This is a straightforward kind of book -- simple in narrative, powerful in message. There is the story of Uwohali, a boy who wants to know his father, Sequoyah. There is the story of a village that fears the strange obsession Sequoyah seems possessed with -- what are the symbols he draws? Are they curses? And there is the story of the Cherokee nation, betrayed by the white man, no matter how many treaties they sign. Very well written. Sometimes slow in pacing, but an excellent insight into a culture I know very little about, and a compelling story about reacting to things that frighten or upset you by trying to understand them before condemning them out of hand.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss. ( )

This audio book read by Joseph Bruchac was a pleasure to listen to. The story of Sequoyah creating the Cherokee syllabary is told from the point of view of his son. ( )

My first selection for my We Need Diverse Books challenge for Jefferson's classroom this year. I thought it would be nice to actually read the books before donating them this time around. (A good intention that I immediately fell short of in the next month.)

This book is the story of the creator of the Cherokee alphabet, told not through the eyes of Sequoyah, its inventor, but through his son, Uwohali. It's an interesting story, that works a lot of Cherokee culture in, as well as context of white-Cherokee relations at that time, as well as a sense of the true magic a written language represents.

There is real peril in this story, but the seriousness of Uwohali makes the story seem a little slow at times. I hope it captures and retains the attention of young readers. ( )