Publishers Weekly
Fans of Fritz's lively nonfiction will be disappointed that this audio adaptation falls a bit flat. Perhaps Hughes is fettered by the historically accurate style of Fritz's prose, which is smoothly crafted but lacks dramatic dialogue. Hughes is primarily cast in the role of narrator, having little actual character work available to her to add color. Overall, her reading, though pleasant, is placid and restrained. Some listeners may draw comparisons with the experience of hearing a not particularly dynamic elementary school teacher reading a book to the class: one can follow and enjoy the tale, but the reader doesn't bring much to the story other than to act as a conduit for the author's text. Ages 9-up. (Mar.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
School Library Journal
Gr 4-7 - Jean Fritz's award-winning book (Putnam, 1983) provides an historically accurate account of the life of Pocahontas. The favored daughter of Chief Powhatan, Pocahontas finds herself torn between two worlds when the British settlers come to Jamestown and she becomes a link between the two diverse cultures. In a move engineered to save the life of Captain John Smith, Pocahontas performs a ritual that marks Smith as her kinsman-a relationship she honors with devotion but that he does not truly understand. Her father's appetite for weapons and the British need for food and desire for wealth led to multiple conflicts in which the princess was used as a pawn by both sides. Pocahontas left no written record of her experiences, and much of the information presented in the book has been gleaned from Smith's journals. While there is very little dialogue, narrator Melissa Hughes does an excellent job of varying her voice to express emotion and hold listeners' interest. This well-written account of Pocahontas's life will educate youngsters.-Deanna Romriell, Salt Lake City Public Library, UT
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
From the Publisher
"This book dispels myths and describes with immediacy the life of a girl whose active conscience made her a pawn, exploited by her own people and the white world." —Publishers Weekly
"Jean Fritz removes the romantic varnish from the legend and turns history into engrossing reality." —The New Yorker
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Nonfiction
JUN/JUL 07 - AudioFile
Jean Fritz built her reputation writing well-researched, nonromanticized books of history for children. This biography of Pocahontas, originally published in the early 1980s, shows that her reputation is well earned. Through careful use of historical documentation and clear identification of supposition from fact, the listener is given a balanced look at the first interaction of English settlers and Native Americans. Melissa Hughes reads the story with a tone of authority and compassion for all of the characters. She enlivens Pocahontas, a girl curious about these strangers who have come to her land. The listener comes away with admiration for a young woman, a pawn of both sides, who tried to bridge two cultures. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
