This book is set in the time of the early settlers in America and it is about an English boy called John and his amazing relationship with a native Indian boy Little Hawk. The story is told by Little Hawk and it is really haunting because of one particular terrible thing that happens.

The opening describes how, before Little Hawk was born, his father went to a small island and buried the stone blade of the tomahawk that had belonged to his father and grandfather in between the two branches of a Hickory tree that were a V shape. The tree would grow around the blade until it formed a strong handle and this would be given to Little Hawk when he had to go into the forest on his own for three months in order to become a man.

After this ordeal, Little Hawk could not wait to get home to see his family but when he arrived he found that a terrible tragedy had occurred. John lived in a small settlement with his family and, although the two boys only meet twice, their bond is incredibly strong.

It would be hard to add anything more about the story without giving too much away but I can say plenty about the beautiful descriptive writing which will give you an amazing insight into the relationship between the settlers and the indigenous people of America. John is a very likeable character but I am sure, like me, you will feel angry at many of the English settlers who treated the Indians as if they were not humans. There is a verse at the beginning of the book which emphasises the terrible way in which some settlers treated the Indians:

Boast not proud English, of thy birth and blood
Thy brother Indian is by birth as Good
Of one blood God made Him. And Thee and All,
As wise, as fair, as strong, as personal.

Roger Williams, 1643

I found this book incredibly sad but I couldn't put it down and I have learned a lot about the early history of the settlement of America. I think it is a great shame that there are so few American Indians left. I also found it very interesting that the couple who own the island where little Hawk's tomahawk was shaped are the parents of Ursula Le Guin, the writer of the Wizard of Earthsea trilogy. I recommend this book to anyone who loves to bury themselves in a moving historical story.

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