Salt

February 1, 2015

Gr 5-7-Frost's novel in verse examines the relationship between settlers and members of the Myaamia tribe just before the War of 1812 in what is now Fort Wayne, IN. Told through the experiences of two 12-year-old boys, the story explores friendship, loyalty, and fear of the other from both boys' perspectives. While the narration by Tom Picasso and Michael Bakkensen, who voice James and Anikwa, respectively, is excellent, the audio format does not serve the work especially well. The front matter includes a long list of characters, which is hard to follow when read. The story is told in the boys' alternating voices; in print, this conversation takes place on facing pages, each with a distinctive design. James's text is long and narrow like the stripes of an American flag, while Anikwa's zigzag poems suggest Myaamia ribbon work. Unfortunately, this visual enhancement and the author's notes about form are absent from the audiobook. For this reason, consider shelving audio and print together, and provide information about the Myaamia Community History blog (ow.ly/GWchV), where students can access Salt FAQ's for historical background from the Myaamia perspective. VERDICT Recommended when used with the print book.-Toby Rajput, National Louis University, Skokie, IL

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 27, 2013
Using a narrative poetry format, Frost (Hidden) artfully crafts a fiction-based-on-fact story of events at Fort Wayne in the Indiana Territory in 1812. Pages alternate between the insightful voices of two 12-year-old friends: Anikwa, a member of the Miami nation, and James Gray, whose family runs the fort’s trading post. The poems offer each boy’s perspective on events, such as playing together in the woods or, later, the siege of the fort and subsequent burning of Miami villages. The layouts of the boys’ narration visually highlight the contrast between their cultures: Anikwa’s centered verses expand and contract in the organic shape of traditional Miami ribboncraft, while James’s left-justified, double-line stanzas represent the U.S. flag’s stripes, Frost explains. Lyrical poems about salt, a traded commodity necessary to both cultures, are interspersed: “Tears come from earth and sky,/ from words moving through us./ We taste them as they fall,/ leaving salt streaks on our faces.” Author notes and a glossary of Miami words conclude a very personal account of history that offers much for discussion. Ages 10–14. Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown.