Angie Rogers (Children's Literature)
This is the story of Crystal Manyfeathers, a Navajo girl who has a special gift for weaving. Crystal is going through a difficult time in her life because, about a year ago, her mother died unexpectedly. Crystal, still trying to accept the tragedy, blames the Navajo way of life for the death and is making plans to leave the village. She agrees to participate in kinaaladá, the rite of passage into womanhood, just to please her father. The only Navajo custom that she seems to hold on to is weaving, but even in this very traditional art, she rebels against the Navajo way by not including a spirit line in the first rug that she is making. When the rug is stolen, her best friend Junior, who is studying to be a Navajo medicine man, accompanies her through various adventures to find the rug. By the end of the story, Crystal has changed her mind about the Navajo culture. When she goes through her kinaaladá ceremony, she realizes that she can hold on to the traditions and still find a way to be herself. This is an excellent story for students studying Native American culture. In addition, it would be meaningful reading material for children who have lost a loved one. 2004, Viking, $15.99. Ages 11 up.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 6))
Crystal Manyfeathers has decided to carry on her family's rug-weaving tradition in order to earn money for college and as a way to leave the reservation for good. She risks angering "Spider Woman" as she decides not to put in the traditional spirit line in her first large rug. When the almost-finished rug is cut from the loom and stolen, Crystal's friend Junior helps her to neutralize Spider Woman's anger and to uncover the thief. Information about Junior's apprenticeship to become a medicine man (hataalii) and the plans for Crystal's Kinaaldá (womanhood) ceremony seep into the storyline, giving readers an awareness of the influence of honored traditions on the lives of contemporary youngsters. Notable because it's one of the few novels that include Native American characters in a contemporary setting, this well-developed mystery should have wide appeal. 2004, Viking, 224p, $15.99. Category: Fiction. Ages 11 to 14. © 2004 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Michele Winship (KLIATT Review, March 2004 (Vol. 38, No. 2))
Crystal Manyfeathers' upcoming 15th birthday will be bittersweet. She will undergo the Navaho Kinaalda ritual that marks her passage into adulthood, and she will experience the first anniversary of her mother's death. Crystal's legacy from her mother is her weaving talent. She hand-weaves rugs using traditions passed down through generations and is finishing a special rug for her Kinaalda ceremony. However, in defiance of the culture from which she wishes to escape, Crystal leaves out the spirit line, the flaw intentionally woven as a symbol of respect to Spider Woman. Crystal disregards advice from her best friend Junior who is studying to be a Navaho healer. He warns her of the consequences of disrespecting her culture. Soon, she finds herself falling asleep at her loom, unable to weave. Then, the unthinkable happens--someone steals her rug. She and Junior must find her rug in time for the ceremony, and along the way, Junior helps Crystal discover her heritage. The Thurlos are Navaho insiders and sensitively present the cultural conflict and identity quest that many young people experience. Navaho beliefs, traditions, and rituals are woven throughout the story line, and readers, as well as Crystal, gain an appreciation for the traditional ways of her people. Readers also get a glimpse into the Native craft market and learn how unscrupulous dealers deceive artisans and buyers alike. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: JS--Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2004, Penguin/Viking, 222p., $15.99. Ages 12 to 18.

Timnah Card (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, June 2004 (Vol. 57, No. 10))
Crystal Manyfeathers is about to find out what happens when a talented Navajo weaver like herself refuses to honor the goddess Spider Woman by weaving a spirit line into her rug. Since her mother died last year, Crystal has rejected any observance of the spiritual aspect of the Navajo way. She even dismisses the paranormal powers of her best friend, Junior, an apprentice medicine man. Junior, like Crystal's dad and other relatives, hopes that Crystal's upcoming participation in the womanhood ceremony of the kinaaldá will help her see differently, but the goddess Spider Woman is less patient. Otherworldly visitations, repeated attacks of weaving sickness, and the theft of her unfinished rug lead Crystal to (reluctantly) seek reconciliation with the Navajo gods. Junior and other friends join in the search for the stolen rug and, ultimately, in Crystal's quest to understand her own birthright. Rapid plot progression and a sympathetic protagonist make this mystery/bildungsroman an intriguing window onto traditional Navajo life as embraced--or rejected--by today's teenagers. The occasional touches of the supernatural are brief, understated, and often spiced with humor, all of which make Crystal's epiphanic journey accessible to the modern reader. Unfortunately, the extended expository passages introducing Crystal's background, her way of life, and the Navajo origin stories slow the reader considerably, and Crystal's willing capitulation to the demands of a culture she's spent most of the novel denigrating makes for an anticlimactically convenient ending. On the upside, a quick read depicting the worldview of teenagers within a marginalized people lends itself to many classroom uses, from sparking a group discussion to introducing topics for a research paper to inspiring teens to write about their own folkways. Review Code: Ad -- Additional book of acceptable quality for collections needing more material in the area. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2004, Viking, 216p, $15.99. Grades 7-12.

Dolores Maminski (VOYA, June 2004 (Vol. 27, No. 2))
Crystal Manyfeathers is the most talented weaver on the Navajo reservation. Although she learned weaving and the ancient Navajo ways from her late mother, Crystal does not see the value of the old ways. Her rugs attract buyers, and to her the prices that they could bring look like her ticket off the reservation. She is weaving a rug for her womanhood ritual that is unlike any other Navajo rug. Ignoring the teaching of her mother, Crystal refuses to include a spirit line, an imperfection woven into every Navajo rug to pay tribute to Spider Woman, who taught the Navajos to weave. A perfect Navajo rug is unique and will bring a high price. When the rug is stolen off her loom, her best friend, apprentice medicine man Junior, warns her that the theft is her punishment for refusing to obey Navajo traditions. Crystal and Junior decide that it is up to them to find and recover the rug, and their decision heads them straight into danger. This novel has a familiar theme--a young woman finding her path--but the conflict of traditional Navajo ways and modern American life give it a special flavor. A simply told story, strong and appealing characters, plus the details of Navajo culture make this a fun read for young teens of any culture. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P M J (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, Viking, 224p., $15.99. Ages 11 to 15.

Alison Daniels, Teen Reviewer (VOYA, June 2004 (Vol. 27, No. 2))
This captivating mystery story manages to educate the reader about the importance of tradition in Navajo culture without becoming overbearing. Many young teens, especially girls, will be able to relate to Crystal Manyfeathers's feelings about her family and about becoming a woman. At the same time, the story weaves the dilemma of Crystal's missing rug and a possible romance with her best friend into the mix, resulting in a delightful read. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P M J (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, Viking, 224p., $15.99. Ages 11 to 15.