Eagle Drums: (Newbery Honor Book)
Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson
(Author)
Description
**A NEWBERY HONOR BOOK**
A magical realistic middle grade debut about the origin story of the Iñupiaq Messenger Feast, a Native Alaskan tradition. As his family prepares for winter, a young, skilled hunter must travel up the mountain to collect obsidian for knapping--the same mountain where his two older brothers died. When he reaches the mountaintop, he is immediately confronted by a terrifying eagle god named Savik. Savik gives the boy a choice: follow me or die like your brothers. What comes next is a harrowing journey to the home of the eagle gods and unexpected lessons on the natural world, the past that shapes us, and the community that binds us.Eagle Drums by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson is part cultural folklore, part origin myth about the Messenger's Feast - which is still celebrated in times of bounty among the Iñupiaq. It's the story of how Iñupiaq people were given the gift of music, song, dance, community, and everlasting tradition.
Product Details
Price
$18.99
$17.66
Publisher
Roaring Brook Press
Publish Date
September 12, 2023
Pages
256
Dimensions
5.89 X 8.62 X 0.87 inches | 1.09 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9781250750655
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Born and raised in Alaska, Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson is a tribally enrolled Iñupiaq author and illustrator. She holds a BA degree in studio art from Humboldt State University and is a student of philosophy and marine biology. She's had several careers, including documentarian and school teacher, where her focus is always on reclaiming indigenous culture and creativity. She is the author of Eagle Drums.
Reviews
Newbery Honor Book
American Indian in Youth Literature Award Honor Book
A NPR Best Book of the Year
An Evanston Public Library Great Book for Kids
A BookPage Best Middle Grade Book of 2023
A 2024 Notable Book for a Global Society
"In this poignant adventure, the creator employs rhythmic prose that echoes the story's oral traditions and offers illustrations rendered in rich, textured hues." --Publishers Weekly
"Hopson deftly describes smells (the autumn earth, the "dusty rot" of the Eagle Mother), tastes (berries, roasted caribou meat, bitter Arctic hare fed on willow bark), and sounds (marmot whistles, bumblebees) that bring the land to life for the reader and ground this archetypal hero's journey in the real world." --Horn Book "In her debut, Hopson offers a culturally specific survival story that should have much appeal; an author's note clarifies the source for this tale." --Booklist
