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There's a lot to like about K.V. Flynn's On The Move. As far as I know, Flynn is not Native. His main character, Callum, isn't Native either, but a Native kid named Obbie figures prominently in this middle grade story set in California. He's not the sidekick who will be the first to die. He's the real deal. That is, a Native kid who is grounded in his identity as a Native kid. It is a natural part of who he is--which is, one of several boys who hang out together. They are skateboarders.  

In the first three chapters, we learn that Obbie is Native and that he spends his summers on the reservation with his dad. This is done quite naturally. We learn it through the boy's conversations.

In chapter four, we get a closer look at his Native identity. By that, I mean that we see how he thinks about sovereignty. The group of boys are on their way to skate. They're talking about school, in particular, Obbie's essay for English. Mateo says (Note: I'm reading an ebook; no page numbers):

"You cannot use The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian for Kroos's final, Obbie." Mateo was sure that Ob was about to make a critical error and not make it out of eighth grade English alive. "Your book has to be set entirely outside the U.S."

Obbie replies that his book is set on the reservation (he says "rez", which is fine). The boys try to tell him that the reservation is by Spokane, in the state of Washington, and therefore, the book can't be eligible for the essay. Obbie says:

"But it's on the reservation," Obbie explained with his last bit of patience. "That's a sovereign nation."

The boys tell him it doesn't matter, because it is still in the U.S. Obbie replies:

"You guys laugh all you want. But I'm telling Miss Kroos an Indian rez is not America, and that's the book I read." 

Though Obbie was out of patience, it is a friendly exchange (these guys like each other a lot) that is told as a flashback in Callum's memory. Let me back up.

The book itself opens with Callum, Levi, and Apollo at a skateboard camp, shortly after the school year has ended. They've said their good-bye's to Obbie and Mateo. Out of the blue, the United States is attacked. Major cities are bombed. The boys at camp worry about their parents, and, they worry about Obbie and Mateo, too. Did Obbie make it to the reservation? Most of the story is about the kids and their efforts to be reunited with friends and family.

I gotta say that all the skate talk flew right over my head. There's a lot of it and I'm sure it'll be a hook for kids who spend hours on skateboards, trying this or that ramp or trick. The obvious hook for me is Obbie, but I like intriguing stories where teens deal with catastrophic events (like Matt de la Pena's The Living), and stories where science and technology are woven into the plot.

I like Obbie and I like how Flynn has developed and presented him. He doesn't talk much about the reservation during the school year. It is boring there, he says. I've heard plenty of kids at home (on our reservation) say that, too. Obbie pretty much has to go up there to see the Native side of his family (his mom isn't Native) because they don't go down to California much. From Flynn's website, I learned that this is the first of three books about these boys. I'm wondering if we'll learn more about Obbie's parents. How did his Native dad and his white mom meet? What caused them to split up?

But...  Back to the story in On The Move...

The boys desperately want to communicate with parents and friends using their cell phones and computers (when they can find one) but the bombs have destroyed a lot of the infrastructure that makes that communication reliable. Connections are fleeting and old school (they learn what dial-up is and how to use it) but good enough for them to learn that Obbie is with his cousin, Suri. They are fine. The four boys make a plan to meet up and head north together. Most everyone that survived the bombings, they learn, is headed north.
Callum, Levi, and Apollo head north on their skateboards. When they meet up with Suri (she has a truck) and Obbie, they pile into the truck and keep going north. Before long they come to checkpoint of sorts, set up by some bandits. They ask Suri what she's doing with this bunch of kids, and she says that she and Obbie are Yakama and headed to the Yakama Reservation to join their family, and that they found the kids and are keeping them safe. One of the bandits, it turns out, is Native, too. He's told to "get rid of them." Callum thinks that means its all over, but he lets them go instead, keeping their money.

They jump back into the truck, turn around, and find another route, again, heading north.

They get lot of help at places where people are seeking refuge. At one place, a guy is showing Suri a safe route on a map. She says:

"D'you mean here, by the Pyramid Lake Reservation?"

It is a small thing, but a meaningful one. It is one of many moments where a reference to Native people or culture is just dropped in, seamlessly. The map above/right shows the location of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe in Nevada and the Yakama Reservation in Washington.

At one point as they drive, Mateo asks Obbie if his family has "teepees and stuff" on the reservation. Obbie says

"Nah, that was a hundred years ago. They have houses and cars. A school. Normal stuff." 

Callum asks why Obbie's family moved there. Obbie replies:

"They're from there! We were always there. Our tribe is native around that area, they say. Oregon, Washington, those parts. What, d'ya think Lewis and Clark actually discovered some place empty?"

There's more in that conversation, with Obbie telling the boys about his family. Callum laughs about how one-sided history is taught, and Mateo wonders if there had been Indians in area they're passing through. Obbie says:

"Yeah, until the gold rush. Then all those miners came. Brought measles and smallpox galore. I think, like, ninety percent of Native people around here died."

Obbie goes on:

"The rest were captured by the Californios. Used as slaves and stuff. Especially the little kids. The new miners thought the Native Americans were competition, and they were so frantic for all this gold, that the settlers brought a lot of violence, too. Raided the villages. Sold the women. Seriously bad news."

Obbie knows a lot of history and doesn't hesitate to share it. This is more than the one or two lines that Lynn drops in, seamlessly, but it works, too. There's more, too, when they get to a town with a community college. Suri and Obbie head over to it, thinking that the Native American students there, in the First Nations Student Union, would have information about their reservation.

When On the Move draws to a close, the kids are reunited with their families. I should note that there's a bit of a mystery throughout having to do with one friend who dies early in the story. I'll leave that alone, so as not to divulge everything that happens in this story.

In short, I liked Flynn's On the Move. I think there's plenty in it for Native and non-Native kids to grab on to, and I look forward to more from Flynn.

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They’re here! Seven new titles from Sylvan Dell have finally hit shelves around the country. Over the next few weeks on the blog each book will be featured in depth with activities, author interviews and even giveaways.

           

We want to hear from you! Send us questions about the spring 2013 titles pictured above and we will answer them on our blog.

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Our own Nancy Viau has signed a contract for a quiet picture book to Robin Benjamin at Marshall Cavendish Children’s, via her agent Joanna Volpe at Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation. The title is STORM SONG, a rhythmic telling of the sounds and beat of a thunder storm as a little boy is scared out of bed and then lulled back to sleep. Release date has not been announced.

Ruta Rimas has joined Simon & Schuster Children’s Atheneum and Margaret K. McElderry imprints as associate editor, reporting to Justin Chanda. She was at Balzer & Bray.

At Bloomsbury USA, Lea Beresford has joined the company as associate editor and assistant to the publishing director. She was at Random House for four years.

Allison McElgunn has been promoted to assistant editor at Holt.

Olivia Griffiths has joined Sourcebooks as associate marketing manager, children’s and YA. Previously she was an associate marketing manager for Holiday House.

Candlewick Press, Sarah Ketchersid has been promoted to executive editor. She has worked at Candlewick for 10 years.

Kristin Lindstrom has closed her agency, Lindstrom Literary Management, after 15 years to open a new business, Flying Pig Media. She will provide a range of publishing services to authors from craft/content editing to creative management of the electronic and print-on-demand books.

For all you True Blood TV fans, Charlaine Harris indicates she has the final two novels in the Sookie Stackhouse series planned: “I’m writing Book Twelve and then there will be Book Thirteen. And then I’ll think of something else new and wonderful to do.”

Question:  This week I realized that the third weekend in June is Father’s Day Weekend.  That is the weekend we had figured we would have to do the 2012 Conference, but I am afraid that will not work with most people’s schedule.  So I am leaning towards changing it to the week before.  The only thing is the hotel will have more people around, but the conference area will not be affected.  Princeton University changed their graduation to the first weekend in June, which bumped us out of our  traditional weekend in all the hotels in that area.  Any thoughts?

This Tuesday night ‘s dinner at Cafe Centro is with:

Agent Mary Kole,  Agent Liza Flessig, Agent John Cusick, Agent Linda Pratt, Senior Editor Catherine Onder, Senior Editor Alexandra Cooper, Executive Editor Caitlyn   Dlouhy.

Wednesday’s dinner is at A.J. Maxwell’s with:

Editorial Consultsnt Eileen Robinson, Agent Scott Treimel, Agent Marietta Zacker, Editor Shauna Fay, Editor Heather Alexander, Exceutive Editor Erin Clarke, Assistant Editor Sara Sargent, Senior Editor Rebecca Frazer.

Both have a few spots left and both cost $150 to attend.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Filed under: Author, Editors, News, Publishing Industry Tagged: Candlewick, Flyiing Pig Media, Nancy

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