In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall III

Maud Hart Lovelace 2018-2019 Reading List

·         Genre:  Realistic/Historical

·         Grade Level: 4th -  8th

·         Reading Level: 4.7 (4 points)

·         Length: 176 pages 

·         Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (November 10, 2015)

·         My Rating: 4 out of 4 

·         Readability: I abandoned on last read, but enjoyed it this time. (Slow Start)

·         Division: Division 2

·        Summary:  Teased for his fair coloring, Jimmy McClean travels with his grandfather, Nyles High Eagle, to learn about his Lakota heritage while visiting places significant in the life of Crazy Horse, the nineteenth-century Lakota leader and warrior.

I started reading this last year but ending up abandoning it because it was a slow start for me.  I gave it another chance since I have heard several people talk about how great this book is.  I also want to give this book with Native American characters a chance since we have so few of them for younger students.  

Jimmy is 3/4 Lakota and 1/4 Irish, but he looks Irish and so he is teased at school. His grandfather takes him on a trip to teach him about the history of his relative Crazy Horse who was a very great leader and warrior for the Lakota.  They stop at spots of importance in the life of Crazy Horse and Jimmy learns about the character of Crazy Horse who will be become a great influence to him in his new school year. 

This book is a must read for students! There is so little out there that describes historical life from the Native Indian perspective.  It was very sad to hear how unfairly the Lakota people and other tribes were treated by the United States.  I think that is information that students should be aware of. I highly recommend this book as a read aloud along with some background information.