how i became a ghost: A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story by Time Tingle

I'm so far behind writing reviews, but I just finished how i became a ghost: A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story by Tim Tingle today.  It's leaping above the other titles while it's fresh on my mind.

Tim Tingle is known for his storytelling, and this book weaves together his skills and a terrible part of US history.  It's a difficult subject matter - Native Americans being uprooted because others want their land.  Living in Oklahoma I thought I knew about the Trail of Tears, but reading about it in this novel has deepened my understanding of the plight these Native Americans endured.

The book starts with this opener - "Maybe you have never read a book written by a ghost before."  This alone will grab the reader's attention.  I kept wanting to read more to find out about Issac, his family, and other Choctaws.  Sadly, this part of history is not fully explained, and, while reading, you'll discover just how much Native Americans went through as they were forced to leave their homes and move to Indian Territory.  I also appreciated learning more about the Choctaw people, their customs, and even some of their language.

This is historical fiction, which tends to not be as popular with teens, but I believe Tim Tingle's writing style might just grab and hold onto a few.  I would also recommend it to fellow educators to read aloud to students and open up the conversation about the Trail of Tears.  I would also highly recommend one of his other books, Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship and Freedom.  This title was on the Children's Sequoyah List a few years ago when I was in an elementary library.  Love this book!  Pair these two up and you've got great resources to highlight the gentle, preserving spirit of the Choctaw Nation.