Zia

From the Publisher

"Bound to be among the outstanding books of the year." Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Zia and her brother set out to rescue their aunt, Karana, in this sequel to the Newbery Award-winning Island of the Blue Dolphins. Ages 9-12. Feb.

Children's Literature - Maggie Chase

In this sequel to Island of the Blue Dolphins, Karana's niece Zia takes center stage. Throughout her childhood Zia had heard the stories about her aunt and is determined to be the one to "rescue" her aunt from the island. Independent, strong-willed, and determined, Zia sets about making plans to row to the island, persuading her younger brother to help her in her quest. Twice they fail, the second time because they are kidnapped by Yankee whalers and put to work aboard a ship. Eventually they escape and return to the mainland. Woven into the plot is the struggle of the native people who are taken into forced labor and exploited by the local missions. When the laborers escape in the middle of the night, Zia is imprisoned for her role in their exodus. From her prison cell she is able to witness her aunt's arrival and the two finally meet with outstretched hands through the cell's barred window. This story has plenty of tension and action to sustain a reader's interest. Finely but not overly articulated details of the life, the people, and the landscape of both sea and land around the 1850's in California lay a foundation for understanding how the coastal regions were developed and how native peoples contributed to that development. It is a great book for examining social justice issues and exploitation of an impoverished people, while at the same time, offering up an adventure story that is at times edge-of-your-seat gripping. Reviewer: Maggie Chase