Sign of the Beaver (Cascades)

Sign of the Beaver (Cascades)

By Elizabeth George Speare

30 ratings 29 reviews 39 followers
Interest LevelReading LevelReading A-ZATOSWord Count
Grades 4 - 8Grades 3 - 5T4.932818
Twelve-year-old Matt is left on his own in the Maine wilderness while his father leaves to bring the rest of the family to their new settlement. When he befriends Attean, an Indian chief’s grandson, he is invited to join the Beaver tribe and move north. Should Matt abandon his hopes of ever seeing his family again and go on to a new life?


From the Trade Paperback edition.
Publisher: Sandpiper
Published on 8/2/2011
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 144

Book Reviews (30)

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Matt is left alone at his house for a few months until his family comes to see him. Matts biggest fear is Indians and he has heard that Indians have been spotted close to where he lives. Will he ever conquer his fear of the Indians?

The book is very good. I like how Matt survives without his family. I should say Matt is a survivalist.

This is a required reading book in 5th grade and my class just finished it! It is about a 13 year old boy named Matt and his father leaves him in the forest alone with a wooden cabin, rifle, and a watch that he has to remember to wind everyday. Soon Matt bumps into indians that seem a little intimidating but soon it seems to grow on Matt. Go read the book to see all the other adventures Matt and the indians have!

I read this book and it was excellent. This book was about a 13 year old boy named Matt learning more about how to survive in the woods by the Native Americans. Attean taught Matt many things. Matt is left alone for a while to guard the family's wilderness home in Maine. This book is also related to "My Side of the Mountain". That book is about a 15 year old boy named Sam Gribley who runs away from his home from his parents and 8 siblings. Also he meets and trains a falcon naming her Frightful. He meets new people and has many adventures with them. He is still able to survive throughout 2 winters. He made all kinds of suits and made strange foods. I'm making a connection to "The Sign of the Beaver".

The Sign of the Beaver was an excellent introduction to life among pioneers and Native Americans in the eighteenth-century American colonies. The book was about a 13 year old boy named Matt who was left behind with a cabin in the Maine wilderness as he awaits his father to bring the rest of Matt's family. As his father left, Matt struggled and developed a relationship with a Native American boy named Attean, and eventually became a trusted person of the Beaver tribe. The novel was full of precise details concerning the tasks and objects that filled everyday life, as well as contained a good deal of adventure and suspense. The author, Elizabeth George Speare, had an insightful and sensitive portrayal of the relations among white settlers and Native Americans. The external conflict between Matt and Attean often made me felt uneasy throughout the story when the tension between the two boys build up. However, I felt it was very heartwarming when Matt finally realized that he had became part of the Beaver tribe and he was accepted as one of their members. I found this book to be quite meaningful, and I learned that maturity comes when one accepts responsibility and learns to be resourceful and self reliant. Self-reliance and an understanding of how to live in harmony with nature can ensure survival in even the most pressing situations. Therefore, I believe people should consider the viewpoints of those who are different from them and be open to learning from them. Finally, I really enjoyed the ending of The Sign of the Beaver because Matt chose to wait for his long lost father even when he was given a chance to move along with the Beaver tribe, and I was full of happiness when Matt’s father did finally arrive to see Matt had kept their cabin safe and sound.

I read it and did not like it.

I am reading this book in my book club... and it's pretty good

I like this okay, but maybe you will disagree. This book is an interesting story about a boy who has to survive the dangerous wilderness by himself. But then he discovers the sign of the Beaver! Little does he know, more adventure is still to come…

I just read this book in class but I already read it last year in 4th grade for JTU, Jenkins,Thurston University but I really liked it i mean it was ok you should try reading it

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