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Book Review

Call It Courage

Armstrong Sperry

Adventure

Credits

Readability Age Range

8 to 12

Publisher

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Awards

Newbery Medal, 1941

Year Published

2008

Book Review

Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry has been reviewed by Focus on the Family鈥檚 marriage and parenting magazine.

Plot Summary

Mafatu is a young boy living in the South Seas. As a toddler, he was shipwrecked with his mother during a hurricane. She died. Once he returns to his tribe, Mafatu fears the sea and his people label him as a coward. At age 12, Mafatu can no longer bear to live with the stigma. He sets out alone in a canoe to prove himself. On his journey, he battles the sea, a shark, an octopus and savages known as the eaters-of-men. He returns a hero, and his story is repeated for generations.

Christian Beliefs

None

Other Belief Systems

Mafatu believes in gods including Moana and Maui. He prays frequently and fervently to Maui for help on his adventure and attributes Maui with his salvation from Moana. The older villagers believe Mafatu’s cowardly behavior is the fault of tapapau, a spirit who possesses children at birth. The savages (the eaters-of-men) have a marae, a sacred place, with an idol.

Authority Roles

Tavana Nui is Mafatu’s father and the chief of Hikueru. The text says he grew “silently grim” over the years as he heard the villagers talk of his son’s cowardice. He is full of joy in the end when his son courageously returns. Mafatu’s mother dies trying to save him in a hurricane. She grabs him just as the canoe overturns and saves his life. Mafatu also views the hated sea god, Moana, and the god of the fishermen, Maui, as authority figures. He believes Moana is after him because he wasn’t able to claim Mafatu as a child. Mafatu thinks Maui is saving him from Moana’s wrath.

Profanity & Violence

Mafatu battles a shark and savages.

Sexual Content

None

Discussion Topics

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Additional Comments

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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.

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