Crossing the Panther's Path

From The Critics

Students usually learn the name Tecumseh in American history class, but, this book asks the question, who really was "Tecumseh the man?" Historical fiction has the ability to breathe life and color into distant times, places, and people. In Crossing the Panther's Path, Alder reveals much about Native American customs, values, and the adventurous spirit and lifestyle of the early American frontier, as she weaves historical fact through her fictional narrative puts a face behind the name. This book tells the story of Billy Caldwell, a teenager who joins Tecumseh in the battle to regain the Native American homelands between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in our early American history. Sixteen-year-old Billy is the son of an Irish military man and a Mohawk Indian, and a bright student at a Jesuit boarding school where he is fluent in several languages — including many Indian tongues. When he learns that the Americans are planning to take more and more of the wild and beautiful frontier that the Native Americas call home, he cannot passively stand by. He must join the great Tecumseh in uniting the Indian tribes to fight for their homeland. Young readers will learn much about a fascinating period in history, and of an early Native American hero whose name means "The Panther Passing Across." 2002, Farrar Straus & Giroux, 272 pp.,
— Nichole Snyder

Children's Literature

This engrossing historical novel based on a true story may have the reader rooting for the Red Coats to win the War of 1812. The story tells of 15-year-old Billy Calder whose mother is of the Mohawk tribe and whose father is an Irish captain in the British Army stationed near Detroit. When the story starts, Billy is in school learning, among other things, several languages. He is eager to be finished with school to go out and do SOMETHING. When he meets Tecumseh, he knows what he wants to do: he wants to in some way help the cause of the dynamic leader. Billy thinks he would like to be a warrior, but his linguistic training and talent make him more valuable as an interpreter. The reader follows Billy and Tecumseh through the events culminating in the War of 1812. After reading this exciting tale that is so well told, the reader is likely to seek out more historical fiction. This is Ms. Alder's second book of historical fiction. Her first won several awards including an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. The only tiny flaw is in the map which reverses the positions of Fort Meigs and Fallen Timbers. 2002, Farrar Straus Giroux,
— Janet Crane Barley

VOYA

The conflicts among British colonists, American pioneers, and the many Native American communities already established in North America during the early 1800s provide the historical setting for Alder's new novel. She portrays the early years of fifteen-year-old Billy Calder, the son of a British soldier and a Native American mother, schooled in both the learning of the Jesuits and the Potawatomis. His story allows readers, most likely to be familiar only with expansionist American views, a much-needed window into other perspectives of early American history. Working as a translator to the great Shawnee leader Tecumseh, Billy struggles first to help the tribes secure their homelands from the encroachments of American settlers, and when that endeavor fails, to lead the defeated tribes to safety. Tecumseh's efforts to unite the various tribes of the Midwest and the disappointments and betrayals that contributed to their ultimate defeat are well narrated. The beginnings of a first love; a friendship with Shabonee, the Potawatomi chief; and the difficult question of how to decide when fighting is futile add dimension to Billy's story. Nonetheless Alder sometimes seems to struggle with the story. Expanding Billy's personality might attract more readers but risks the loss of authenticity. Reigning in the construction of Billy gives the novel credibility but sometimes leaves the character flat. Ultimately, the telling of his story creates a worthy book, although not necessarily an easy one. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2001, Farrar Straus Giroux, 272p,
— Megan Isaac

School Library Journal

A novel based on the true story of Billy Calder, Tecumseh's translator and aide during the War of 1812. The teen is half Irish and half Mohawk, educated by the Jesuits, fluent in many languages, falling in love, and fiercely dedicated to the cause of the Indians and the British in the war. Once initiated into his mind and culture, readers will be walking trails, canoeing streams, riding horses, and fighting battles along with him. Throughout, he clearly matures and develops, but only as an idealized character, which accomplishes the author's apparent aim of raising him to heroic status. The valuable Native American perspective is important: William Henry Harrison is cast in an extremely negative light that rarely is illuminated in textbooks, and the generalized American ambition is shown to do what it indeed did, that is, destroy the homeland and much of the culture of the native peoples. Such historical aspects are so well woven into the text that they are at once unnoticed and accepted as part of the story and how things were at the time. Libraries should have copies of the novel to share with the many readers who will enjoy it. -Andrew Medlar, Chicago Public Library, IL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.