Reviews

Kaya's Escape: A Survival Story by Janet Beeler Shaw

faithfullymoonstruck's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

hangrim's review against another edition

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2.0

I really want to like Kaya, but she really is only thinking of herself-or rather of her horse!!

zoes_human's review against another edition

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adventurous informative medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

summeryoder's review against another edition

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informative inspiring tense fast-paced

3.5

kkaste's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

thewordwitch's review against another edition

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3.0

This story was more interesting overall than the first one, and it gives Kaya an opportunity to show growth. I still felt the ending was really abrupt after all the build-up that happened prior.

julieannie0729's review against another edition

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3.0

I didn't love the pacing. It was action packed but we often didn't dwell on feelings. Probably because this book dealt with some very traumatic things but that meant we never acknowledged that. For young readers, this would be especially upsetting. I really wish we could have avoided traumatic events, especially as an indigenous story. I understand that the American Girls series changed the formatting of story planning around this era but I can't help think that we remove how many skills Kaya has by removing the "lessons" titling of the second book.

meaganmart's review against another edition

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2.0

I promise I am trying to be cognizant of the fact that these were written for children. But I have a major issue with a white writer whose job is supposed to be introducing us to the culture and lifestyle of these girls in their historical context jumping to a kidnapping plot in book 2. I feel there are SO MANY more important aspects of Nez Perce culture that could have been explored in this novel.

panda_incognito's review against another edition

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4.0

This was my favorite Kaya book when I was a child. I still find the premise frustrating, since Kaya so foolishly endangered herself and her blind sister's life by running towards the horses instead of hiding when an enemy tribe attacked, but the story is engaging, with lots of interesting messages and historical details.

I always liked escape stories, and this one appealed because of its realism. However, I totally forgot about the boy that Kaya escaped with. It was interesting to see how the author drew in different elements related to gender roles and expectations in Native American tribes, and the historical note addresses this topic in more detail. Also, even though this was the first American Girl series to break the traditional mold for titles and topics, the "peek into the past" is still school-oriented, focusing on the natural education of historic youth and describing what Nez Perce schools are like today.

lilybearillini3's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful fast-paced

3.75