THE HAWKSTONE

by Jay Williams ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1971

Efforts to keep his ancestors' land in Connecticut takes Colin from the everyday world of family small talk and neighborly visits to a mystical, timeless one after he acquires the magic hawkstone. Colin finds the stone, which derives its power from its wearer's ""love of the land,"" at a time when high taxes threaten to drive his family from their farm. At once he begins to experience episodes in which he becomes an Indian named Quethapah (this particular identity helps him win an archery contest though he's never held a bow before), a woman named Sarah -- and in turn, six figures from the past, each of whom had once possessed both the land and the stone. Their spirits, who lead Colin at last to a buried treasure that will more than pay the taxes, become a bit thick toward the end as they crowd around directing his every move; in the other dimension, the flip conversations are awkwardly forced from the start (""Up to bed, Buster"" -- ""Oh poop, I forgot"" -- ""Well, well, if it isn't the other half of Damon and Pythias""). Boys might breeze through this as easily as Colin moves through the centuries, but it has neither the dispatch of Williams' Danny Dunn books nor the resonance of compelling fantasy.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1971

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Walck

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1971

Categories: FICTION