Indian Captive
A Newbery Honor Award Winner
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · February 18, 1995
In this classic frontier adventure, Lois Lenski reconstructs the real-life story of Mary Jemison, who was captured in a raid as young girl and raised among the Seneca Indians.
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- Who it’s for
- A researched frontier adventure follows Mary Jemison through loss, learning, and divided loyalties.
- Themes
- Family separation, Cultural adjustment, Conflicted sense of belonging
- Genres
- Colonial & Revolutionary U.S., US: Native American Stories, US Biographies
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For older readers: A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison, Pioneer Girl, Sacajawea
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Start with this bookAbout this book
In this classic frontier adventure, Lois Lenski reconstructs the real-life story of Mary Jemison, who was captured in a raid as young girl and raised among the Seneca Indians. Meticulously researched and illustrated with many detailed drawings, this Newbery Honor novel is an unforgettable tale. Twelve-year-old Mary Jemison took for granted her peaceful days on her family's farm in eastern Pennsylvania.
Continue reading
But on a spring day in 1758, something happened that changed her life forever. When a band of warriors invades the Jemisons' house and takes the family captive, Mary is separated from her parents and siblings. She travels with the Indians to southern Ohio and later to a Seneca village on the Genesee River in what is now western New York. Mary's new life is not easy. She misses her family terribly and is unaccustomed to Seneca ways. But even after her several unsuccessful attempts to run away, the Indians are kind to Mary and teach her many things about the earth, its plants, and its creatures. She develops deep bonds with the animals and even her captors. When Mary is finally given the chance to return to the world she had inhabited, she struggles with her newfound feelings.
History in the Balance
A researched frontier adventure follows Mary Jemison through loss, learning, and divided loyalties.
Come here for
- A novel rooted in Mary Jemison’s real-life story
- Detailed drawings and a layered historical journey
Expect
- A young girl’s difficult adjustment to Seneca life
- Tensions between family ties and a changed sense of belonging
Where it sits
| US: Native American Stories | 86% |
|---|---|
| Colonial & Revolutionary U.S. | 64% |
| US Biographies | 20% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Action & Adventure
- Survival Stories
- Pirate Adventures
- US Biographies
Show all 8 publisher categories
- US: Native American Stories
- Girls & Young Women
- Wars & Military History
- Colonial & Revolutionary U.S.
- Authors
- Lois Lenski
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- February 18, 1995
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Family separation · Cultural adjustment · Conflicted sense of belonging
- Reading lane
- Action & Adventure