Jimmy Whitefeather's father is dead, and he and his mother are moving from the pueblo to his grandfather's house in the city. Jimmy hates the city, and does not understand why they had to leave, and his angry, heartbroken mother is reluctant to tell him. The reason is an added burden: She promised his father that Jimmy would get an education in the outside world, so that he could return to help his people. As his mother struggles to get and keep a menial job, the only one who helps Jimmy through all of the unhappy changes is his grandfather, who seems to be lost in dreams of the past. This philosophical and somewhat mystical book is imbued with the sadness and anger of a displaced people. Many children will find Jimmy's progress toward understanding ponderous. Those thoughtful readers who appreciate Jimmy's dilemma and unique perspective will be rewarded and enlightenedthe sense of lives out of place and feelings of disconnectedness are soberingly authentic. (Fiction. 8-12)
