Books published by publisher Weekly Reader Books

It tells the story of a little boy, sole survivor of a massacre of his quiet island village, brought to another island by a trader-friend who finds him there alone...and how he makes his way, a stranger among strangers. The only things he owns are a necklace given to him by his mother, and a precious throwing-stone salvaged from the smoking rubble of the destroyed village. People on the island are kind to him, but the local priest is suspicious of him, and the boy comes to feel that he is a burden to his foster family. Finally, he performs an act of great courage, coming to the attention of the island's chief. A great secret is revealed, and the lonely dispossessed boy is no longer alone. The stark, simple artwork is a delight, the cultural details may or may not be accurate but are certainly believable, and the story has a most satisfying, positive ending typical of books of the era, not like so many kids' books today, where everything is dark and hopeless.