Morning Girl

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Dorris, Michael. 1992. Morning Girl. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 07681358X

PLOT SUMMARY

In Morning Girl, Dorris tells the story of a young Taino girl, Morning Girl, and her younger brother, Star Boy, who live on a Bahamian island in 1492.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The plot of this story is interesting because it explores a well-known story (the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the New World) from a unique perspective.  Morning Girl and her brother, Star Boy, are living normal day-to-day lives.  Readers familiar with the history of conquest in the Americas will read anxiously read this story, waiting for the inevitable disruption in these children’s lives.  The arrival of Europeans is only a brief moment of the story, but it is powerful to realize the magnitude of the impact their arrival will have on the community.

Each chapter in this story alternates between the perspectives of Morning Girl and Star Boy.  This allows readers to understand the motivation behind each of their actions in addition to allowing readers to form a deeper relationship with both characters.  Most readers will be able to relate to the characters.  Even though the story takes place more than 500 years ago, readers will be able to relate to the tension between siblings that takes place in Morning Girl.

Morning Girl takes place on an island in the Bahamas.  The vivid descriptions allow readers to easily visualize the setting.  The importance of family is a theme often explored throughout the story.  Morning Girl’s mother loses a baby and Star Boy goes missing during a hurricane.  During these events, Dorris relates the importance of the family members to each other.

Cultural markers are thoroughly integrated throughout this story.  Dorris excels at using metaphors from nature to add to his descriptions.  For example, Morning Girl describes the color of her skin: “tan as the inside of a yam after the air has dried it” (p. 31).  Later in the story, Star Boy has a conversation with dead ancestors.  Although a brief scene, it is a good example for readers of how the native belief system may differ from their own.  Dorris also does a good job of explaining daily life activities.  After the hurricane he describes how the families would build their houses and leisure activities that community members would take part in (p. 46-47).

This is a short story at only 74 pages.  There is a brief epilogue at the end of the story that includes an excerpt from the diary of Christopher Columbus.  Although the story is short, readers will quickly bond with the characters.  The abrupt ending will leave readers contemplating what happened next.

 REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Horn Book Guide: “A book not to be missed.”

Kirkus Review: “Saddening, compelling--a novel to be cherished for its compassion and humanity.”

School Library Journal: “Dorris has written a reverberating story of coming-of-age, both for the two characters and for the world.”

CONNECTIONS

The following stories also tell about white conquest from a young American Indian perspective:

Scott O’Dell. Sing Down the Moon. ISBN 9780547406329

Jane Yolen. Encounter. ISBN 9780152013899