Morning Girl

"I don't tell this to anyone because they might misunderstand, but I like the aloneness of the early morning.... Another thing: if the day starts before you do, you never catch up. You spend all your time running after what you should have already done, and no matter how much you hurry, you never finish the race in a tie. The day wins." These are the words of Morning Girl, and they describe exactly my own thoughts. In 1992, when Morning Girl was released, it was critically acclaimed by Booklist, Publishers Weekly, the NY Times Book Review and others. But it seems from the reviews that few have read it. What a shame. The prose of Michael Dorris is gentle, lilting and warm. He is not didactic in his lessons, but shares the wisdom of his culture in a subtle way. I love the format of this book; first Morning Girl gives us her point of view, then her brother, Star Boy, offers a different perspective. The chapters alternate between the two young voices. As with the other children's books by this author, this is a book that is a wonderful read-aloud choice. However, because of its depth and message, it stands as a novel for all ages. Truly lyrical.

As a teacher, I love this book so much! Not only is it beautifully written in short chapters, it is ripe for classroom discussion. Students do need a quick overview of the time period for context. It is a great book to read aloud.

I Am thirteen and I read Morning Girl for a unit on the Age of Exploration. I would recommend this book to other children studying the Age of Exploration. Morning Girl is about a girl named Morning Girl because she gets up when the sun gets up. The book alternates narrarators between Morning Girl and her brother Star Boy. In the story they live through storms and other hardships. Some times they loose just the roof, other times a loved one. I would give this book 4 1/2 stars because when I read it in the end it says that Morning Girl meets explorers but it does not say who it is and I think this would confuse young readers. I felt that the book was complex and always changing even though I understood it perfectly well. To me it was sort of compelling.

Interesting history

I purchased this book for my 4th grader. The reading level is pretty simple for 4th grade and could probably be read by most 3rd graders as well. The story is told in turns by a sister and brother. The story was interesting and kept us reading, but the epilogue is what really made the story intriguing! Highly recommend.

Really interesting book! We used it as part of our homeschool curriculum on the early peoples of North and South America. It held the interest of both my 6 and 8-year-old.

This book describes a girl's life in the Caribbean just as Columbus "discovered" it. Michael Dorris was a wonderful, talented writer for adults, and I was pleased to find this book written at the level my 11-year-old daughter could understand it. I'd say it's probably best for age 11-14 or so.

Fantastic book! A unique look at pre-Columbus North American Island indigenous culture. Great story.

everything is ok