Rating: 
Summary: Newbery Committee Was Right About This One! Timeless!
Review: Ann Nolan Clark's perception of places and people, and her respect for other cultures, comes through clearly in this short novel of traditions and changes in Peru. Far ahead of today's push for diversity in school books, the book explores life themes such as the importance of family, traditions, caring for others, respecting elders, etc. Ann's genius is that she sets these themes inside the larger theme of life choices for a young boy, in a different land. I started reading it aloud on a camping trip, the voices of the Peruvian past with its unique scents and sounds filling the tent and delighting all who listened, from the very young to the "oldsters" in the group. It is Ann's rich command of language that sets the tone of the book. It is her knowledge of the People that enriches the story. It is her striving to make the book culturally rich as well as challenging that keeps the reader (or listeners) engaged. I wish we had more books like this one in our school and home libraries. I read a statement by Mrs. Clark once, to the effect that she always included words below and above the intended reader's level, so they would s-t-r-e-t-c-h their abilities and grow as a reader. I first read the book as a 4th grader years ago and it was a delight to revisit it. I would think that anyone at a 4th grade level could sound out the unfamiliar words, as they follow the usual rules of phonetics. By the way, I read it aloud to my 6-7-8 combination reading class last year for listening comprehension lessons, and they couldn't wait for the next part of the story!
Rating: 
Summary: Secret of The Andes
Review: Have you ever liked to know what it would be like to live in the Andes Mountains with a herd of llamas and an old man? This is a book about a young Incan boy whose name is Cusi and his heart's desire is to find his family. If you like books about people with no family and people that have to travel to get them, than you will love this book!This book also has fairly easy content to understand so this book is for people 10 and older. Anyone younger than 10 the plot would probably be too complicated for. At the beginging of this book there are two characters: Cusi and Chuto. They plan to go travel and get some salt but they can't leave their llamas, soon a minstral comes and watches their flock for them so Chuto and Cusi start off. During the journey he meets some families and a feeling of yearning to be like them overcomes Cusi. Before embarking on his path to find his family his llama Misti leads him to a part of his vally he has never seen before. There he finds something that aids him in his search for his family. The last thing Chuto tells him before he leaves is "Greave not if your searching circles" and Cusi was off. In all, Secret of the Andes is about a boy who has to struggle to find his family where ever it might take him.
Rating:
Summary: Secret of The Andes
Review: Have you ever liked to know what it would be like to live in the Andes Mountains with a herd of llamas and an old man? This is a book about a young Incan boy whose name is Cusi and his heart's desire is to find his family. If you like books about people with no family and people that have to travel to get them, than you will love this book!This book also has fairly easy content to understand so this book is for people 10 and older. Anyone younger than 10 the plot would probably be too complicated for. At the beginging of this book there are two characters: Cusi and Chuto. They plan to go travel and get some salt but they can't leave their llamas, soon a minstral comes and watches their flock for them so Chuto and Cusi start off. During the journey he meets some families and a feeling of yearning to be like them overcomes Cusi. Before embarking on his path to find his family his llama Misti leads him to a part of his vally he has never seen before. There he finds something that aids him in his search for his family. The last thing Chuto tells him before he leaves is "Greave not if your searching circles" and Cusi was off. In all, Secret of the Andes is about a boy who has to struggle to find his family where ever it might take him.
Rating:
Summary: My view on this wonderfully imaginative book
Review: Have you ever wondered what it is like to be part of an ancient culture? Well here is your chance! "Secret of the Andes" is a excellent book to read if you have ever asked yourself this question. This book is about a young Incan boy, by the name of Cusi, who lives high in the Andes of South America. He is a llama herder, a noble and very common occupation where he lives. His keeper is a man by the name of Chuto, a secretive and mysterious man. The one thing Cusi wants in his life is a family. One day his llama guides him to a temple, there Cusi finds something very peciular....
This book was written for twelve to thirteen year olds. It contains emotional struggles that anyone younger would'nt be able to grasp.
One main topic of this story was that of family. The one thing Cusi ever wanted was a family. The only family he had ever known. One day a family moves into the valley below. After seeing this he deides that one day he will go in search of his own family.
Another topic is culture. One day Cusi finds out that he is the last of a long line of Incan royalty.
"Secret of the Andes" is a good book for anyone who enjoys reading about far off places and different cultures.
Rating:
Summary: My view on this wonderfully imaginative book
Review: Have you ever wondered what it is like to be part of an ancient culture? Well here is your chance! "Secret of the Andes" is a excellent book to read if you have ever asked yourself this question. This book is about a young Incan boy, by the name of Cusi, who lives high in the Andes of South America. He is a llama herder, a noble and very common occupation where he lives. His keeper is a man by the name of Chuto, a secretive and mysterious man. The one thing Cusi wants in his life is a family. One day his llama guides him to a temple, there Cusi finds something very peciular....
This book was written for twelve to thirteen year olds. It contains emotional struggles that anyone younger would'nt be able to grasp.
One main topic of this story was that of family. The one thing Cusi ever wanted was a family. The only family he had ever known. One day a family moves into the valley below. After seeing this he deides that one day he will go in search of his own family.
Another topic is culture. One day Cusi finds out that he is the last of a long line of Incan royalty.
"Secret of the Andes" is a good book for anyone who enjoys reading about far off places and different cultures.
Rating:
Summary: Important Reading
Review: Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark is a marvelous children's novel which can be very important reading for children. The beautiful novel certainly earned its Newbery Medal. The novel is the story of Cusi. He is an Inca boy who has been raised in a remote valley of the Andes mountain range by an old man, Chuto. Cusi is of royal Inca blood, but this is four hundred years after the Spanish conquest. Cusi has been raised in the traditional Inca manner. The plot of the novel concerns Cusi's search for himself. He has been raised without a "family" (at least in the traditional sense), and he is sent from the valley, with the companionship of his pet llama, to find his path in the world, a task that he sees as finding himself a family. The world Cusi goes into is one which is very different from the one he has been raised in because the Spanish culture has become predominant. Then, Cusi is forced to come to terms with his own way of life and with what his concept of "family" should be. Secret of the Andes is an amazing book. I think that it can be extremely important in helping children to understand the view-point of Native Americans and helping them to understand Native American literature later in life. I also found that this novel was, in ways, similar to adult novels like Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. It aids in this understanding through a fairly simple story of a young, regular boy who can be related to. Ann Nolan Clark really created a masterpiece with Secret of the Andes.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully told story
Review: The Secret of the Andes is a very moving story of a modern Inca boy with a very esoteric connection to his Inca past. I raise llamas, and have a great interest in these wonderful creatures and the people who saved them from extinction during the Spanish 'conquest'. I couldn't put this book down. It uses high language and a lot of esoteric imagery. I read it to my seventh grade students who found it much more interesting when I played "Sukay" music of the Andes, and passed around photos of native Quechua people and llamas. The story was very believable. It helps to have some knowledge of Inca beliefs, the history of the Spanish 'conquest' and a knowledge of llamas. If you have this information, the story seem more like history than fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Difficult to read
Review: The Secret of the Andes is about a boy that has to carry on the traditions of his native people, the Incas, if he wants them to survive. I liked this book a lot because it always left you wanting to read more and find out what was going to happen next. Another reason is that the main character was a boy my age. Anyone who likes to read stories about other cultures would like to read Secret of the Andes.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ!
Review: The Secret of the Andes is about a boy that has to carry on the traditions of his native people, the Incas, if he wants them to survive. I liked this book a lot because it always left you wanting to read more and find out what was going to happen next. Another reason is that the main character was a boy my age. Anyone who likes to read stories about other cultures would like to read Secret of the Andes.
Rating:
Summary: beautifully written
Review: This book is gorgeously written, and if kids will sink into the pace, which is slow, they can get a great lesson in the power of language. I wouldn't recommend it much below 4th grade, and I found when I read to my 9 year old that it really helped having some pictures of Peru, the Andes, and llamas. The mid-section of the book gets downright mystical and it can be a little hard to follow; please stick it out. A fabulous addition to any story on the conquest of Peru, or for that matter any story about conquest. Brief side note: I found the best way to communicate the feelings of being a "conquered" people to my daughter was to have her imagine if aliens took over Earth. Why would it be important to preserve your culture in that situation? Give it a shot.
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