Little Voice

August 1, 2002
Gr 4-6-Part of a series designed to provide Canadian children of neither French nor English descent with novels mirroring their own life experiences, this book tells the story of a the child of an Ojibway mother and a Caucasian father. Ray, 10, feels out of place in her own skin, and the death of her father and her family's subsequent poverty further serve to separate her from her peers. The girl tells of her anger and isolation. She states that the children at school do not like her, that the teachers do not understand her, but the action does not illustrate these circumstances. Ray eventually becomes estranged from her family when her mother marries a man with two sons of his own. Her only solace comes from visits to her grandmother, a medicine woman who lives a nomadic existence in the wilderness. Unfortunately, a potentially interesting coming-of-age story is hindered by narration in the passive voice that tells, rather than shows, the actions and emotions of the characters. The plot meanders seemingly without purpose until Ray realizes that her grandmother has chosen her as a prot g . Feeling accepted and needed, she finds peace. Because her angst is never really felt by readers, the resolution falls flat.-Rita Hunt Smith, Hershey Public Library, PA

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.