Notes From the Radical Reader:

• Noble Characters: Matt is only twelve years old, but already his father is relying on his survival for months alone in the Maine wilderness, and for the protection of the family’s newly built home. Matt takes on the responsibility of a man as he struggles with loneliness, hunger, and relations with the Indians. He befriends an Indian boy named Attean and is charged with teaching him English. Despite Attean’s unwillingness to learn, Matt is patient and understanding. He learns humility as Attean teaches him the way of the Indians and helps him survive on his family’s farm.
• Captivating Plots: Encounters with robbers, friendship with the Indians, and a near-death experience with a bear all encompass this book. Elizabeth George Speare has seamlessly woven a tale of adventure with trust, friendship in the face of adversity, and courage despite loneliness and desperation.
• Elaborate Worlds: Set in Maine in the year 1769, the story chronicles the adventures of a twelve-year-old boy in the years following the French and Indian War. While the Beaver Tribe of Indians is not real, they represent the many Indians who did live in Maine during the late 1700s. This simple story depicts a fascinating time in American history as relations with Indians were tense following a brutal war, and America crept closer to its own revolution.