Sun Dance at Turtle Rock

The struggle of a young bi-racial boy in an all-white environment is not a new subject, but in Sun Dance at Turtle Rock, the reader will experience an unusually realistic and contemporary saga. Cody, who visits his seemingly unsympathetic white grandfather in a small Pennsylvanian town for the first time, could have been visiting the town in which I grew up--all-white in 1953, all-white still in 1999. His experiences and conversation with the "natives" produce the tension and pathos one has come to expect of Pat Costa Viglucci. Especially notable is Viglucci's refusal to give in to the typical storybook ending in the resolution of the hero's relationship with his grandfather. As a seventh grade English teacher, I recommend this novel highly, as it could be used successfully in a multi-disciplined study by teachers of literature, social studies, and even the school social worker. If you are tired of the young adult stereotypical treatment on the subject of racism, pick up a copy of Sun Dance at Turtle Rock.