The Broken Blade

Title: The Broken Blade Author: William Durbin Pages: 163 "The Broken Blade" is an excellent book based on adventure, courage, and hope. This page turner is about a teenage boy named Pierre who sets out on a treacherous journey and returns a man. Pierre's father has an accident with an ax and chops off his thumb. Without his laziness, Pierre would have had HIS thumb missing. So Pierre has to force himself to live the life of a voyager to raise money for his family. During his trip he meets Indians, bears, death, and suicidal rapids. But overall he met great friends and an inner strength he never knew he had. This book tells of amazing faith and survival, you will never want to put it down! I certainly loved this book and I'm positive you will too.

This is a terrific book which combines rapid action and adventure with solid historical research. You acutally feel like you're paddling along with the voyageurs as they are shooting rapids, fighting storms, and trading with the Ojibwa Indidans. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to take a trip into a vital and exciting period of our history.

I'm a teacher and a parent who is always looking for books which are appropriate and interesting to middle grade students. THE BROKEN BLADE is one of those rare titles that I enjoyed just as much as my students did. The 2,400 mile canoe journey of the main character, Pierre, is described in such a way that the reader actually feels he/she is paddling along with the crew. The landscape, the river, the interaction with the Lake Superior Ojibwe, and Pierre's fellow voyageurs, who are a rowdy and a very real bunch, are vividly depicted, and they all help bring this nineteenth century story to life. My students and I have decided that we want to read more about the voyageur period, and the first book on our list is WINTERING, the companion to this story.

As life-long canoeist and a fan of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, I enjoyed following Pierre's journey as a member of a voyageur brigade. The characters in this book ring true to the spirit of the time, and the well-paced action keeps the story moving from the beginning to the end. I enjoyed both the realism and the theme of affirmation.

This book offers a vivid picture of the voyaguer period. Historically accurate and action-packed, this book should appeal to readers both young and old.