The Spirit Line

Publishers Weekly

David and Aimee Thurlo keep to their familiar setting but leave behind their usual whodunit format for The Spirit Line, an emotional tale of a 15-year-old Navajo girl who yearns to discover life beyond the reservation. Crystal Manyfeathers's mother died a year before the story opens, and her father has grown increasingly distant. As Crystal prepares for her Kinaald -a grueling Navajo coming-of-age ceremony and the novel's climactic scene-her faith in the traditional ways begins to wane. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

KLIATT

Crystal Manyfeathers' upcoming 15th birthday will be bittersweet. She will undergo the Navaho Kinaalda ritual that marks her passage into adulthood, and she will experience the first anniversary of her mother's death. Crystal's legacy from her mother is her weaving talent. She hand-weaves rugs using traditions passed down through generations and is finishing a special rug for her Kinaalda ceremony. However, in defiance of the culture from which she wishes to escape, Crystal leaves out the spirit line, the flaw intentionally woven as a symbol of respect to Spider Woman. Crystal disregards advice from her best friend Junior who is studying to be a Navaho healer. He warns her of the consequences of disrespecting her culture. Soon, she finds herself falling asleep at her loom, unable to weave. Then, the unthinkable happens—someone steals her rug. She and Junior must find her rug in time for the ceremony, and along the way, Junior helps Crystal discover her heritage. The Thurlos are Navaho insiders and sensitively present the cultural conflict and identity quest that many young people experience. Navaho beliefs, traditions, and rituals are woven throughout the story line, and readers, as well as Crystal, gain an appreciation for the traditional ways of her people. Readers also get a glimpse into the Native craft market and learn how unscrupulous dealers deceive artisans and buyers alike. KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2004, Penguin, Viking, 222p., Ages 12 to 18.
—Michele Winship

VOYA

Crystal Manyfeathers is the most talented weaver on the Navajo reservation. Although she learned weaving and the ancient Navajo ways from her late mother, Crystal does not see the value of the old ways. Her rugs attract buyers, and to her the prices that they could bring look like her ticket off the reservation. She is weaving a rug for her womanhood ritual that is unlike any other Navajo rug. Ignoring the teaching of her mother, Crystal refuses to include a spirit line, an imperfection woven into every Navajo rug to pay tribute to Spider Woman, who taught the Navajos to weave. A perfect Navajo rug is unique and will bring a high price. When the rug is stolen off her loom, her best friend, apprentice medicine man Junior, warns her that the theft is her punishment for refusing to obey Navajo traditions. Crystal and Junior decide that it is up to them to find and recover the rug, and their decision heads them straight into danger. This novel has a familiar theme—a young woman finding her path—but the conflict of traditional Navajo ways and modern American life give it a special flavor. A simply told story, strong and appealing characters, plus the details of Navajo culture make this a fun read for young teens of any culture. VOYA Codes 3Q 4P M J (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, Viking, 224p., Ages 11 to 15.
—Dolores Maminski

Children's Literature

This is the story of Crystal Manyfeathers, a Navajo girl who has a special gift for weaving. Crystal is going through a difficult time in her life because, about a year ago, her mother died unexpectedly. Crystal, still trying to accept the tragedy, blames the Navajo way of life for the death and is making plans to leave the village. She agrees to participate in kinaaladá, the rite of passage into womanhood, just to please her father. The only Navajo custom that she seems to hold on to is weaving, but even in this very traditional art, she rebels against the Navajo way by not including a spirit line in the first rug that she is making. When the rug is stolen, her best friend Junior, who is studying to be a Navajo medicine man, accompanies her through various adventures to find the rug. By the end of the story, Crystal has changed her mind about the Navajo culture. When she goes through her kinaaladá ceremony, she realizes that she can hold on to the traditions and still find a way to be herself. This is an excellent story for students studying Native American culture. In addition, it would be meaningful reading material for children who have lost a loved one. 2004, Viking, Ages 11 up.
—Angie Rogers

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-Set on a Navajo reservation, this mystery pits a gifted rug weaver against Anglo exploiters. Although Crystal Manyfeathers is disdainful of many Navajo traditions, she is preparing for her coming-of-age ceremony in order to please her father, who has been emotionally distant since her mother's death one year earlier. Nearly finished with her latest project, she decides to leave out the Spirit Line, the one mistake that all Navajo weavers put into each rug to avoid offending Spider Woman. Not only does she become ill while weaving (and experience visions of Spider Woman herself), but also the rug is stolen just before her ceremony-and it is vital to that rite. Crystal's friend Junior is on his way to becoming a healer in the old ways. Together, they identify and thwart the thieves. Crystal completes her ceremony to the joy of her father and finds her way to peace with her way of life. Carefully combining humor and seriousness, this well-paced story contains accurate portrayals of Navajo customs, mostly believable teen dialogue, and a realistic depiction of the conflicts modern Native young people face.-Cris Riedel, Ellis B. Hyde Elementary School, Dansville, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Crystal Manyfeathers has decided to carry on her family's rug-weaving tradition in order to earn money for college and as a way to leave the reservation for good. She risks angering "Spider Woman" as she decides not to put in the traditional spirit line in her first large rug. When the almost-finished rug is cut from the loom and stolen, Crystal's friend Junior helps her to neutralize Spider Woman's anger and to uncover the thief. Information about Junior's apprenticeship to become a medicine man (hataalii) and the plans for Crystal's Kinaalda (womanhood) ceremony seep into the storyline, giving readers an awareness of the influence of honored traditions on the lives of contemporary youngsters. Notable because it's one of the few novels that include Native American characters in a contemporary setting, this well-developed mystery should have wide appeal. (Fiction. 11-14)