Book Review: Canyons, by Gary Paulson

Today I want to share with you a book that made a deep impression on my mind from the very first time I read it. I was only twelve years old at the time, and it has always occupied a special place in my heart and mind since then. This book is truly incredible and I am still fascinated by it. The story is so original and interesting and it will surely pull you in if you like adventure, mystery, books about anything related to Native Americans, general juvenile fiction, Gary Paulson, or several other topics. I really can't say enough to praise this book. I just put it on hold at the library so I can go out and read it again, and some day I know this book will be a part of my personal library. I honestly can't remember the last time I read it. Maybe I haven't read it since I was twelve, which would be eleven years ago, but I still remember the impression it left.

Two boys, separated by the canyons of time and two vastly different cultures, face the challenges by which they will become men. Coyote Runs, an Apache boy, takes part in his first raid. But he is to be a man for only a short time. More than a hundred years later, while camping near Dog Canyon, 15-year-old Brennan Cole becomes obsessed with a skull that he finds, pierced by a bullet. He learns that it is the skull of an Apache boy executed by soldiers in 1864. A mystical link joins Brennan and Coyote Runs, and Brennan knows that neither boy will find peace until Coyote Runs' skull is carried back to an ancient sacred place. In a grueling journey through the canyon to return the skull, Brennan confronts the challenge of his life.

Again, I simply can't praise this book enough. The synopsis doesn't even do it justice. It's a mix of just about everything, including mystery, history, and even a bit of fantasy that will keep you reading. It's not a long story, but definitely one that is worth reading.

Have you read this book? Do you want to? I'd love to hear about it!

- Heidi Nicole Bird