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    Salt: A Story of Friendship in a Time of War
    Salt: A Story of Friendship in a Time of War
    Salt: A Story of Friendship in a Time of War
    Audiobook2 hours

    Salt: A Story of Friendship in a Time of War

    Written by Helen Frost

    Narrated by Tom Picasso, Michael Bakkensen and Tandy Cronyn

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    About this audiobook

    Publisher Marketing: Anikwa and James, twelve years old in 1812, spend their days fishing, trapping, and exploring together in the forests of the Indiana Territory. To Anikwa and his family, members of the Miami tribe, this land has been home for centuries. As traders, James's family has ties to the Miami community as well as to the American soldiers in the fort. Now tensions are rising--the British and American armies prepare to meet at Fort Wayne for a crucial battle, and Native Americans from surrounding tribes gather in Kekionga to protect their homeland. After trading stops and precious commodities, like salt, are withheld, the fort comes under siege, and war ravages the land. James and Anikwa, like everyone around them, must decide where their deepest loyalties lie. Can their families--and their friendship--survive? In "Salt, "Printz Honor author Helen Frost offers a compelling look at a difficult time in history. A Frances Foster Book Review Quotes: " [Readers] will come away with heightened sympathy for non-combatants caught up in the course of violent change."-- "The Wall Street Journal" "Printz Honor Book author Frost ("Keesha's House", 2003) has written, with artful economy, another affecting novel in verse. Interspersed among selections narrated in the alternating voices of the two boys are poems about the salt that is necessary to the survival of both peoples." Booklist, starred review "Sensitive and smart: a poetic vista for historical insight as well as cultural awareness." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Salt is an important novel for students to read and consider as they are learning about the War of 1812 in their social studies classes. The perspective of the boys helps bring personal meaning to a period of history that can be hard for students to grasp." -- VOYA "The verse is succinct, yet beautiful, and the story is rich in historical and natural details. Fans of frontier and survival stories will find much to love within these pages." -- "School Library Journal"
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJun 6, 2014
    ISBN9781490624938
    Author

    Helen Frost

    Helen Frost is the author of several books for young people, including Hidden, Diamond Willow, Crossing Stones, The Braid, and Keesha’s House, selected an Honor Book for the Michael L. Printz Award. Helen Frost was born in 1949 in South Dakota, the fifth of ten children. She recalls the summer her family moved from South Dakota to Oregon, traveling in a big trailer and camping in places like the Badlands and Yellowstone. Her father told the family stories before they went to sleep, and Helen would dream about their travels, her family, and their old house. “That’s how I became a writer,” she says. “I didn’t know it at the time, but all those things were accumulating somewhere inside me.” As a child, she loved to travel, think, swim, sing, learn, canoe, write, argue, sew, play the piano, play softball, play with dolls, daydream, read, go fishing, and climb trees. Now, when she sits down to write, her own experiences become the details of her stories. Helen has lived in South Dakota, Oregon, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, Scotland, Colorado, Alaska, California, and Indiana. She currently lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with her family.

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    Reviews for Salt

    4/5

    66 ratings17 reviews

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    • 2/5
      Children's historical fiction/friendship. The two voices are each produced in their own style of poetry (namely, the spacing of the words creates either a diamondy native american pattern or horizontal stripes a la the American flag), which doesn't hurt the narrative too much--it's not done BADLY, but it is so sparse that the sense of place and time is a bit lacking. Maybe I should have read this one while camping (or, after reading up on the time period, etc.). Again, it's not BAD, but I wasn't significantly impressed by the time I'd gotten 50-100 pages in. This is one of our potential mocknewbery titles, but I didn't think it was all that stellar so I'm moving on to the next.
    • 4/5
      Salt is a story of native Americans, The Miami People, living alongside Americans in the Midwest. They are different but so much alike as they help each other survive. The War of 1912 is pending. The families prepare for the worst to happen and it does, but there is really no way to prepare for war. As the people become divided, these families keep alive a deep friendship that war was unable to tear in two.
    • 4/5
      Wonderful book about SALT; its importance to survival in earlier (and probably present) times. Its value in society and what people needed to do to get it.Highly recommend.
    • 4/5
      Set in 1812 Indiana, Salt tells in alternating prose and poetry, the story of two boys, James and Anikwa, a European settler and a Miama native, who are friends. When the British and American armies converge on their villages, the boys are caught between opposing views. James' mother is based loosely on thehistorical figure of Angeline Chapeteau Peltier, who was a peacemaker. My favorite prose sections are the interludes about salt: "THIS GAZE. THESE DEEP BROWN EYES. People follow deer/through the forest,/watching where they lick the ground.//The people scrape salt/into their hands, their baskets. They taste/the salt, bring it home.//Again and again, does and bucks and fawns,/porcupines and people,/meet at the salt place. Beautiful, heartbreaking, unique form. Includes map, character list, notes on form, salt, and names, and a glossary of Miami (Myaamia) words.
    • 4/5
      Both James and Anikwa understand the need for their families survival, as War (1812) approaches, this has never been more clear to the fraying friendship of the son of Indiana Settlers and the son of a Miami Tribe. The constraints of their language barriers have complicated a series of misunderstandings which now jeopardize not only their friendship, once built upon companionable activities of fishing, etc but now threatened by the dwindling food supplies and growing tensions, will be stretched to the limits of their sense of decency and trust of each other. Frost brings the very real life and death struggles of their communities home, while keeping the concerns of the friendship foremost in the reader's heart.
    • 4/5
      I received an advance copy of this for LibraryThing early reviews. I really enjoyed this audio book. It was a simple story, but one where the characters come alive. It was fun to experience a budding friendship among a time that was anything but friendly. The author did a great job when putting this book together.
    • 4/5
      Salt is simple in the best of ways. A story that moves, some heartfelt relationships, and a certain depth of writing without being overly figurative or decidingly bland. I think I would have preferred a hard copy as opposed to the audiobook for this text. While the audiobook was well performed, it was hard to hear it as verse as opposed to prose.
    • 3/5
      I received an advance copy of this for LibraryThing early reviews. I thought it was a well constructed story of friendship during a time of war. I enjoyed the characterization of each of the boys, and what to me seemed like a pretty accurate portrayal of life during that time. The author uses Salt as an economic chain to tie the narrative together, and sprinkles lyric language about the role it plays in nature. Overall though, I have to say it wasn't really my thing, but I'm glad I got the opportunity to listen.
    • 3/5
      If I had been reading the book, rather than listening to it, I might have appreciated it more. As an audio production, I don't think it was successful. The narrators were flat, and the production didn't have a good rhythm, jumping back and forth between the two boys' point of view. When it comes to audiobooks, I'm very picky. I listen to them in the car on my morning and evening commute, so if something is not grabbing my attention, I am very quick to change to the radio. I did that often during this book. It just couldn't hold my interest for very long.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book I have ever read about the War of 1812, and so it provided some interesting insight to that period of history. This story would be great read (or listened to) in the classroom. It is told from alternating points of view between a 12 year old settler and a 12 year old Indian. It is not too heavy on historical names, dates, or details, but focuses more on the events as perceived by the two boys.
    • 5/5
      Stories told in poems is a technique which has grown popular in recent years, especialy for middle-school to high school ages. This Early Reviewer edition was the recorded version and, especially for distinguishing the character voices. Set in 1812, in the Fort Wayne, Indiana territory, two twelve-year boys must deal with an oncoming war and siege--and the precious commodity, salt. Friends all their lives, their lives are turned topsy-turvy by the circumstances. This is a strong and effective story told in a memorable manner.
    • 5/5
      I received a copy of the audiobook edition of Salt:A Story of Friendship in a Time of War through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program. The much needed staple salt is also an additional character in the book which the author links with the events in the book through a poem. When the War of 1812 begins James' father refuses to trade with the Miami Tribe thereby denying them the much needed salt to cure their meat for the long and harsh winter. James' views conflict with those of his father and he is surprised and shocked at the way his father treats his former friends. Anikwa is also conflicted about his friendship with James and unsure if he can maintain their bond during these turbulent times. Salt is a small by mighty book that weaves a beautiful and heart-wrenching tale of friendship and family during one of the most troubled times in US History. Great book and wonderful narration, this book is a new favorite!
    • 4/5
      A must read (or listen!) for fans of middle grade historical fiction! Set in 1812 at the onset of the war, twelve year old white settler, James, and twelve year old Miami Indian, Anikwa, discover what it is that separates them and what it is that binds them. Can they remain friends as war looms closer to Fort Wayne, Indiana?Their days were spent trapping, fishing, playing, and exploring, but now they must grow up and be men. They need to decide whose side they're on: the British, the Americans, The Indians, or their own. Told through the alternating perspectives of both James and Anikwa, this story brings to life their friendship and the cultures that surrounded them. As the tagline suggested, this truly is "A story of friendship in the time of war." Boys especially, will like the hunting and wilderness aspects, but there is enough historical intrigue and friendship to interest female readers as well.The audiobook edition to which I listened to, also added an entire new dimension to the story. The narrators were brilliant and really helped narrarted the concerns and emotions of the two twelve year old friends.I received this book for free from Librarything Early Reviewers in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.
    • 5/5
      Told in the alternating narratives of two 12 year old boys, Anikwa and James in 1812 from the heart of Indian Territory. Anikwa and his family, members of the Miami tribe, have lived on this land for centuries. James's family are traders and connected to the new settles and solders who arrive in waves to stake their claims in the new frontier.

      Can their friendship survive the forces at play, the winds of war, and disloyalty?

      Exquisite.
    • 4/5
      James is a young American settler living at Ft. Wayne. His father runs the trading post there. Anikwa is a Native American boy living with his family in a nearby village. The two boys play, hunt, and fish together, and the families are on friendly terms and trade for the things they need -- salt to cure the meat Anikwa's family hunts, moccasins for James, which he finds more comfortable than the stiff boots his friends wear. But war is coming. Neither James' family nor the Miami tribe want to fight, but they may not have a choice when troops of British and American soldiers are pouring into the area, and nearby tribes have made agreements with the British that they will fight with them in exchange for land rights. Can James and Anikwa's friendship survive the turmoil of war?I find stories like this bittersweet, since we all know where the story goes from here for Anikwa's people. I felt the sensitive cultural details were handled better in this book than in some, though the scant text of a verse novel leaves little room for any kind of description, context, or development. Perhaps the verse format is my largest issue with this book: I have read many verse novels, but few stand out as exemplary either as verse or as novels. I often feel constricted by the format, or frustrated at the sparseness of the text. Many times it just seems like chopped-up prose, and though there were a few pages where I felt that the format of this book worked, in most cases it was just an interesting visual effect. The author has chosen to arrange Anikwa's segments of the story in an undulating pattern resembling Miami ribbonwork, while James' lines run in stripes across the page -- my initial thought was that it was meant to bring to mind a log cabin, but the author's note indicated that it's meant to represent the stripes of the American flag. I did enjoy reading this book, don't get me wrong -- I'm just not sold on the format, which I think undercuts some of what the author is trying to accomplish in this story. However, readers who enjoy verse novels in general might find this one worth a look.
    • 4/5
      This is an interesting, character-driven, historical fiction about two boys during the War of 1812. The book waffles from Anikwa, a Miami Indian, and James, an American in its telling. The text is written in free verse, which makes the book more appealing. James and Anikwa are friends. Each boy teaches the other skills that each possesses. The Miami live peacefully and frequently trade with the Americans. The book is titled Salt because it is the main item traded from the Americans to the Indians. When the war starts both boys question each others friendship.I would recommend this to middle grade readers who have an interest in history. The War of 1812 is not covered in much children's fiction, which gives this book appeal.
    • 4/5
      James's family runs a colony trading post, and has always been friendly with the local Native Americans. His best friend is Anikwa, a member of the Miami tribe. But war is coming, and the colonists don't know whose side the local Indians will be on. Will trouble between their peoples mean the end of the their friendship?