MY HEART IS ON THE GROUND

Beginning with slow, laboring words that lead first to ghastly realization, and then to mature understanding, Rinaldi (Cast Two Shadows, 1998, etc.) explores some of the tragic fates of Native American children during the late 1800s. This entry in the Dear America series explains how thousands of such children were sent away from their families and people to schools intended to purge them of traditional ways. As a student in Pennsylvania’s Carlisle Indian School, Nannie, 12, struggles to cope with the mysterious “white” people. She protects her vulnerable best friend, Pretty Eagle, who often goes into spiritual trances. When the whites mistake Pretty Eagle’s trance state for death, and bury her alive, Nannie knows she could have prevented the tragedy, and finds this knowledge all but unbearable. This is a strong addition to Rinaldi’s ongoing historical explorations; it builds slowly to a terrifying climax that will linger long in readers’ emotions, and offers genuine insight into the courage, weaknesses, and essential humanity of Native American children who made the painful transition from old ways to new ones. (b&w photos, maps) (Fiction. 12+)