Weasel

By Cynthia Defelice

A relentless hunter turns on settlers, and one boy must confront the terror before it's too late.

3.8/5 Goodreads · 969 ratings

128 pages

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Bookroo's summary

A name that chills the night, Weasel is no myth. Sent to remove the Shawnees, he now preys on settlers, hunting for sport. One boy knows the danger is real and can't wait for the law to stop him. As fear grips the community, the boy must face the lurking threat before Weasel strikes again. Can he protect his family from this nocturnal predator, or will Weasel's shadow continue to haunt their lives? The stakes are high, and time is running out in this gripping tale of courage and survival.

From the publisher

The name has haunted my sleep and made my awake hours uneasy for as long as I can remember. Other children whisper that he is part man and part animal – wild and blood-thirsty. But I know Weasel is real: a man, an Indian fighter the government sent to drive off the Indians – to remove them. Weasel has his own ideas about removal…Now that the Shawnees are dead or have left, Weasel has turned on the settlers. Like his namesake, the weasel, he hunts by night and sleeps by day, and he kills not because he is hungry, but for the sport of it…I know what I have to do. Weasel is out there. He could come here and hurt us. Maybe Pa can wait for the day when we’ll have the law to take care of men like Weasel. But I can’t…

At a glance

Format: Paperback
Pages: 128
Reading age: 9–12
Audience: Middle Grade
Lexile: 810L

Themes & topics

Books about culture Books about race and ethnicity Books about frontier and pioneer life Books about 19th century Books about 1800-1849

For the grown-ups

The parent guide

What families may want to know

Every family reads differently. These are the concepts our editors noticed in this book — worth seeking out for some readers, worth knowing about for others. The list isn't exhaustive, but it's a spoiler-light head start.

Violence

A character is unable to speak because another character has cut out his tongue.

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