Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison

Lois Lenski

Dec 2011 · Open Road Media

About this eBook

A Newbery Honor book inspired by the true story of a girl captured by a Shawnee war party in Colonial America and traded to a Seneca tribe.
  When twelve-year-old Mary Jemison and her family are captured by Shawnee raiders, she’s sure they’ll all be killed. Instead, Mary is separated from her siblings and traded to two Seneca sisters, who adopt her and make her one of their own. Mary misses her home, but the tribe is kind to her. She learns to plant crops, make clay pots, and sew moccasins, just as the other members do. Slowly, Mary realizes that the Indians are not the monsters she believed them to be. When Mary is given the chance to return to her world, will she want to leave the tribe that has become her family? This Newbery Honor book is based on the true story of Mary Jemison, the pioneer known as the “White Woman of the Genesee.” This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lois Lenski including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate.

Ratings and reviews

I am not going to give it away, but there is a sad thing in there that I can't get over. But it is a great book. I recommend it to anyone who likes to read history\story books.

I a,m in 5th grade and my teacher gave me this book to read. I love it and I highly recommend you to read it. It's GREAT!!!!😄😄☺️😊

I love this captivity narrative about Mary Jemison who assimilates with the Senecas and becomes one of them as we see the rich and compelling history and culture of the French and Indian War. The characters are well-developed and the author provides a lot of historical and cultural background on the Senecas that is rich and in-depth while still being appropriate for young readers.

About the author

DIVBorn in Springfield, Ohio, in 1893, Lois Lenski achieved acclaim as both an author and illustrator of children’s literature. For her Regional America series, Lenski traveled to each of the places that became a subject of one of her books. She did meticulous research and spoke with children and adults in the various regions to create stories depicting the lives of the inhabitants of those areas. Her novel of Florida farm life, Strawberry Girl, won the Newbery Award in 1946. She also received a Newbery Honor in 1942 for Indian Captive, a fictionalized account of the life of Mary Jemison. Lenski died in 1974./div