Call it Courage

Mafatu, the ten-year-old son of a Polynesian chieftan, has always feared the sea because in his toddlerhood he and his mother were swept away by a storm in which his mother lost her life. As he approaches the edge of manhood, his fear prevents him from winning a place in his community. Realizing the......more

Cleanliness: Children's Bad Words - None Illustrations - 1 Incident: a sketch of a naked boy Religious & Supernatural - 8 Incidents: “They worshiped courage, those early Polynesians.” Mentions “Moana, the Sea God.” Mentions a “tupapau - a ghost-spirit.” “He called a prayer to Maui, God of the Fisherme......more

This Newbery winner tells of the trials of Mafatu, a fifteen-year-old Polynesian boy, the son of a chief. Due to a tragedy that took his mother when he was a baby, Mafatu has a great distrust of the sea, so one day he takes a small boat and, accompanied by his dog, forces himself to face his fears.......more

What young boy, when becoming a man, doesn't long to be the hero within his life's story? To have an adventure where he proves himself? Where he can quiet his naysayers and come into his own? Where a young man can stand tall, proud, confidant, and know who he is; a man among men? This book is an ama......more

Meh. This is pretty much everything I dislike about what I thought of as "boy" books when I was a kid. It's like something that'd be published in BOY'S LIFE (the Boy Scout magazine). Definitely not better than THE LONG WINTER, which won an Honor that year.......more