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Kirsten on the Trail (American Girl: Short Stories #3) by Janet Beeler Shaw

 

Summary (from the publisher): In Kirsten on the Trail, Kirsten's secret Indian friend returns. When Mama finds out about Singing Bird, she forbids Kirsten to play with her. But when Kirsten's little brother, Peter, gets lost in the woods, Kirsten knows just whom to call on for help.

Review: In this short story, Kirsten's Indian friend Singing Bird returns and Kirsten is so excited to be reunited with her friend after months apart. But when her little brother Peter finds out Singing Bird, he ends up telling their mother about her secret friend. Out of fear, her mother forbids her from spending time with Singing Bird and a hurt Peter runs off alone. When Peter fails to return home and seems to be lost, Singing Bird helps Kirsten find him. 

I loved getting to see the character of Singing Bird again in this book. Her family left in search of better hunting grounds in the main series and never returned so it was nice to get a follow up on her. I also thought it was fitting for this short story to focus on fears both Indians and settlers like Kirsten's family would have had about interacting with each other. Despite the innocence of the children's friendship, there are greater powers at work here. Despite being a brief short story, this has a great plot arc and lots of tension between the threatened friendship between Kirsten and Singing Bird and the anxiety of Peter's disappearance.

This book had an especially thorough history section after the conclusion of the story that focused on the lives of Indians on the plains. I read this with my daughters, and they had a lot of questions about Native American ways of life after hearing this history section. This book is such a great introduction to this time period in America's history and to the plight of early Native Americans.  

Stars: 4

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