When Omakayas, an Ojibwe girl, is twelve years old, her family is forced by white settlers to find a new home. Along the way, her brother has a run-in with a porcupine which he decides to keep as his medicine animal. For awhile the porcupine seems to bring them good luck, but then two of their men are kidnapped and later their supplies are stolen. Omakayas is also worried about Old Tallow, the woman who rescued Omakayas as a child and whom Omakayas loves like a mother. The journey is long and the winter is harsh but Omakayas' family finally reaches the lake where her extended family has settled. This beautiful story weaves in Ojibwe culture and family life. The sequel to The Birchbark House and The Game of Silence.
Date read: 3/24/2010
ISBN-10: 0060297883
ISBN-13: 9780060297886
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