War Canoe

17 year-old Mickey Church, a Tlingit Indian didn’t see anything special about his hometown. Perched on an island in Southeast Alaska, the small town of Wrangell was shabby, wet, and isolated. Mickey spent his time acting out, lighting up, and practicing his unstudied air of casual defiance. But when Dr. Bernet, the skinny, tenor-voiced new teacher gave his first history lecture, something inside Mickey shifted. Those old stories about the Tlingit people, the early Russian settlers, and American explorers began to resonate with the rootless orphan. It’s a coming-of-age story about a boy caught between the ages. Should Mickey embrace the ways of his ancestors, or concentrate on finding his future in today’s modern world? Set against the lush backdrop of Southeast Alaska, The War Canoe has its share of fistfights, bear attacks, and belly laughs. It is the perfect read for any preteen or young teenager who is at the crossroads of adolescence – or any adult who is looking for a little common ground.

Mickey, a young Tlingit Indian who is a troublemaker in his small Alaska town, discovers his proud heritage with the help of several interested adults and builds a traditional war canoe to honor his discovery.

Mickey Church, just 17, is a Tlingit Indian who is a troublemaker in his small Alaska town of Wrangell. He discovers his own proud heritage, and the history of his town and people, as he sets out to build a traditional Native American war canoe. An extensive appendix includes actual military reports of the events that shaped Wrangells history. Bryson, a master storyteller, involves the audience from the very first pageSchool Library Journal.

School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up-- Mickey Church, 17, is a Tlingit Indian. This novel, set in the small island village of Wrangell, just off of the southeastern coast of Alaska, tells of his rite of passage into manhood and finding his Indian heritage. With the help of several adults in the community, he struggles to build a war canoe like those used by his ancestors. While doing research for this project, he learns the history of his tribe. As the building of the canoe progresses, Mickey makes some important self-discoveries that will shape his future. In a happy ending, an adult Mickey comes back to the community to help and to educate others about Wrangell history. Bryson, a master storyteller, involves the audience from the very first page. Setting the mood and tone of the story in the foreword, he recounts island and Indian history. As the story unfolds, readers are drawn in and empathize with the characters through clear narrative development. Most of the characters are adult, and their interaction with the boy shows concern and helpfulness. Both young men and young women will be able to identify with Mickey's inner struggle. In a lengthy appendix, Bryson includes actual military reports of Indian events that shaped the history of the village. This book offers a combination the struggle found in O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphin (Houghton, 1960), the conflict in Paulsen's Dogsong (Bradbury, 1985), and the narrative in Michener's Alaska (Random, 1988). Fans of those books will welcome this one. --Molly Kinney, North Dade Regional Library, Miami, FL

Born in San Francisco and raised in San Diego, Bryson has been a journalist, flight instructor, commercial floatplane pilot and a blue-water sailor. He holds a journalism degree from the University of Alaska (1981). He worked at the San Diego Union for 12 years before moving to Southeast Alaska in 1970. He was editor and publisher of the Wrangell (Alaska) Sentinel and of the Petersburg (Alaska) Pilot, which he founded in 1974. From 1983 to 1988 Bryson and his wife and the youngest of his seven children sailed around the world from Alaska to Alaska in his 30-foot sailboat. He now lives in retirement in Colorado.