Bibliographic Information: Sperry, A. (1999). Call It Courage. Illus. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Brief Annotation: This coming of age story is powerful! Mafatu's name means, "Stout Heart". Unfortunately, when he was a young boy, his mother's life was taken by the sea, leaving Mafatu in great fear of the sea. By the time Mafatu was twelve he decided to conquer his fear of the sea and sets forth on a life-changing journey.

Genre: Fiction/Audiobook; Newberry Medal 1941

Grade Level: 4-6

Readers who will like this: Readers who enjoy stories of adventure, the wild, the sea and/or island life will thoroughly enjoy this fast read!

Response/Rating (1-4): I rate this book a 4!!!! Lou Diamond Phillips did an excellent job of telling the story with passion. I haven't listened to an audio book in a long time and it was quite enjoyable to listen to it in the car on my way to and from classes. This would make a great resource for teachers who are doing lessons on Island life, the history of Polynesian Islands, and Cultural studies.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: What is the measure of courage in your family? What is courage? Why do we need courage?