Review
Had the Changer, the Indian spirit, in reshaping Cory Alder as a beaver and testing his belief in a greater power, really transformed him into a stronger person? What is clearly a rhetorical question to the author demands a credulity of the reader that the story is not strong enough to evoke: Cory as a boy afraid of the slightest movement on his Indian foster uncle's ranch seems a sissy since there's no motivation for his fears; and his extended adventures as Yellow Shell, a beaver-who-is-not-a-beaver, involving animals alternately scrambling about and acting sententious, often seem silly. Especially as expressed in mock-Indian language and phrasing. The climactic contest between the Changer, part-coyote, part-man, whom would enslave all creatures, and Thunderbird, the spirit of the White Eagle, who opposes him, and who, with Cory's aid, disarms him, is undeniably exciting but the greater part of the book is shallow realism and fuzzy fantasy. (Kirkus Reviews)
Product Description
Enter a world of ancient magic
When his father is called to active duty in Vietnam, Cory Alder is sent to spend the summer with his adopted Native American uncle, Jasper. Accustomed to life in the city, Cory finds the reality of the ranch scary--every shadow is full of menace. But when an encounter with a medicine man catapults Cory into a world of Native American legend, conquering his fears becomes a matter of survival. Transformed into a beaver called Yellow Shell, Cory is now part of a war between the People, animals whose intelligence equals that of humans. In order to return home, Cory must help Yellow Shell and his allies defeat the Changer, who is attempting to enslave the People in this world--and in Cory's world as well. With two worlds hanging in the balance, Cory will have to use every ounce of courage and animal instinct within him to defeat this enemy . . .