Morning Girl

by Michael Dorris

Overview

Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award, this moving and poetic fictional story follows two Taíno siblings and their life in the Bahamas during the fateful year of 1492.


Morning Girl and Star Boy couldn't be more different. Morning Girl relishes the day and all it has to offer, while her younger brother Star Boy loves the night. As they navigate change on their island, from familial struggles to the arrival of a hurricane, they realize everything that makes them different has the power to bring them closer together. This historical coming of age story thoughtfully portrays Morning Girl and Star Boys' complex sibling bond and life in the Caribbean leading up to the eve of Christopher Columbus' arrival to their home.


Told in alternating chapters, this is a rich, lyrical story about an indigenous Caribbean family and the strong bonds of love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786813582
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	05/18/1999
Edition description:	REVISED
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	269,580
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 7.65(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Michael Dorris was a novelist, short story writer, nonfiction writer, and author of books for children. His novel Morning Girl received the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction in 1994.

Editorial Reviews

In a starred, boxed review, PW praised this ``soulful, affecting portrait'' of a Bahamian family in 1492. Ages 8-up. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Youthful brother and sister narrators are a great choice to interpret Dorris's novel, written from the point of view of Morning Girl and Star Boy, two Taino siblings living on a Bahamian island in 1492. A string of images of everyday life and the dynamics between family members introduce listeners to what this part of the world was like before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. Eliza and Riley achieve a commendably comfortable level with the text, something that is sure to appeal to many young listeners. Riley's boyish, high-pitched voice and sometimes excitable tone is perfect for the classic "rambunctious little brother" role. In a brief epilogue (narrated by Terry Bregy), Dorris signals the arrival/encroachment of European explorers. The way this text and recording bring alive a lesser-known side of a well-studied bit of world history may well spark discussion in classrooms and family kitchens. Ages 8-up. (Jan.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 3-6-Young sister and brother team Eliza and Riley Duggan bring sincerity and heart to their portrayal of 12-year-old Morning Girl and her younger brother Star Boy, two children living on a Bahamian Island in 1492 (Hyperion, 1992). Michael Dorris's lyrical language rolls off the tongues of the two young narrators, who bring the hopes, everyday lives, and petty sibling rivalry of the two protagonists-each named for the time of day that they love best-to life. Hints of change come at the end of the story, when Morning Girl encounters strangers on the beach-revealed in the epilogue read by Terry Bregy to be members of Christopher Columbus's crew. This gentle story reveals the rhythms of life on the island before the Europeans came, showing listeners the richness of the islanders' lives.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Michael Dorris won numerous awards for this unusual and enchanting book. It’s 1492, and Morning Girl and her younger brother, Star Boy, live in the Bahamas when Christopher Columbus discovers the New World. Chapters alternate between the children and are ably read by Eliza and Riley Duggan. Listeners learn how different--and the same--children are then and now. Star Boy disappears when he fears that he ruined the family’s canoe; Morning Girl wonders what she looks like until her father shows her that she can see her reflection by looking into the “mirrors” of his eyes. The entire family mourns the sister who was never born. Both the Duggans are exceptional narrators, distinguishing adult from children’s voices while conveying the many emotions in such a unique tale. All ages will enjoy and learn from this interesting period in history. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

JUNE/JULY 05 - AudioFile