Guardian of the Hills [Hardcover]

Grade 6-10?The Depression has forced Pamela and her mother to move in with Pamela's well-to-do grandfather in rural Arkansas. Wandering alone, the teen discovers strange, moundlike hills and an artifact that induces the old man, an amateur archaeologist, to finance a dig on the site. Pamela is troubled by nightmares and, as she gradually becomes acquainted with her Indian heritage through secret visits to her Great-Aunt Mirabel, with whom her immediate family does not want her to associate, the tension involving an evil spirit seeking to escape the mounds heats up. This is a complex tale inspired by historical fact; however, it is hard to delineate the facts from the author's inventions. Not quite adventure, historical fiction, or quest for identity, the story's focus seems to be the supernatural conflict, but this conflict is undermined by a lack of credibility in the author's imaginings of the Mound Culture and in Pamela's quick absorption of it. Her rapid promotion to leader of the tightly knit Indian community and ability to be its Guardian happen too quickly. Also, the descriptions of clothing and the grandfather's rich household don't seem connected to the time period. What might have carried the story?the dreams and nightmares, the bad luck dogging the dig?fail to engage readers and leave them at a distance from the whole proceedings. The final climactic confrontation is the best part of the book, but the prologue deprives it of any real suspense.?Carol A. Edwards, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 7^-10. Newcomer Pamela faces rejection in the two worlds of tiny Flat Hills, Arkansas, of the 1930s: Her high-school classmates shun her for being part Quapaw Indian; the Quapaws mistrust the girl they view as white. The tension heightens as Pamela's grandfather organizes an archaeological excavation of the sacred Quapaw hills, both to lay bare their secrets and to satisfy emotional distress about his late wife's Indian heritage. Plunked back into the bitter cultural conflict her mother tried so hard to escape, Pamela gradually learns of the fascinating lore and ways of the Quapaw and her own spiritual role, should she choose to accept it, as Guardian of her people. Mysterious dreams, suspense-filled legends, the terror that unfolds as the dig ensues, and the fine characterizations weave together beautifully to make this adventure fantasy a winner. Anne O'Malley

The evil spirit of Stern Dreamer is aroused by archaeologists who disturb his ancient tomb, and Pamela, his direct descendant, is the only living person who can imprison the spirit again, but her weak link to her Native American heritage proves troublesome.