little jarring that the book clearly splits into before accident (diverse school friends) and after accident (school is almost never mentioned again, nor any of those friends) -- given the seriousness of his injury and recovery, I think this is plausible, but it does seem odd that his good friend Ron is never seen again.

As with the other pathfinder titles I've read, it does feel like an instructional/ inspirational story. The writing is a little dry, and a little didactic/predictable -- it's a hi-lo title, so that may be a reflection of the nature of the genre. This is a very straightforward story, told in a very straightforward manner, that sometimes loses the drama and nuance of more complex works. That does not, in my opinion, detract from the message or the story, and I appreciate that it is a fast moving plot and a shorter book.… (mehr)