This is a beautiful story, and one that anyone who loves to see the growth of children, and character development, will enjoy. It is good to see that it is back in print, as I had to work hard to track it down. ( )

This story is best suited to seventh and eight grade readers because it does have some violent situations. The story comes off as straight autobiographical (which makes it seem even more believeable to the reader) a teachable moment when you explain to young readers that its intent is to draw the reader in and make the story come alive for them which it succeeds in doing. The story is a bout a Cherokee boy who loses his parents and is forced to move to his grandparents home in some very hard times in some untolerable situations. He learns about his culture and how to rely on himself and his history to survive and not on the promises of others. A great coming of age story.

I think the story would be excellent for students with Learning Disabilities in reading. Before I had heard of the controversy, I was impressed by the beauty of the book. I loved the way slower, insecure readers may feel smarter than the narrator, as they realized they knew more than the small boy did. It is the most universally appreciated book I'd ever come across; people who I have spoken to about it range in ages from 17 to 70 and seem very moved by it. So what happened when I found out that Carter's a fake? I haven't said anything about it until now, I would have to check with my administrators before I presented it in class to see how they feel personally about its use there is some violence and some mature themes are presented; none of which are irrelevant or used without discretion.

Extention activitites: What fascinating discussions we could have about human nature, about deception, about what literature is and is not, when students become, totally entranced by the book, and then find out find out that it was written by a member of the KKK. Wow! Opportunities for this kind of deeply challenging discussion are too rare to pass up. This would be an EXCELLENT book for middle schoolers! Finally,is it possible Carter was a closet liberal who made money by writing stupid, silly speeches for stupid politicians, while his heart was in his novels? I don't know, but I love the irony that this book makes students of all backgrounds re-consider their prejudices, their materialism, their government's abuse of power, their treatment of animals and the environment. Sure, I'm troubled and confused by it all, but ultimately, I smile. ( )

Loved this book, but I'm glad my mom told me not to read it while I was pregnant. With all those hormones, I wouldn't have been able to deal with the emotional aspect of that book then. ( )

"Gramma said when you come on something good, first thing to do is to share it with whoever you can find; that way , the good spreads out where no telling it will go. Which is right." This is a feel-good story. I laughed, but I cried more. This is a really special book that changes how you look at the world. I didn't know about the controversy around its author until after I read it, and I'm glad. Great book for middle schoolers and older. ( )

The most interesting thing to me about this book is the flack it has gotten for not being true, as it was originally portrayed. Nevertheless I liked it. The characters are still the same, though it's "fiction" instead of "memoir". Heartwarming and fun - a book that will make you laugh and cry and love the characters! ( )