Run Away Home

Title: Run Away Home
Author: Patricia C. McKissack
Published: Scholastic Inc, New York
Date:1997
Summary: A young girl finds a run away Apache boy in her barn dying with swamp fever. Her family takes him in and tries to nurse him back to health. When he gets better, there are some consequences that the boy and the family will face.
Age Level: Upper Elementary (5-6)
Strengths: I believe this was a very interesting chapter book because it is a mixture of what happened to the Native Americans and as well as freed slaves. The year is 1888, in Alabama, and these were hard times. I liked the different character developments within the story. Sarah Jane was the one telling it from her point of view. She talked about how she saw a boy escape from a train that was deporting Apache Native Americans to the north. She could have told anyone that he escaped but she didn't, because she was a curious girl. I also like the description of her mother and father. Her mother is part Native American and her father is African American. They are definitely different. Her mother is soft spoken unless angry, but she also afraid. Sarah Jane's father is strict, but he is not afraid to try and vote (because during that time, many freed slaves were stopped by voting). There were also some wording about different people. For example, the Klu Klux Klan is in this story but they are called "The Knights of the Southern Order of Manhood" or the night riders. I think what was wonderful about the book was the connection between Sky (the Native American Boy) and Sarah Jane. They both learned from each other about their cultures and ways. It was heartwarming to see at the end of the book more Native American people helping Sarah Jane's father complete a desk order for Booker T. Washington. Afterwards, they all had a great feast, everyone mingling and sharing.
Concerns: Sarah Jane is supposed to be 13 and Sky is supposed to be 15, but they do not act like they are those ages. Sarah Jane sounds more like a 10 or an 11 year old while Sky sounds like a 13 year old, because of how they behave and act. Sarah Jane asked a lot of questions, and there is nothing about puberty affecting her. To the reader, it is like she still has the mind of a child.
Comments: This would actally be an interesting way of learning about the past with a twist because this book has both the perspectives of what it was like for the Native Americans (who had to move from their land) and freed slaves.