Children of the Midnight Sun - Hardcover

Brown is a writer, editor, freelancer, program and book developer, journalist, quilter, mother, grandmother and wife. Her work has been nationally honored for compassionate, insightful depictations of Alaska natives and for children's literature. She began her award-winning literary career in journalism, and in 1984 was the founding editor of 'Heartland"", the Sunday magazine of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Later she wrote for the Anchorgae Daily News, then shifted into editing the popular monthly magazine Alaska, with a readership of more than a quarter million. She holds a Bachelor's degree in journalism and a Master of Fine Arts degree.

Grade 3-7-This attractive and informative book gives insight into the lives of eight Native American Alaskan youngsters, ranging in age from 9 to 13. The native groups represented are I?upiat, Yup'ik, Athabascan, Aleut, Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian, and Aleut-Caucasian. Three-page descriptive profiles of each youngster are accompanied by vivid full-color photos. Brown seems to have anticipated the kinds of things kids would want to ask about these Alaskans, given the chance, and offers readers a glimpse at eight distinct personalities and ways of life. Underlining issues regarding native subsistence and rural vs. urban inhabitants are touched upon, but this book primarily gives an honest look at what it is like to be a native child growing up in this state today. The only thing lacking is a phonetic pronunciation guide in the glossary. There are no other books on the market quite like this one. Carolyn Meyer's In a Different Light (S & S, 1996) explores the Yu'pik culture; Russ Kendall's Eskimo Boy (Scholastic, 1992) and Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith's Arctic Hunter (Holiday House, 1990) both focus on the I?upiat culture, while Hoyt-Goldsmith's Totem Pole (1990) and Potlatch (1997, both Holiday House) feature Tsimshian protagonists. All who read Children of the Midnight Sun will come away with an enriched view of the lives of young native Alaskans. A must buy for both school and public libraries.
Mollie Bynum, formerly at Chester Valley Elementary School, Anchorage, AK
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