Eagle Drums by Nasugraq Raney Hopson

The Newbery Honor novel Eagle Drums portrays the mythical origin of a cherished tradition of the Iñupiat people.

Eagle Drums by Nasugraq Raney Hopson. Roaring Brook, 2023, 236 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 10-15

Piŋa is the youngest of three brothers, but the other two have disappeared. Atau took his bow into the mountains to hunt and was never heard from again. Maligu recovered the bow and used it on a similar hunt but did not return. Now Piŋa has the bow, exquisitely shaped and elaborately carved, with which supplies most of the meat for his family. He is sharp-eyed, swift-footed, and sure-aimed; with his father’s fishing haul and his mother’s skill with hides the family has eked out a comfortable living for themselves above the Arctic circle. But winter is coming, and to replenish their supply of obsidian Piŋa must travel to the same mountain where his brothers disappeared. His parents wish him well with trepidation—surely lightning won’t strike them three times?

But it does, in the form of a man-sized eagle who swoops threateningly from the icy heavens. Taking the form of a man, the eagle reveals his identity: Savik, the very predator who killed Piŋa’s brothers. But that was their mistake. Savik has lessons to teach humanity, and they weren’t teachable. Is Piŋa teachable? That is, willing to undertake a long sojourn among the eagle people as they train him in ancient lore, endurance, and song?

Savik and his family, chiefly his revered mother, intend good to humans, but their training methods are harsh, as is punishment for those who don’t comply. Their aim is to prepare the boy to lead his people toward one particular event that will bring humans together in community and cooperation. These have been sorely lacking among them, with serious consequences for their survival.

The Author Note recalls Hopson’s first experience of the Iñupiat “Messenger Feast” and old woman who told her the story of the boy kidnapped by eagles. Eagle Drums is an evocative window into a little-known or understood culture; a reader can feel the ache and the cold in his bones, but also the satisfaction of achievement. The pace may seem slow at times as Piŋa learns his lessons, but the value of community is clear—an important key to how Arctic peoples and their culture have survived to the present.

Overall Rating: 3.75 (out of 5)

• Worldview/moral value: 3.5
• Artistic/literary value: 4

Read more about our ratings here.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: Trapped in Terror Bay tells the story of the ill-fated Franklin Expedition’s failure to find a Northwest Passage. See the links for Antarctic adventures like the Shackleton Expedition. Also, Northwind by Gary Paulsen features another boy finding expression and making peace with the Arctic elements.
• Reviews: Our 2024 Newbery lineup includes The Eyes and the Impossible (winner), as well as these honor books: Mexikid, The Many Assassinations of Samir, Seller of Dreams, and Simon Sort of Says.
• Reflection: Why read about little-known mythology? See “A Story, A Story.”

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