Totem - Softcover
Jonny must travel to the distant past to understand the present.
As an orphaned white boy in a school full of Native students, fourteen-year-old Jonny Joe isn’t like any of the others at the island Redemption Residential School off the west coast. When the advances of Father Gregory disturb Jonny, he joins another boy in an escape to a mountain cave. But when they leave the cave, the world as they knew it no longer exists.
The boys travel to a native village in a sheltered bay, where Jonny becomes skilled in the art of carving. When a steamship enters the cove, the party of sightseers brings a disease that annihilates most of the people in the village. Meanwhile, Jonny has learned the secret of his past and when he returns to the present, Jonny carves a totem pole to honour the members of the village.
As an orphaned white boy in a school full of Native students, fourteen-year-old Jonny Joe isn’t like any of the others at the island Redemption Residential School off the west coast. When the advances of Father Gregory disturb Jonny, he joins another boy in an escape to a mountain cave. But when they leave the cave, the world as they knew it no longer exists.
The boys travel to a native village in a sheltered bay, where Jonny becomes skilled in the art of carving. When a steamship enters the cove, the party of sightseers brings a disease that annihilates most of the people in the village. Meanwhile, Jonny has learned the secret of his past and when he returns to the present, Jonny carves a totem pole to honour the members of the village.
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About the Author:
Jennifer Maruno is a long-time educator. Her debut novel, When the Cherry Blossoms Fell, was shortlisted for the Hackmatack Award and the Pacific Northwest Young Readers Choice Award. She is also the author of Warbird, Cherry Blossom Winter, and Kid Soldier. She lives in Burlington, Ontario.
From School Library Journal:
Gr 7 Up—Redemption Residential School is known for its harshness, and Jonny and Ernie, the only boys who remain there over the summer break, escape the destructive environment of the camp and find refuge in a cave. They wake up in an alternate time and meet an elderly Native American named Kalaku, a protector who has appeared to Jonny for years. The boys grow and mature during the time they spend with Kalaku and the Haida people. The alternate world of the Haida community is abundantly portrayed. The author includes end notes about the Haida people and totem poles as well as a Chinook glossary. Unfortunately, the author does not provide any information about whether or not white people did, in fact, attend Haida ceremonies, as is portrayed in the book. One of the priests at the school is a sexual predator, and while most of his abuse is alluded to, there are a few disturbing scenes. Maruno tells a well-realized story, complete with brave young men and villains, which would have been enhanced with more detailed author notes.—Hilary Writt, Sullivan University, Lexington, KY
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherDundurn Press
- Publication date2014
- ISBN 10 1459719344
- ISBN 13 9781459719347
- BindingPaperback
- Edition number1
- Number of pages168
- Rating
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