Runs with Horses - Softcover

Brian Burks' published works include Runs With Horses, Soldier Boy, and Wrango, which was awarded the Western Writers of America Spur Award for Best Western Juvenile Fiction.
 

Grade 6-9-Set in Mexico's Sierra Madre mountains during 1886, this is the story of Runs with Horses, an Apache youth who is embarking on a series of trials in order to become a warrior. His father, Red Knife, and the ever-famous Geronimo are the elders who direct his rites of passage, which range from running up and down a mountain without spilling a mouthful of water to assisting in raids on neighboring Mexicans. A young man's desire to be accepted by his peers as well as by his father is accurately portrayed. Bravery, honor, and respect are stressed throughout, and fiction is integrated smoothly with historical details. The story takes place over a short period of time, and will keep readers involved. Fans of westerns and Gary Paulsen's books would probably be the best candidates for this one.-Julie Shatterly, Gaston County Public Library, Gastonia, NC (School Library Journal)

Gr. 6-10. At age 16, Runs With Horses has already gone through many trials on his quest to become a Chiricahua Apache warrior. As the story opens, he is about to attempt another hurdle: he must run three miles up the mountain without swallowing the water he holds in his mouth. Failure is unthinkable--not only for himself, but also for his people--and he knows that his leader Geronimo needs all the warriors he can get. Burks breaks with the trend of depicting Native Americans in a peaceable, passive light, showing, instead, Indians fighting for survival by killing, stealing, and scalping. With its compact size, terse sentences, large print, and action-packed plot, the book is certain to lure reluctant readers, and history buffs will applaud the factual epilogue and bibliography. (Booklist - Susan Dove Lempke)