Part 1, The Girl from Spirit Island Summary

This young adult novel is the story of a year in the life of a young Ojibwa girl who, over the cycle of four full seasons, comes to a deeper understanding of life, herself, and the relationship between the two. As it chronicles the year's events, the narrative thematically explores the connection between human beings and nature, the effect of whites on indigenous culture, and the necessity of confronting fear.

A group of voyageurs (canoeing fur traders) discovers that the only person left alive in a native village, following an attack of smallpox, is a crying baby girl, well dressed, well fed, and evidently cared for. The voyageurs, worried that they too have contracted the disease, watch as the baby curls up against one of the dead bodies. Birds sing as the men...