Wabi: A Hero's Tale

by Joseph Bruchac

Overview

Wabi was born an owl—a great horned owl who grew to become such a strong, confident creature that he was afraid of nothing. But now he is afraid. He fears that he might never win the heart of the girl he loves. Somehow, despite his own intentions, he has fallen in love with a girl—a beautiful, headstrong human girl. And so he begins the adventure of his life. He shape-shifts into human form in order to be with her. But before he can win her love, he must face an even greater challenge in a land he comes to think of as the Valley of Monsters.

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

* "Wabi's inquisitive and endearing personality will charm readers." —School Library Journal, starred review 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780142409473
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	10/04/2007
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.52(w) x 8.19(h) x 0.55(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Joseph Bruchac is a highly acclaimed children's book author, poet, novelist and storyteller, as well as a scholar of Native American culture. Coauthor with Michael Caduto of the bestselling Keepers of the Earth series, Bruchac's poems, articles and stories have appeared in hundreds of publications, from Akwesasne Notes and American Poetry Review to National Geographic and Parabola. He has authored many books for adults and children including Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two, Skeleton Man, and The Heart of a Chief. For more information about Joseph, please visit his website www.josephbruchac.com.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Bruchac, in top form here, crafts an exhilarating journey tale . . . readers won't be able to turn the pages fast enough. (Kirkus Reviews)

Editorial Reviews

"Bruchac, in top form here, crafts an exhilarating journey tale . . . readers won't be able to turn the pages fast enough." —Kirkus Reviews

"Bruchac's storytelling skills are on full display in this tale introducing an owl narrator...His tale agilely balances suspense, humor, and romance." —Publishers Weekly

"It is a welcome addition to the growing genre of Native American fiction for teens." —VOYA 

From the Publisher

Bruchac's (Skeleton Man) storytelling skills are on full display in this tale introducing an owlet narrator. Wabi's adventure begins almost immediately, when his brother pushes him out of the nest and into the path of a hungry fox. Wabi's great-grandmother, whom he's never met, comes to his rescue and takes him under her wing. She patiently answers the insatiably curious owl's questions, at times with stories. She tells him that the two of them share a "special gift": they communicate with each other in human language and are able to understand the speech of not only owls and people, but "other creatures toooo." Wabi becomes fascinated by the Native American residents of a nearby village, especially the children, whom he safeguards. Eventually, Wabi realizes that he is smitten with one of the teenagers, the sharp-tongued, headstrong Dojihla, yet recognizes the futility of his love. Guided by his great-grandmother, who confides a family secret, the love-struck owl attempts to win Dojihla's affection. The action continues when Wabi-accompanied by his trusty wolf companion, adopted while he was a cub-begins a harrowing quest to rescue the enslaved members of the wolf's pack and to save Dojihla's people from a deranged bear. Bruchac's tale agilely balances suspense, humor and romance. Ages 12-16. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 5-8-Wabi is an odd owl. For starters, he grows bigger than most horned owls do. Then he realizes he can talk to and understand other creatures. He adopts a wolf pup that becomes a loyal friend and he falls in love with a girl from the nearby Abenaki village that he protects from evil creatures. When his great-grandmother tells him that he has ancestors who were humans who shape-changed to owls, Wabi decides to become human so he can win Dojihla's heart. When his owl-tufted ears give him away, he leaves the village. On his quest to discover his true self, he encounters several nonhuman monsters; rescues a wolf pack from Oldold Woman, who is keeping them captive; and discovers his own true self. Wabi's inquisitive and endearing personality will charm readers. Even when in human form, he thinks and acts like an owl and finds joy and pleasure when his human body can do something he didn't expect, such as kick very hard. His grandmother embodies the adage of wise old owls, dispensing advice and assistance in equal measures but never too much of either at any one time, and readers can see why Wabi falls in love with Dojihla, even if the other young men find her abrasive and compare her to a bobcat. They just haven't watched her as much or as carefully as Wabi has. Give this novel to readers who aren't quite ready for David Clement-Davies's Fire Bringer (2000) or The Sight (2002, both Dutton) or to anyone who enjoys reading about journeys of self-discovery.-Lisa Prolman, Greenfield Public Library, MA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Bruchac, in top form here, crafts an exhilarating journey tale that not only promotes the value of listening, asking questions and telling stories, but is laced with folkloric elements, heroic deeds, romance, toothy monsters and transformations. Born an owl with oddly pale feathers and the ability to understand all creatures, Wabi finds himself falling in love with Dojihla, a young woman from the local village. Discovering from his wise great-grandmother that he has the power to change his form, he becomes human (though retaining his owl's ears). But when Dojihla rejects his suit, as she has those of all other men, he sorrowfully departs on a quest to discover what became of the wolf pack from which Malsumsis, his oversized best friend, had come. No, the plot doesn't exactly hang together-but readers aren't likely to care that much, as, along the way, Wabi faces one malign, magical swamp or forest creature after another, culminating in a titanic battle to save a repentant Dojihla from a crazed giant bear. Parts of this, particularly the climax, will seem familiar to fans of Michelle Paver's Wolf Brother (2005), but Bruchac gives the story a distinctive Native American cast, and readers won't be able to turn the pages fast enough. (Fantasy. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews