Newbery Medal (John Newbery Medal)
Call It Courage
A boy named Mafatu overcomes his fear through the trials of life on a remote island and discovers the courage to live by his own strength. Set against the natural beauty of the Pacific islands, it is a clear, direct story of self-reliance and growth.
Work Information
An island adventure about a boy who learns courage by overcoming his fear of the sea.
Drawing on Polynesian legend, the novel follows a boy who must face his own fear and survive alone on an island. It works both as an adventure story and as a moving account of loss, hard-won courage, and independence.
Review Summaries
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Readers praise the momentum of the adventure and the vivid island setting. Some find the narration old-fashioned or simple, but the story is consistently valued as a coming-of-age tale about overcoming fear.
Book Information
- Publisher
- Aladdin
- Published
- 1990-04-30
- Pages
- 128 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 13.02 x 0.76 x 19.37 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9780689713910
- ISBN-10
- 9780689713910
- Price
- 1635 JPY
- Category
- 洋書/Children's Books/Literature & Fiction/Historical Fiction/Exploration & Discoveries
A boy tries to overcome his fear of the sea in this treasured classic and winner of the Newbery Medal. Maftu was afraid of the sea. It had taken his mother when he was a baby, and it seemed to him that the sea gods sought vengeance at having been cheated of Mafatu. So, though he was the son of the Great Chief of Hikueru, a race of Polynesians who worshipped courage, and he was named Stout Heart, he feared and avoided tha sea, till everyone branded him a coward. When he could no longer bear their taunts and jibes, he determined to conquer that fear or be conquered-- so he went off in his canoe, alone except for his little dog and pet albatross. A storm gave him his first challenge. Then days on a desert island found him resourceful beyond his own expectation. This is the story of how his courage grew and how he finally returned home. This is a legend. It happened many years ago, but even today the people of Hikueru sing this story and tell it over their evening fires.
Armstrong Sperry (1897–1976) is the author of many books for young readers, including Call It Courage , All Sail Set , Lost Lagoon , and Hull-Down for Action .
Reviews
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Muito bom
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Call it Courage is to put it simply, an amazing classic novel written by the great Armstrong Sperry, who also wrote one of my favorite short stories, The Ghost of the Lagoon, which I read back when I was a child, and unfortunately, never had the chance to read anything else by the man until recently. Well I just finished Call it Courage and I have to say I honestly enjoyed it far more than Ghost of the Lagoon, it has such a sense of wonder, adventure, heart, and warmth, that is just as relatable today as it was when it was written. How many modern day boys are often teased and bullied due to their lack or courage or bravery? While the novel is historical it's message is timeless. Call it Courage takes place "before the time of traders and missionaries" so based on that fact, it must take place sometimes in the early 19th century or before, since that's when the traders and missionaries began arriving. It takes place in a traditional Polynesian society on the tiny coral atoll of Hikueru, which is situated in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia in modern times. It follows an adolescent boy named Mafatu, who grew up intensely afraid of the sea due to a close brush with death from it as a baby that ended up taking the life of his mother. Being the son of a chief Tavana Nui, he is mocked and shamed by virtually the entire community due to his lack of bravery and courage when it comes to fishing or even swimming. Finally, it comes to the point where he has had enough and he sets off on a journey away from Hikueru along with his faithful dog Uri and Albatross Kivi,to prove his worth and bring his father and the community pride and joy. Call it Courage is one of the finest examples of storytelling I have ever experienced, although I never had the chance to read it as a child, I know that I would have loved it even more then than I do now. Told through beautiful, poetic language, Call it Courage is a well deserved 5 stars.
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cool story
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I choose this rating because I like the book. I like everything about it. I recommend this to everyone. Amazing book 👌
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Didnt read it but anyways a nice book. Would highly reccomend cuz it got delivered in 2 days, anyways i bought it for a gift