The Arrow Over the Door by Joseph Bruchac

Joseph Bruchac’s The Arrow Over the Door takes place in 1777 near Saratoga, New York. The Americans have begun their war of rebellion and the Quakers desire to remain neutral and peaceful while the Abenaki Indians must decide if they are going to answer King George’s call to fight the Rebels.

And so Bruchac tells the story of the historical Easton Meeting that occurred at a Quaker Meetinghouse in Easton, New York (not far from Saratoga) between a group of American Indians and the Friends that worshipped in the Meetinghouse.       

               

The story is told in alternating viewpoints between two young teenaged boys: Samuel, a Quaker and Stands Straight, an Abenaki.           

The Arrow Over the Door is a very short primary grade historical fiction, that could easily be read aloud to ages six and up. My guess is that the very upper end of readership on this piece to be about ten. And I was disappointed in that respect. It is an exciting, interesting story about two well-realized characters and so much more could have been done with this story to make its appeal to include the age of child the characters are, fourteen or so. I have seen this book recommended for higher grades, but I disagree. It is fairly simplistic and plot-oriented.

In the book, we learn that our custom of shaking hands upon meeting someone derives from the Quaker tradition of extending a hand of friendship. But, extending a hand for a handshake denotes equality between the two parties and so sometimes, the hand in Colonial times was rejected.

We learn that the Abenaki’s called the Americans “Bostoniaks”, the English “Songlismoniaks”, and the French “Platzmoniak”, that Elder Brother Sun “liked the sight of war”, and to say thanks in Abenaki we would say “wliwini”. Stands Straight at the age of eight, swam down to the bottom of a cold, icy river to grasp what he could and came up with a seeing stone. The Shawnee seemed to also have this custom amongst their boys.

I will not tell you what happens when the Abenaki warriors come upon the meetinghouse as they search for the enemy, the Bostoniaks. Bruchac does a wonderful job with building the suspense through the voices of the two boys, both of them concerned for their lives and their loved ones.

The Arrow Over the Door is an excellent choice for the study of American History in grades one to three as Bruchac is faithful to represent both sides of the story, the European and the Indigenous. It was published in 1998 by Dial Books for Young Readers and includes fine pencil illustrations by James Watling. My boys would’ve enjoyed this book a great deal, and I would also include it on a list for older dyslexic readers, as its pace is excellent, the story compelling and the reading easy but not patronizing.