The Sign of the Beaver

by Elizabeth George Speare

Book Overview

In this Newbery Honor book, a thirteen-year-old boy struggles to survive on his own in the wilderness of eighteenth-century Maine. When Matt's father leaves him on his own to guard their new cabin in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0440800382
• ISBN13: 9780440800385
• Release Date: January 1984
• Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group
• Length: 135 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Age Range: 4 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 7

Customer Reviews

Must Read!!!

I read this to my 9 year old back in November when we were studying Native American History. We truly fell in love with this book. I teared up several times and my son still talks about the characters. It's one of those books that we'll never forget.

Excellent read aloud!

I read this aloud to my 3 oldest children when they were 6, 4, and 3. They loved it! Even my 3 year old daughter, would sit at attention and eagerly look forward to the next chapter, but I would not suggest it for that young. I would say depending on your child's attention span, 8-5yrs would be good to read aloud and a bit older for them to read to themselves. As a former teacher and now homeschooling mom, my kids have been brought up on books so they had no problem sitting to hear this one. It was packed with adventure as a boy trys to survive on his own until his dad's return and is reluctantly befriended by a slightly older Indian boy who teaches him how to survive as in turn he teaches him how to read.

Book is better than the movie

I saw this movie several months ago, and loved it. So I went looking for the book and hear it was. The book is a lot different than the movie. However, it goes into greater detail of the relationship between Attean and Matt. This is a book that I will read over and over again. I have added it to our growing library.

A wonderful classic!

This book was a great suprise for me. A young native boy teaches another "white" boy (living on his own) how to hunt without bullets or rifles, fish without a man made hook, make a bow and arrow, and so much more. A wonderful friendship grows between the boys in a time when friendship of this nature was frowned upon. A wonderful story. This book will be even more exciting for the child who loves the outdoors. We adults will learn quite a thing or two as well.

One of the gretest books I've ever read

A boy named Matt is left alone for over a month. While Matt is out hunting one day, a bear atacks his house. When he gets back every thing is mangled. Matt is trying to live off of fish, when he remembers about the bee tree. He climbs it and takes some honey. The bees start atacking until he finds water to hide in. He is rescued by an indian boy and his grandfather. From then on the indians bring Matt gifts of food medicines and other nececaries. In exchange matt teaches an Indian boy (Attean) how to read. At first Attean rejects to everything Matt tries to teach him, but as time moves on Matt and Attean and Matt do become friends. Matt reads Robin Curusoe every day and Attean teaches Matt something new about the forest every day. I will leave the rest for you to find out about on your own, bust is an outstanding book.