So this is the seventh book that I have read of the Carnegie Medal longlist. Of course I have been so overwhelmed with work that it has taken me longer than normal to work through the list, and as such the shortlist has also already been announced – so I can inform you that this book has also made the shortlist.
I loved this book! It was easy to read and was absolutely captivating. What I loved even more though was when I got to the end of the book and read about how the author was wanting to put Filipino literature out there, and also tell about experiences from their point of view. I love this idea so much. I grew up with so many Filipino friends, and I hate to think that they were never able to see themselves represented in literature. I also think that we have to be so careful with historic events and an awareness that largely the recordings that we have of these are from the perspective of the white person, or the colonizer.
Anyway – back to the story of this book. We are introduced to Samked, a young boy on the verge of manhood who thinks he understands the world and how it works, that is until his boyhood friend returns to the village and brings with him a white man. An American.
Samked is a delightful male protagonist, who is determined to do right by the people around him. I really enjoyed seeing the world through his eyes and understanding the importance of the ancients, and the spirits and the gods. I also enjoyed seeing how he approached the white men who came to the village.
The story is well paced and full of action and twists and turns, and taught be a lesson about just who can be trusted.
This is a really good book that I would highly recommend to those wanting to read a good story. Essentially it is a coming of age story. But with the cultural elements of being set in the Philippines during the 1700s.
Mrs K
Genre: Adolescent Fiction, Adventure, Cultural, coming of age,
Mrs K Reads 