Publisher Marketing: Anikwa and James, twelve years old in 1812, spend their days fishing, trapping, and exploring together in the forests of the Indiana Territory. To Anikwa and his family, members of the Miami tribe, this land has been home for centuries. As traders, James's family has ties to the Miami community as well as to the American soldiers in the fort. Now tensions are rising--the British and American armies prepare to meet at Fort Wayne for a crucial battle, and Native Americans from surrounding tribes gather in Kekionga to protect their homeland. After trading stops and precious commodities, like salt, are withheld, the fort comes under siege, and war ravages the land. James and Anikwa, like everyone around them, must decide where their deepest loyalties lie. Can their families--and their friendship--survive? In "Salt, "Printz Honor author Helen Frost offers a compelling look at a difficult time in history. A Frances Foster Book Review Quotes: " [Readers] will come away with heightened sympathy for non-combatants caught up in the course of violent change."-- "The Wall Street Journal" "Printz Honor Book author Frost ("Keesha's House", 2003) has written, with artful economy, another affecting novel in verse. Interspersed among selections narrated in the alternating voices of the two boys are poems about the salt that is necessary to the survival of both peoples." Booklist, starred review "Sensitive and smart: a poetic vista for historical insight as well as cultural awareness." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Salt is an important novel for students to read and consider as they are learning about the War of 1812 in their social studies classes. The perspective of the boys helps bring personal meaning to a period of history that can be hard for students to grasp." -- VOYA "The verse is succinct, yet beautiful, and the story is rich in historical and natural details. Fans of frontier and survival stories will find much to love within these pages." -- "School Library Journal"
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“Acast of three offers a stirring performance of this moving fictional story, setat the turning point of the War of 1812. Tom Picasso is the voice of James, theson of an American trader. Picasso’s dynamic narration highlights James’s rootswith quick speech and a light pace. Michael Bakkensen is the voice of Anikwa.His narration takes on a slower and more rhythmic pace than Picasso’s, echoingthe poetic observations and speech patterns of Anikwa’s Native Americanlanguage. While Tandy Cronyn’s precise narration of the boys’ poems reflectsthe growing tension between the traders and the Natives, Cronyn’s velvety voicealso highlights the themes of friendship in this powerful story for teens. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
“[Readers] will come away with heightened sympathy for noncombatants caught up in the course of violent change.”
— Wall Street Journal“Frost has written, with artful economy, another affecting novel in verse…While acknowledging the uncertainties, misunderstandings, and occasional animosities of war, Frost also celebrates the relationship of both the Miami people and the Americans with the land and with each other…[A] lovely evocation of a frontier America and the timelessness of friendship.”
— Booklist (starred review)“Sensitive and smart: a poetic vista for historical insight as well as cultural awareness.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“The verse is succinct, yet beautiful, and the story is rich in historical and natural details. Fans of frontier and survival stories will find much to love within these pages.”
— School Library Journal“Salt is an important novel for students to read and consider as they are learning about the War of 1812 in their social studies classes. The perspective of the boys helps bring personal meaning to a period of history that can be hard for students to grasp.”
— VOYA“Friends? Enemies?…James and Anikwa are characters who will live on in readers’ minds. Quietly told, the story thoughtfully and openly examines a particular time and place in American history, the prejudice and violence therein.”
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Helen Frost was born in Brookings, South Dakota, and grew up in a family of ten children. She taught elementary school in Vermont, Scotland, and Alaska before becoming a full-time writer. Her novels, poetry, and picture books have won numerous honors and awards, including a Michael L. Printz honor for Keesha’s House. She lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where her yard is a “monarch way station” with hundreds of milkweed plants and nectar flowers that she has planted especially for monarch butterflies.
Tom Picasso is a voice over artist, actor, and singer originally from Kansas City. He is currently the voice of COZI TV, a new cable channel from NBCUniversal that premiered in January 2013 where he records all their ads and tags for the network. He can also be heard on the audiobooks for Hal Clement’s Ocean on Top and Ardath Mayhar's YA novel The Door in the Hill. He holds an MFA in Acting from the Case Western University/Cleveland Play House and has appeared in numerous shows off-broadway and regionally.