Makoons
MAKOONS by Louise Erdrich is the fifth book in this cycle, but only the second one about this new generation in the family. I have to admit that I am not a natural reader for this series, that the slow episodic plots do not speak to my needs as a reader, and I believe I may have likened some of the earlier books as the literary equivalent to watching paint dry on the wall.
While I know that she is writing a wonderful series that is specifically a counterpoint to the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder, I hasten to add that I have never read any of Wilder’s books either. Perhaps if I had, my appreciation for Erdrich’s texts would have been greater.
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But something strange happened when Erdrich rebooted this series with the previous book, CHICKADEE. I’m not sure whether I mellowed as a reader, becoming more patient, or whether Erdrich was writing books that spoke to me–I’ll assume that it was a little of both–but I became besotted with the book, and wish that we had pushed it harder here (although it did win a second Scott O’Dell for Erdrich). So I looked forward to this next book, MAKOONS, named for the twin brother of Chickadee.
Prefacing this book is a chilling vision that Makoons has, but by the end only some of the things have come to pass, imparting the feeling that they will happen in next book. So this book could be hampered by the series issue, by the incomplete resolution of the book, and by the fact that, to my mind, the contrast between how this family lives on the Great Plains is so different from how they lived by the lakes and rivers of Minnesota is quite powerful, but again depends on that earlier book.
Nevertheless, this book still gets high marks from me for character, setting, style, and theme. I would also ask us to consider this question: Is there a difference between the way an Ojibwe child would receive this book, and how other readers might perceive it? And if so, how should that inform our critical evaluation of whether this is the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children?
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About Jonathan Hunt
Jonathan Hunt is the Coordinator of Library Media Services at the San Diego County Office of Education. He served on the 2006 Newbery committee, and has also judged the Caldecott Medal, the Printz Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. You can reach him at hunt_yellow@yahoo.com
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Just read through this again, and I fear that I may be damning this one with faint praise, which is not my intention at all. I included this earlier in my own Top Five and we are dedicating a single post to its discussion. Turner, Fogliano, and Reynolds still command my top votes, but should my hypothetical committee not be inclined to support one or more of them, I can easily be swayed to vote for MAKOONS.
I’ve just surprised myself. I didn’t have the negative reaction to MAKOONS that I did to SAMURAI RISING. But I honestly think if I were that 8th 1st place vote, and it came down to a choice between only these two, I’d vote for SAMURAI RISING. Despite all of my problems with SAMURAI RISING, as we’ve discussed ad nauseum, I think Turner did many things to take on the issue of quality presentation to children, a major Newbery criterion. Whereas the impression I got from MAKOONS is that Erdrich is writing the book she wants to, without particular consideration to the audience, and tough luck if you may not find it interesting.
I read the first few chapters of this book and didn’t think I could get through it. Not my thing.
But I kept with it and was actually surprised at how much I didn’t dislike it. I liked the sense of humor (like how the older women in the group needled Gichi Noodin) and I liked the way death was handled near the end of the book. It was fascinating to read the description of how nothing on the buffalo went to waste and how blunt and graphic Erdirch was the explanation of this.
I was a little confused as to why the book was titled ‘Makoons.’ Makoons really isn’t the star of this book anymore than his brother is. The plot unfolds the way it would have regardless of Makoons and the title just kept confusing me. Titling it ‘Makoons’ sets a reader up to believe that he will be the main character and the story’s arc will come from him, but he’s no more the main character than his brother is, let alone other members of the group.
I have never read any of Erdirch’s other books, btw. Totally new to this series. Didn’t think I was missing anything in regards to backstory. Felt this book stood on its own nicely.
The Birchbark House (first in the “series”) is lovely, Mr. H. I definitely recommend it.
Just had a conversation in the bookstore this week about this series. I’d sold the first in the series (Birchbark House) to a grandma looking for a good read-aloud for a 5 and 8 year old. She said they’d LOVED the book on her summer visit and have pestered their dad for re-readings ever since. She was elated to learn there were many more books in the series.
I suspect that this is a book where, even thought the reading level puts it middle of the pack for MG, it really goes over better with a younger listening audience. I’d love to know from teachers who’ve read this aloud what their experience is.
Rosanne, I do think you are right, that it is a great family read aloud kind of story, especially for younger readers, say first and second graders. Perhaps a good bedtime story for multiple siblings? It’s the kind of title that I would definitely be looking for additional responses from adult and child readers, especially since it’s not my cup of tea. The details of domestic life would have held no interest to my ten-year-old self, and some of the humor would have been lost on me. I think I could have responded to it as a read aloud. As an adult reader, I think this poses a challenge to me that every committee member must answer about a kind of book they do not care for: Can I move past my own individual tastes, recognize its strong qualities, and potentially throw my support behind it?
I’m not sure how 5-8 year old readers would handle the buffalo carcasses scattered throughout the camp as the group is done harvesting all they can from them. The depictions were all surprisingly graphic. Maybe I’m just a wimp…