Timmy's Review of Pukawiss the Outcast by Jay Jordan Hawke

I truly believe some days that I am not a normal 12-year-old, because I must say that the best part of this book was the history in it. There is nothing I love more than learning, and to add that with my second favorite thing, reading fiction books, you have a happy reader on your hands. There were no parts of the book that I didn’t like. It was interesting and engaging from the very beginning. The story had two key elements for me, history and hope. I also like that though this book’s main character is gay, it’s not about romance. That to me means this is a book every kid should be comfortable reading.

In the story, we follow Joshua while he tries to find himself. All he wants is to fit in somewhere. He learns about his roots and where half of his ancestry comes from, and while doing that he finds where he fits into life. Being abandoned by both parents, he was lost and hurt when he was dropped off with a grandfather he barely knew.

Joshua meets fun and interesting people on his journey and they teach him parts of his heritage. He instantly connects with a Legend, and he works to better understand himself by learning more about the Legend. He takes an instant liking to his new friend and mentor, Mokwa, who teaches him the customs and stories of the Ojibwe people. He also learns to trust and respect Gentle Eagle, his grandfather. Little Deer, Mokwa's friend, takes a while to get to know, but when Joshua gets to know him, they hit it off in spite of Little Deer’s quirky demeanor. Though Joshua is jealous of Jenny for her relationship with Mokwa, and though he tries hard not to like her, Jenny wins her way into his heart as well.

I really hope there is a second book to tell more of Joshua’s story, because I don’t feel it is done. I would have liked to know more about his father, and I would have really liked to have seen his mother drive off a cliff. (Oops, I didn’t say that.) I would like to see how things end with his mother, and whether his mother and him settle their differences.

I give this book 4 marbles, and I recommend this book to any and all kids trying to find their way in life.~Timmy

Pukawiss the Outcast by Jay Jordan Hawke

Available in Print and eBook 

Dreamspinner Press/Harmony Ink Press, Amazon,
Barnes & Noble, and Omni Lit

About Pukawiss the Outcast

When family complications take Joshua away from his fundamentalist Christian mother and leave him with his grandfather, he finds himself immersed in a mysterious and magical world. Joshua’s grandfather is a Wisconsin Ojibwe Indian who, along with an array of quirky characters, runs a recreated sixteenth-century village for the tourists who visit the reservation. Joshua’s mother kept him from his Ojibwe heritage, so living on the reservation is liberating for him. The more he learns about Ojibwe traditions, the more he feels at home.

One Ojibwe legend in particular captivates him. Pukawiss was a powerful manitou known for introducing dance to his people, and his nontraditional lifestyle inspires Joshua to embrace both his burgeoning sexuality and his status as an outcast. Ultimately, Joshua summons the courage necessary to reject his strict upbringing and to accept the mysterious path set before him.

Find Jay Jordan Hawke on his blog, on Goodreads,
on Facebook, on Twitter @JayJordanHawke, and on Tumblr