Review by RoxMcG -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon

RoxMcG · Post by **RoxMcG** » 04 May 2018, 22:41

[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Strong Heart is a beautiful book full of adventure and rich Native American history. It is a heartwarming story about family, history, and being bold. It also has some magic thrown in too. Overall, I enjoyed it and I recommend it to anyone looking for an exciting read, especially if they are interested in Native American history.

The book tells the story of Sarah, her grandfather and their friends, who all go on an epic adventure in Olympic National Park, in Washington State. The day before he plans on going backpacking through Olympic National Park, Tom finds out he has a granddaughter, Sarah, who needs to stay with him for the next few weeks. Tom has been planning this trip for many years and after much deliberation, he and his friends decide to continue with their backpacking plans and bring Sarah along for the ride. They are even hoping to teach her a few life lessons along the way. Even though she is only thirteen, Sarah is a tough, outspoken girl, who has lived a hard life. As they travel and explore, Sarah is transported into another world of the past. Now it is up to her to share with her grandfather and his friends the things she has learned, and together work to try and protect the rich Native American history of the park.

I really enjoyed reading this book and I read it very quickly. As soon as I started reading, I knew I was going to enjoy it. They author doesn’t waste any time jumping right into the action. I felt like he built up excitement and suspense and moved the story along quickly and beautifully, which made it for a very exciting and enjoyable read. The main characters were well developed and likeable. As a mom, I felt love and concern for Sarah, who was tough but alone, and even though she wouldn’t admit it, needed her grandfather. As the book develops so does the love between Tom and Sarah, and that was a beautiful thing.

This book also surprised me very much. Sarah’s magical past (without giving too much away) memories just come out of nowhere and leave you with your mouth gaping open, wanting to read more and more and find out what happens next. To be honest, when Sarah began telling her story from the past, I was a bit thrown back, not sure how to feel about it. I didn’t like it at first, it felt a bit off and I was confused. However, as the story developed I became more and more captured by it and by the end I saw how the author tied it into the whole story and I really enjoyed it. Some parts were hard to read, harsh and gory, hard for me to imagine a young thirteen-year-old experience these things, but I’m sure many young Native American girls have experienced even worse. Also, as the story moved along I became more and more interested in all the Native American history it was teaching me. I really think that anyone interested in Native American history would especially enjoy this book. It really taught me a lot.

The ending was a bit disappointing to me at first, the story seemed unfinished. However, as I thought about it I realized that the author is wanting us to draw our own conclusions about the origin of natives in North America. He is connecting his fictional story to real life and the lack of data about Native American origins in the area. Instead of giving us a magical happy ending, he connects his fictional characters with the real world, and I really like that.

Overall, I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It was very well written, well researched and I really enjoyed reading it.

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Strong Heart
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trajoe1206 · Post by **trajoe1206** » 05 May 2018, 16:21

Thanks for your review. I am always interested in learning new things, especially about different cultures. I am keen to learn more about Sarah and her magical past and her relationship with her granfather

RoxMcG · Post by **RoxMcG** » 09 May 2018, 02:20

Great! I think you will enjoy it! It's got so much interesting stuff about Native American customs. I learned so much!

Espie · Post by **Espie** » 28 May 2018, 18:56

Thank you for your insights. Unlike you, it took me a longer time to finish this book for one reason or another. However, we're the same in our love for the book.