Austin, Debra. Daughter of Kura.

Austin, Debra. Daughter of Kura.
Simon & Schuster/Little Brown 2009 310p 25.00 978-1-4391-1266-3 hs Prehistoric tale of a matriarchal group of Homo erectus people in Africa. When Snap’s mother chooses a stranger during bonding ceremony who proves to have dangerous ideas that will disrupt the life of the village, the pregnant girl decides to leave the clan and strike out on her own. This fascinating story is based on paleontology and will thrill those who liked books like Clan of the Cave Bear. This is a prehistoric tale of a matriarchal group of Homo erectus people in Africa. During the Bonding ceremony, the ritual where the women choose a mate, Whistle, daughter of the grand matriarch, chooses a stranger named Bapoto, since her usual mate did not return in time from the hunt. This stranger proves to be a dangerous man with ideas that will change their society. When Snap, Whistle’s daughter, refuses to buy into these ideas, she is forced to make the choice to leave the village and strike out on her own. Pregnant and not knowing where her own beloved mate is, she travels a dangerous route and carves out her own niche on the side of the mountain to get ready for the birth of her baby. The adventure starts as she has to fend off not only natural forces and wild animals, but other humans who do not want to see her survive, mainly Bapoto and his followers. Eventually, she begins to bond with other outcasts from her past and meets new individuals who become the beginnings of a new group. Based on studies in paleontology, there are lots of exciting adventures and interesting situations, that will leave the reader wanting to know more about societies that existed over a half a million years ago. The author has strong writing skills and includes a glossary of Swahili terms that are used throughout the book. This is an excellent choice for high school libraries and is recommended for Tristate Books of Note. Weinraub, Tina