The Sign of the Beaver

The Sign of the Beaver is a children's historical novel by American author Elizabeth George Speare, which has won numerous literary awards. It was published in February 1983, and has become one of her most famous works.

The Sign of the Beaver
First edition
AuthorElizabeth George Speare
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's historical novel
PublisherHoughton Mifflin
Publication date
February 1983
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback) & Audio Book
Pages135
ISBN0-395-33890-5
OCLC9219453
LC ClassPZ7.S7376 Si 1983

The idea for this book came from a factual story that Elizabeth George Speare discovered in Milo, Maine[1] about a young boy who was left alone for a summer in the wilderness and was befriended by a Native American, named Attean, and his grandfather.[2] The novel has been adapted into a television film titled Keeping the Promise.

Plot

The Sign of the Beaver tells the story of 13-year-old Matthew James "Matt" Hallowell, an 18th-century American settler. He and his father build a log cabin in the wilderness of Maine, then Matt is left alone to guard the cabin and his family's claim to the land while his father heads back to Quincy, Massachusetts to pick up his mother, his sister, and the new baby and bring them back to the cabin. Matt learns how to survive and deal with difficult situations, getting help from Attean, a Native American boy, and his family. When Matt fears his father will not return, Attean asks him to join the Beaver tribe and move north.

Awards

References
  1. Library Thing. "The Survival Story". Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  2. McCarthy, Tara (2002). Literature Circle Guide: The Sign of the Beaver. New York, NY: Scholastic. p. 9. ISBN 0-439-35542-7.
  3. Bank Street College of Education. "The Children's Book Committee: Past Award Winners (1943-2007)". Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  4. Library Thing. "Book awards: Christopher Award". Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  5. "Sign of the Beaver Lesson Plan". Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  6. Random House. "Teacher Guide: Sign of the Beaver". Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  7. Horn Book Fanfare. "Hornbook Fanfare's Best Books of the Year 1980s". Archived from the original on October 12, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  8. Scott O'Dell. "Winners of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction". Archived from the original on December 6, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  9. "Young Hoosier Book Award History". Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2009.


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