Flaming Arrows

William O'Steele's historical fiction novels are exciting and educational. None will disappoint! Our son has read them over and over again since he was 9 years old (he's now 12.

The book I am reviewing is Flaming Arrows. Flaming Arrows is about a boy named Chad Rabun who lived in Tennessee. He and his family lived near the Indian tribe, called the Chickamauga who are practically at war with them. The Chickamauga were starting to attack the settlers, so everyone in the area went to the fort that would protect them. A family, the Logans, was not treated well because their dad was a friend with the Chickamaugas. Most of the people called them traitors. In the story a fire breaks out in the fort because the Chickamaugas shot flaming arrows toward it. One Chickamauga attacked Chad but the hoofs of the horses running through the fort trampled the Indian. Chad almost shot another Indian from the Chickamauga tribe, but he forgot to load the barrel of his musket with powder. I liked it when the Indians chased Chad, how much detail and action were written into the story. I disliked parts of the story because the settlers killed alot of Indians. Of a rating of 1-5 I would give it a 4 because the author had a lot of detail and describe the setting really well. ...San Anselmo, California

I just finished re-reading this book after having read it when I was a child. It is one of William Steele's classic frontier stories. The dialog is rich, the action is fast paced, the characters are fairly well-constructed, and there is even a moral to this tale. Trapped by raiding Indians without much water in a small fort with his family and a few other frontier families, Chad's father stands up for the Logan family, a poor woman with a young son about Chad's age, and two smaller children. The woman's husband, called Traitor by the others who are sure that he is in cahoots with the Indians. The other settlers want to force the Logan family outside the fort but Chad's father, Raburn, won't allow it. At first Chad is repelled by his father's standing up for this family of a traitor, but through the book he learns that it's not fair to judge or blame someone for what another person does - even if it's that person's father. Chad learns to follow his father's advice given near the begging of the book and resolves to "think things through" before forming an opinion. Young readers might be forewarned that this book was written at a time when Indians were portrayed as enemies to the early settlers of the American wilderness. Violence and death are portrayed in the book, as well as, heroism and bravery. For older readers who read these books as youngsters, it's a very good read.