This is the first book for teens by author Hobson. According to the author info at the back of the book, he has written four books for adults, one of which was a National Book Award finalist (a pretty big deal for a book and author!). He currently teaches creative writing at a university in New Mexico, and is a member of the Cherokee Nation Tribe.
I mention all of this because it all relates to this book, The Storyteller. Ziggy, the main character, is trying to find his mom, who disappeared many years before, as apparently many Cherokee women do. The book is full of Cherokee beliefs and folktales, which is much of the charm of the story. The downside of this book is that it reads like it was written by a 7th grader, not by someone who used to teach 7th grade English. My human has also taught English in all the middle grades, and I have read my fair share of stories and papers. Nothing wrong with any of them, but very few rise to the level of a published author. 7th graders are still developing story, and often don't do well with character voice, transitions, dialog, etc.
The Storyteller is just like an okay story written by a middle school student. So much of the dialog and descriptions are very, very basic. It feels as though author Hobson didn't know how to write for kids, instead of like kids. If this book were written by a middle school student, I would consider it incredible! But because it was written by an author who is considered for book awards, I expected more.
If you want to read exceptional stories where Native beliefs, people, ideas, and folklore are well represented and discussed, consider any book by Joseph Bruchac, Michael Dorris, Sherman Alexie, or Eric Gansworth...but I don't think this book is worth your time. I am hopeful that Hobson's next book for teens gets better, and it won't take a lot to be better. But with this one, he leaves me wanting more...a lot more. 2 paws and wag (for effort).
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