Parents' Guide to

Ghost Hawk

By Andrea Beach, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Gorgeous tale of Native American and colonist friendship.

Book Susan Cooper Historical Fiction 2013
Ghost Hawk Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 12+

Based on 1 parent review

Heather H.
Heather H. Parent of 5, 9 and 10-year-old
March 8, 2018
age 12+

It's a little heavy

I read this book because my 5th grade daughter was reading it with her class at school. She said it was really good even though she was only part way through. I feel like the subject matter is a big heavy for 10yos but apparently her school district thinks it's appropriate because all 5th graders in the district read this book. It did have good role models and educational value when it came to the history of early America but there was quite a bit of violence, anger and sadness in the book.

This title has:

Educational value
Great role models
Too much violence
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Little Hawk is a member of the Pokanoket tribe at the time European colonists are first establishing a foothold in the Americas. When he returns to his village after the three months alone in the wilderness, he finds it deserted except for his grandmother. Everyone else has died from a plague believed to have been brought by the white settlers. As he struggles to rebuild his life, he meets and befriends a young white boy. The two don't see each other again for many years, but when they do both their lives are profoundly changed. Their friendship blossoms and endures during a time of tremendous upheaval, as each must make his way in his own world, forever shaped by the other.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (1):

GHOST HAWK is so moving, and so eye-opening, it belongs on every bookshelf. It's a story that deserves the widest possible audience, touching as it does on the beginnings of our nation and the fate of the indigenous people at the hands of those seeking freedom themselves.

As expected from the Newbery-winning author of the five-novel The Dark Is Rising Sequence, the writing is simple, elegant, and flawlessly constructed. Susan Cooper creates the larger historical backdrop and keeps it understandable for young readers. But it's the straightforward, unabashed intimacy of life's small moments as they flow from one to the next that elevates this moving tale beyond genre into the ranks of great literature.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about stories set in the past. Why are they so popular? What can we learn from them, and from Ghost Hawk in particular?

  • Susan Cooper says in her Author's Note that Ghost Hawk is not historical fiction, but rather a fantasy in a historical setting. Do you agree? Why do you think she makes that distinction? Do you notice any fantasy elements to the story?

  • Why do we follow John's story through Little Hawk's point of view? What do we learn about him that we wouldn't if John himself were the narrator? Do you think we get a balanced view of both colonists and American Indians?

Book Details

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