Little Whale: A Story of the Last Tlingit War Canoe

Kéet, the 10-year-old son of a Tlingit clan leader on the coast of what is now Alaska, accompanies his father on a sea voyage to another clan’s village in a story based on a real-life journey that Peretrovich’s grandfather took part in as a boy. Early chapters follow Kéet’s efforts to rescue a whale trapped in fishing lines, left by the “unusually pale” strange men who have been appearing in the area, before moving on to the sea excursion, which ends with a celebratory peace ceremony between the clans. Peretrovich includes a wealth of details about Tlingit culture and the community’s ties to the sea in this rousing historical adventure. Ages 8–12. (Aug.)