A peaceful, tropical world is the setting for Morning Girl, a simple yet rich glimpse into the lives of a young sister and brother. Morning Girl and Star Boy grapple with timeless, universal issues such as experiencing simultaneous anger and love toward family members and the quest to discover the true self. As all siblings do, these children respond to, play off of, and learn from each other. Precisely where Morning Girl and Star Boy are growing up is not revealed, but it's clearly a place where the residents have no modern amenities. Living in harmony with nature is a necessary priority here, and--given the descriptive names of the characters--a Native Indian culture seems likely. But not until the epilogue do readers discover that the story takes place in 1492. Suddenly we realize that the strange-looking visitors Morning Girl welcomes to shore are not as harmless as they may appear. The excerpt from Christopher Columbus's journal provides an ominous footnote: these gentle people, who seem so very much like us, will not be permitted their idyllic existence much longer.
From Publishers Weekly
Youthful brother and sister narrators are a great choice to interpret Dorris's novel, written from the point of view of Morning Girl and Star Boy, two Taino siblings living on a Bahamian island in 1492. A string of images of everyday life and the dynamics between family members introduce listeners to what this part of the world was like before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. Eliza and Riley achieve a commendably comfortable level with the text, something that is sure to appeal to many young listeners. Riley's boyish, high-pitched voice and sometimes excitable tone is perfect for the classic "rambunctious little brother" role. In a brief epilogue (narrated by Terry Bregy), Dorris signals the arrival/encroachment of European explorers. The way this text and recording bring alive a lesser-known side of a well-studied bit of world history may well spark discussion in classrooms and family kitchens. Ages 8-up. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6. A story of a Taino girl and her brother, set in 1492 in the Bahamas. Sibling rivalry, jealously, and love?all are related with elegance and warmth, reflecting a simplicity of lifestyle and universality of experiences. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Card catalog description
Morning Girl, who loves the day, and her younger brother Star Boy, who loves the night, take turns describing their life on an island in pre-Columbian America; in Morning Girl's last narrative, she witnesses the arrival of the first Europeans to her world.
Morning Girl ANNOTATION
Morning Girl, who loves the day, and her younger brother Star Boy, who loves the night, take turns describing their life on an island in pre-Columbian America; in Morning Girl's last narrative, she witnesses the arrival of the first Europeans to her world.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
In alternating chapters, Morning Girl, a twelve-year-old Taino, and her younger brother, Star Boy, vividly recreate life on a Bahamian island in 1492 - a life that is rich, complex, and soon to be threatened.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
In a starred, boxed review, PW praised this ``soulful, affecting portrait'' of a Bahamian family in 1492. Ages 8-up. (Apr.)
Publishers Weekly
Youthful brother and sister narrators are a great choice to interpret Dorris's novel, written from the point of view of Morning Girl and Star Boy, two Taino siblings living on a Bahamian island in 1492. A string of images of everyday life and the dynamics between family members introduce listeners to what this part of the world was like before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. Eliza and Riley achieve a commendably comfortable level with the text, something that is sure to appeal to many young listeners. Riley's boyish, high-pitched voice and sometimes excitable tone is perfect for the classic "rambunctious little brother" role. In a brief epilogue (narrated by Terry Bregy), Dorris signals the arrival/encroachment of European explorers. The way this text and recording bring alive a lesser-known side of a well-studied bit of world history may well spark discussion in classrooms and family kitchens. Ages 8-up. (Jan.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal
Gr 3-6A story of a Taino girl and her brother, set in 1492 in the Bahamas. Sibling rivalry, jealously, and loveall are related with elegance and warmth, reflecting a simplicity of lifestyle and universality of experiences. (Oct. 1992)
School Library Journal
Gr 3-6-Young sister and brother team Eliza and Riley Duggan bring sincerity and heart to their portrayal of 12-year-old Morning Girl and her younger brother Star Boy, two children living on a Bahamian Island in 1492 (Hyperion, 1992). Michael Dorris's lyrical language rolls off the tongues of the two young narrators, who bring the hopes, everyday lives, and petty sibling rivalry of the two protagonists-each named for the time of day that they love best-to life. Hints of change come at the end of the story, when Morning Girl encounters strangers on the beach-revealed in the epilogue read by Terry Bregy to be members of Christopher Columbus's crew. This gentle story reveals the rhythms of life on the island before the Europeans came, showing listeners the richness of the islanders' lives.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
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