I Am Regina

Ten-year-old Regina tries to be brave when she hears stories of the bloody French-Indian war that is making its way toward her family's farm in colonial Pennsylvania. One day her worst fears are realized: while her mother is off on an errand to town, her home is attacked by Indians. Her father and brother are killed, and she and her sister are taken captive and divided as property among the warriors. Regina is indoctrinated into Indian society, given a new name and gradually adopts the Indian way of life--and as the years pass she begins to wonder if her life with her family was just a dream. Raw and sensitively written, this well-researched account of a factual story neither shies away from the horrible truths of war nor sentimentalizes its emotional content. With a simplicity that echoes Regina's character, Keehn's prose is immediate and fresh, and transports the reader into this poignant narrative. Ages 12-up. (May)