Secret of the Andes (Puffin Newbery Library)

Rating:
Summary: 1963 Newberry Award winner
Review: This gentle, methodical book tells the story of the Incas from the native point of view. Cusi, a young Indian boy lives high in the mountain valley with Chuto, the old Indian. Isolated for as long as he can remember, Cusi grows weary of tending the llama flock, and begins to ask Chuto where he came from. Filled with mystery and eloquence, this book is a depiction of a lost civilization that yearns to live on. Surrounded by modernization, the hidden valley claims a culture and the devotion of two extraordinary human beings. This book will not be appreciated by every reader, but for those who can listen, it is a true hidden treasure, lost in decades since it's award winning recognition in 1963.