Summer of the Ancient

Gr 4–8—In this story of contemporary life in Arizona's Navajo Nation, Silki's summer is not shaping up the way she expected. Her best friend, Birdie, seems more interested in volleyball than in any of the games she and Silki used to play, her brother's monthlong leave from the Marines has been shortened to a few days, and her mother is forcing her to babysit and to test out new Navajo language-learning software. If that weren't enough, the seventh grader thinks she caused the rash of petty thefts that has recently struck the reservation by angering an ancient spirit. As she unravels the mystery of the crime wave, she learns to harness the power of her imagination, listen to the wisdom of her family, and value the blessings of friendship. The novel's momentum builds slowly but ends on a high note, with an exciting nighttime encounter with the true thieves atop a nearby mountain. Disparate narrative threads come together as the puzzle is solved in an unpredictable but mostly plausible conclusion. Secondary characters are not as well developed as Silki, who narrates in a sometimes poetic voice and serves as readers' guide to the Navajo culture and traditions that are skillfully integrated into the story. A few black-and-white illustrations add to the atmosphere and enhance readers' understanding of the setting. Give this book to kids who enjoyed Elise Broach's Missing on Superstition Mountain (Holt, 2011). It has similar elements of Southwestern mystery-adventure, but also allows for greater growth in its main character and more lyrical language.—Kate Hewitt, Far Brook School, Short Hills, NJ