Sky

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Powell,
Ohio.

Georgia Salois, an 11-year-old Cree orphan, lives on a ranch beside
Birch Creek near the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana with her
grandparents. In the spring of 1964 the Swift Dam bursts and their farm
is washed away by the ensuing flood. Georgia is able to alert her
grandparents to the impending disaster. They lose all of their
livestock, buildings, and belongings, but they survive and are
eventually able to return to their land to rebuild. One hopeful sign
that Georgia finds amid the destruction is a foal that also survived.
Georgia is determined to raise and train it, and the foal becomes a
metaphor for her persistence in overcoming the tremendous obstacles that
life presents. The young girl is strong and practical and remains
focused on creating a life and a future with the people she loves.

Pamela Porter based her book on actual events in Georgia Salois’s
life, and it reads as if Georgia herself were recalling her past in
conversation with the reader. The story is emotionally poignant, almost
poetic at times. Porter’s use of Georgia’s colloquial dialect not
only serves to define Georgia’s character, but also supports the
story’s sense of historical authenticity. Porter’s endnote outlines
the historical facts that the story is based on. Both the serious social
issues that the subject matter suggests and the literary style will
appeal to a more mature young reader. Recommended.