This book tells the story of a unlikely friendship between two boys (ages 12/13 and 14). One of the boys is a european descent settler and the other a native american in the 1700s in the not-yet-state of Maine. 
 While it has been widely criticized by Native Americans, I think the book still has value. It illustrates the challenges of cross-cultural friendship. There is much about Attean's attitude, behaviours and lifestyle that Matt does not understand. Yet it is clear that Matt admires Attean and the tribe. He is rescued by them when he is injured, nursed back to health, given food, and taught how to survive in the wilderness. When Matt's family doesn't return as expected, he is offered a place in the tribe. Matt recognizes that he could not have survived without the help of Attean and his relatives. 
 Additionally, dealing with the thoughts and perspectives of a young boy, there are aspects of Matt's contemplations that are narrow, immature or uninformed. For example, early in their friendship, Matt often talks about how he respects Attean, but doesn't like him. Matt dreams of rescuing Attean from harm and taking Attean's place as the hero of their friendship. Matt is frustrated that he does not think he is worthy of respect from Attean because Attean has many skills he lacks, and because Attean sees much of Matt's culture (what Matt has to offer) as contemptible. These ruminations are typical of adolescent boys who are growing into manhood and interact on a respect basis (as opposed to the love basis of girls/ women), and I appreciated the author including Matt's struggles through these concerns. Discussing both boys perspective would give excellent insight to students. 
 The book also pictures that there are forces pressing in on the world the boys enjoy for that special summer. The loss of Attean's parents to settlers, the reality that Matt's family purchased this homestead and is coming to develop it, Attean's frustration at the idea of land ownership all illustrate the tension of the clash of cultures. The book accurately portrays that in the conflict between cultures, the natives were both greatly harmed and yet also often displayed compassion to the early settlers who were struggling to survive. 
 Yet, it should be acknowledged that this book, consistent with it's orientation of Matt as the narrator, is widely limited to Matt's perspective, and has some inaccuracies in its portrayal of the tribe living in Maine during that time period. Another Goodreads reviewer recommended Debbie Reese's blog located at americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com 
 and it was helpful to me, even though I'm not ready to get rid of the book as the site seems to encourage. Rather, I'd like to use Reese's blog to structure a discussion with middle school/ dialectic students about cultural perspective, cross-cultural encounters and some of the struggles young men face.