Anooka's Answer

by Marjorie Cowley, Bryn Barnard (Illustrator)

Near the end of the Stone Age, nearly 12,000 years ago, a young woman named Anooka discovers her talent for shaping the strange riverbed mud into small animal figures, but when she is forbidden to make the animals, she questions the only traditions she has ever known.

Genres: Historical Fiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Ella Walker]

Anooka's answer I think was a great historical fiction story, I learned a lot about adaptation and how different lifestyles can be. Especially the reliability they have for everyone in the clan, hunters are how they get food, woman make clothes, baskets etc., the shaman is the healer. I also noticed how strong their religions were, they believed of animal spirits and that certain people had connections with them. I really enjoyed this book, I recommend this book.

[Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I read this to my 7 and 9 year old girls as part of our history portion of homeschool. The story followed Anooka, a twelve year old girl living 12,000 years ago in Europe. Her clan has settled on the bank of a river and they depend on salmon as a main food source. She is struggling against the expectations of her father to marry and behave like a proper clan woman. She is an independent, soft hearted, rebellious artist and is looking for a new way of life. I enjoyed most of the story and am glad we read it. My only complaint would be that her father seems emotionally manipulative and borderline verbally abusive. I think most middle grade exaggerates things like this to make sure children can understand the motivation of the characters but as an adult I found it a little jarring.

[Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that I am reading for Humanities. Anooka is a young girl that lives in Europe thousands of years ago. She lives in the Salmon Clan. Anooka has lived all her life without knowing her mother, who left when she was a young child. Anooka wants to know about her mother. She seeks out Durgun, the clan's shaman for answers. He gives her the answers that she was looking for and tells her that when her mother left, a vow was made that no one would speak of her mother, Lulaq, again. Anooka had begun to shape animals out of clay, but she is discovered. Only men are permitted to carve, and carving "sacred" animals is only allowed for the shaman. Anooka was forbidden from doing this, but she continues anyway. One day, when Anooka is walking near her secret carving cave, she meets the Raven Woman, who claims to be Lulaq, her mother. The Raven Woman knows that Anooka is unhappy with her current life with the Salmon Clan, and she offers her another way of life: the way of life she has, traveling from Clan to Clan as a healing woman. Anooka must choose whether or not to join the Raven Woman and leave her life. This is a great book for those of you who were interested in early human life and a wonderful description of the places of long ago. It also shows plenty of perspective and emotion, and tells how life was different for males and females even thousands of years ago. I would recommend this for girls between the ages of nine and twelve, and also for people who like to learn or need to make a big decision.

[Saskia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anooka lives in the Salmon Clan with her dad Tor and her sister Nomi. Her mother has left her when she was only a baby.
The salmon clan is very strik with its rules. Girl are not allowed to carve or anything in that direction. When Anooka starts with carving and Tor finds out she gets punished to marry 3 years early.
Will she get out of it and be able to live her life the way she wants??

[Bella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for book club. It is a more advanced book but definitely a good read if you like evolution. It has little drama but enough to keep you reading. It is about this girl Anooka who's mother left her at a very young age and she is now with her dad in a clan she finds out why her mother left then goes to live with her mother when something happens.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the Paleo Book Club for 4th grade. Probably the best out of the group.