Indian Captive

Written & illustrated by Lois Lenski

Part of the Trophy Newbery series

Captured by warriors, a young girl must choose between two worlds.

3.9/5 Goodreads · 10,665 ratings

298 pages· 65,304 words· Est. 9 hour read

$7.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

Mary Jemison's life shatters when she's captured by warriors and taken from her family. In a Seneca village, she learns their ways and forms unexpected bonds. When offered freedom, Mary faces a heart-wrenching choice: return to her past or embrace her new life. Can she reconcile her divided loyalties and find where she truly belongs?

From the publisher

Twelve-year-old Mary Jemison took her peaceful days on her family’s farm in eastern Pennsylvania for granted. But on a spring day in 1758, something happened that changed her life forever. A band of warriors invaded the house and took the Jemison family captive. Mary was separated from her parents and brothers and sister. She traveled with the Indians to southern Ohio and later to a Seneca village on the Genesee River in what is now western New York. Mary’s new life was not easy. She missed her family terribly, and she was unaccustomed to Seneca ways. Several times she even tried to run away. But the Indians were kind to her and taught her many things about the earth, its plants, and its creatures. She became a sister to animals and to all growing things. Then Mary was finally given the chance to return to the world of white men. But she had also become a sister to the Indians. How could she leave them? Based on a true story, here is the unforgettable tale of the legendary “White Woman of the Genesee.”