by Ann Nolan Clark
Recommended Age: 11+

There are many secrets that Cusi does not know as this story begins. He knows nothing of the outside world. He does not know who his parents are, or what it is like to have a family and to belong somewhere. He does not understand the cryptic words passed between Chuto and the minstrel who comes to visit them. But he begins to learn about the history and the traditions of his great people, which have not died – and which, Cusi himself will defiantly swear, WILL not die.

This is a tale full of haunting mystery, awe-inspiring natural beauty, and tenderness between man and beast, between man and child. It is full of exotic, sensory pleasures; ancient riddles and rituals; and a reverence toward the last surviving remnants of a once-great civilization. It is also, more or less, a fantasy – though not in the sword-and-sorcery sense, exactly. So it is not surprising that it is also a Newbery Medal book. It has it all – educational value in a page-turning story where you feel the heart of the main characters, and a final twist that will leave your spine tingling.
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