Combining fact with fiction, Kelley Weitsel has produced a notable addition to children’s literature (grades four through eight) on Native American history. She covers the Indians of Florida from their beginnings some 13,000 years ago to the Spanish conquest. Factual chapters are filled with maps, illustrations, and early engravings. Fictional chapters are narrated by Tenerife, a fictional Timucua kidnapped by the Spanish.
The archaeology is first-rate and the story compelling. Fact and fiction merge into an exciting adventure. Journeys with Florida’s Indians will spark the interest of young people everywhere and it’s a powerful teaching tool for American schools.
