Kaya's Escape!

American Girl: Kaya #2

by Janet Beeler Shaw, Bill Farnsworth (Illustrator), Susan McAliley (Illustrator)

In the fall of 1764, after Kaya and her sister are kidnapped from their Nez Percâe village by enemy horse raiders, she tries to find a way to escape back home.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, Native American

72 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of all of the Kaya books I do believe this one is the most dramatic. It also involves the most dire life or death situation. Why? Because it is in this tale that Kaya and her blind sister Speaking Rain get kidnapped by another tribe along with their horses. And then she has to plan her escape so she can get back to her own people. And since I am writing this review after reading all of the Kaya books (including the mystery) I can say it is indeed the most dramatic one.

The thing that surprised me the most in here I think was the fact the tribes had sign language. I never knew that. But I suppose it had developed because there were such a large number of tribes with their own language?

Like in the earlier book, Kaya makes some bad choices. But you learn from mistakes. In the ling one she will get wiser. But she does face some very difficult choices in here. What should she do? And if she does successfully escape, can she get back home. The weather is also a big part of this story!

Great story! But I also think it is the most gloomy one as well due to the subject matter.

[Maura O'Dea · Rating 4 out of 5]

this one’s got the drama, survival story, descriptions of foraging which is all I ever wanna read…favorite so far??

[Morgan's Endless Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh my word. Kaya. Kaya. You are the worst. Again, you made zero good decisions here, and several actively bad ones.

[Meagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I promise I am trying to be cognizant of the fact that these were written for children. But I have a major issue with a white writer whose job is supposed to be introducing us to the culture and lifestyle of these girls in their historical context jumping to a kidnapping plot in book 2. I feel there are SO MANY more important aspects of Nez Perce culture that could have been explored in this novel.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was action packed!

[Lydia Therese]

The way Kaya is completely obsessed with her horse to the point where she jeopardizes the safety of her (blind, might I add) little sister is quite annoying. Even after they are captured, Kaya obsessively worries about Steps High. Of course, this is the point of the book/series, as Kaya must learn to "think of others before herself," but as an adult reader I'm reading it thinking "Why???"
That's just a little aside. I like how there is an overarching storyline throughout the series of Kaya trying to lose her nickname, and now, it seems, getting back her sister and horse. So far she's 0 for 2. 😂
I know if I was younger reading this book, I would have loved it. It's exciting and suspenseful.

Book 9/264 (3.4% of the way done)
I am currently in the process of reading all 260-ish American Girl fiction books in chronological order according to the years in which they take place. It's a project I decided to start just for fun, since I have many of the books already in my own personal collection. It will probably take me several years, but I'm hoping to leave a review for each book. Follow along if you're interested! :)

[Kassie Simler · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Kaya still has her problem about thinking about herself before others which gets her and her sister in danger. This book was a little more intense than the other one. In this one Kaya loses a couple of very important things that she is going to have to figure out how to get back. The boy that Kaya meets seems pretty nice when you first meet him but he also has to learn a lesson. This boy has to not think about his pride and should be helping Kaya with stuff but instead he has a stuck up attitude and decides he doesn't want to do "Woman work" which doesn't get him anywhere. And even though they need to get home they are tired and need to rest but he wants to keep moving which puts both him and Kaya in a bad state. At the end of this book they have a stroke of luck when Kaya finds her dad.

When we were reading this book I was fascinated at how life like some of the characteristics were because some people actually are stuck up about some things and they have to learn to think of others. These books are really good so far and I want to continue reading them.

[RaspberryRoses · Rating 2 out of 5]

It feels a bit frustrating that the lesson Kaya learned in the last book just... doesn't matter, here. Because she kind of makes the same mistake again, and it ends up costing her and her sister dearly.

I also found the sudden Gender Roles conversation with Two Hawks to be really dull and tiring.

The introduction of sign language into this book really fascinated me, and I dearly wished that we had some information about it in the peak into the past section!

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another struggle with Eve. We might be abandoning the American Girl Challenge. Literally painful for me to read this to Eve. Between the writing just not lending well to be read aloud and Eve interrupting every other sentence to ask what is going on, it is painful.

This is half because Eve may not be old enough for the books and half just bad books.

I don't know if I want to continue.

[Renn · Rating 5 out of 5]

CWs: enslavement, hunger, injury, kidnapping, misogyny, slavery, survival

Now I remember why I couldn’t finish this book as a kid—Kaya’s enslavement made me so anxious!

I’m really blown away by this book, the stakes were so much higher than any other American Girl book I’ve read. It feels like its own novel.

I’m worried about Speaking Rain.

[Jessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, this is actually a pretty great adventure story, and I like the new characters but come on, Kaya. Really?! How are you SO BAD at following instructions and keeping your sister safe? And Speaking Rain, it's about time you find someone new to buddy along with, for your own sake.

[Katie Kaste · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rival tribe in this second novel captures Kaya and Speaking Rain. Speaking Rain is blind, and Kaya feels guilty for leading her wrong. Kaya meets Two Hawks, another slave of the tribe, and the two decide to escape. Speaking Rain makes Kaya go without her because she is blind and can't help with the escape. This book was beautiful as well. I really enjoyed the story and characters. I'm so sad about what happened I will probably finish the next two until Speaking Rain comes back. I want to know what happens to her.

[Breanne]

so you’re telling me that in her second book, Samantha did a speech and in Kaya’s second book, Kaya gets kidnapped and forced into servitude, loses her sister and her horse, and is stranded in the woods in winter and her companion is severely injured

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading for the first time as an adult, my first reaction is WHOA where is this series going, because this has serious "Saves the Day" energy.

Although, come to think of it, Meet Kaya has some "Learns a Lesson" vibes. At least, until you get to the beginning of this book and find that, well, maybe she hasn't yet.

I don't mean to be cranky that American Girl decided to ease away from their established patterns. There are good reasons for it - expanding beyond girls who celebrate Christmas is great - but I have always enjoyed how each series employs similar beats as a way of showing how girlhood, and people in general, stay the same despite the many changes each time period brings. So that's always something I'm looking for.

One way in which this one does feel like a "Learns a Lesson" story is that it expands Kaya's world, showing a little of nearby tribes - both enemies and allies - as well as giving us a sense of how broadly Kaya's family travels over the course of a year or so. She's at least somewhat familiar with a pretty large area, and she's well versed in herb lore and navigating by the stars.

The set-up that gets us there is... well you know it's going to happen if you read the cover of the book, so perhaps it's unfair to call it obvious. So of course Kaya is taken by raiders, along with Speaking Rain and (the raiders' main goal) a lot of horses, including Steps High.

(Tangent: I keep trying to type Singing Rain, presumably my brain conflating Speaking Rain and Singing Bird? Maybe we could have come up with a more distinct name, hmmm Janet?)

Once we get moving, this book (not unlike Meet Kirsten) is a lean, mean, plot-moving machine: roughly 10 pages of set-up, 10 pages of travel with the raiders, 20 pages of captivity at the Buffalo People's camp, 20 pages of escaping. (I noticed this because I was inclined to complain that it took foreeeeever to get to the camp and get the story going, but it's literally 8 pages from the raid to the camp. So it's just me getting bored by landscape-and-travel passages, per usual. Lord of the Rings took me a lot of peer pressure/encouragement, you guys.)

It's notable that the raiders and their people are not made out to be Bad Guys in any absolute sense, though obviously we don't like the, you know, raiding. Kaya describes a past raiding party in which her father and the other men reclaimed some horses - which suggests to me that they might sometimes be the instigators. Curious to see if that ever comes up.

All of the sign language is a really cool element - it makes sense as a way to trade more broadly in a time that has lots of spoken languages in a region. But I couldn't help wondering if Kaya's captors would also know that sign language, and if so, doesn't that make it easier for someone to "overhear" their early conversations? (As that doesn't happen, maybe I'm overthinking; also there is just no room in this book for anything else!)

The fight Kaya and Two Hawks have over gender roles is... honestly, it just makes me tired. Yes, fine, this boy is acting out because he's been forced to do women's work as a captive and he's over it. But also, there are only two of you alone in the wilderness and winter is literally coming: get over yourself already. Up to that point, it isn't clear from the first two books to what degree Kaya's culture is patriarchal - while there clearly are gender roles, there hadn't yet been any suggestion that one is more privileged. This comes a bit out of the blue and it's not especially welcome.

In the end, it becomes clear that this story needs to happen early in the series because it seeds plot points for later stories. Kaya now has vowed to help get Speaking Rain home, and presumably (in the tradition of Felicity and Penny), we haven't seen the last of Steps High. After all, you don't sell an expensive toy horse if it disappears forever early in the second book...

More Kaya babble

Meet Kaya | Kaya’s Escape | Kaya’s Hero | Kaya and Lone Dog | Kaya Shows the Way | Changes for Kaya

Kaya and the River Girl | Kaya’s Short Story Collection

The Silent Stranger | The Ghost Wind Stallion

The Roar of the Falls

[Danae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely like this one better than the first one. It still has a rather abrupt ending, but otherwise, the plot arc is better. Contrary to my memory, I was expecting Speaking Rain to be rescued by the end of this book, but I like that it's more realistic, with Speaking Rain and Steps High's plots continuing on through the series. At the same time, I kind of wish these were one book instead of six. They're more satisfying if you think of them as one book. But I understand that they are shorter because of the age they were written for. I remember taking a couple of these with me when I had to go grocery shopping with my mom and finishing them both as I walked around with her. ^.^

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this better than the first one. It seemed to have a better story arc and more action, and so Isobel followed it better than Meet Kaya. Plus I just love that this story (and many of the American Girl books) stress that it's important to be smart, capable, and kind. And think about others more than yourself. The messages may not be subtle, but they are good, sturdy life lessons for girls.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rated 3.5 stars on more nuanced platforms.

Jumping straight into Book Two from Book One that introduced the reader to Kaya and her family, I had a question answered very quickly: these books lead one into the next. And so I found myself immediately plunged into the next events in Kaya's young life, with the women picking the ripened mulberries as the men left on their hunting trip.

What I liked about Kaya's Escape!: 
These books may be written for children, but that doesn't mean that they can't also educate adults. Once again, there were words (with pronunciations) in the Nez Perce language; some historical and cultural facts; and most interesting was my discovery that the various tribes could communicate using sign language when they didn't share a common tongue!

What I didn't care for:
Again, the subject matter felt a bit heavy for children. The description fully reveals that Kaya and Speaking Rain are captured by an enemy during a raid on their camp made vulnerable by all the men being away, and are carried off the enslavement by their captors. For books indicated for children as young as age seven... I don't know. Maybe by age ten or so that might be more appropriate subject matter. 

What left me conflicted:
The aforementioned kidnapping certainly made this a more intense read -- even for an adult reader! That was unexpected, although I remain ambivalent about the turn of events. It sure feels as if Kaya can't just make a low-stakes poor decision. I mean, she leaves her baby brothers with her blind adopted sister, when they might have gotten lost, eaten by wildlife, or drowned in the river. She hesitates during the flight to the woods for safety, out of concern for her beloved horse (which came across as believable and understandable to me), and suddenly she is being enslaved with her blind sister? I get that these were life-and-death times, where survival was a struggle, and I don't think we need to sugarcoat that, but it sure seems like this is being driven home with a heavier hand than I have encountered in other children's books where the same gravitas was accomplished without sparking nightmares.

As this book ends in a cliffhanger, I am going to need to press on (soon, but not immediately) and see what happens next for Kaya, but I sure hope she gets to be more of a child in the subsequent books, because at the moment, the author has been asking her to work her way through some circumstances that even a grown adult would find harrowing.

[Jen]

American Girl books were a staple during my early reading years. Do they hold up 25 years later? Currently working through the winter/holiday stories since it's that time of year.

See my review of Felicity's Surprise as a quick introduction.

The question of Kaya's books isn't so much "Are these well written?" but "Can a white woman write about the Nimíipuu experience?" It's probably something that wouldn't happen these days. In 2023, we hire Indigenous people to tell their own stories.

But we do know that Kaya's collection was reviewed and developed concurrently with a board of experts, including members of the Nez Perce tribe. The AG wiki details the full history of Kaya's development. The board requested that Kaya's stories take place before European colonialization, and it was wise of AG to honor that request. Imagine reading these books today if Kaya's stories had taken place after first contact? Major yikes! European colonialization was the apocalypse for Indigenous people.

What is this book good for?
Kaya's books and collection have been revered but also critiqued. Is it good or bad representation? I can't answer that as a white person. Are these books a decent introduction to Indigenous, especially Nez Perce, culture for children? Maybe?

Bottomline: this book is troublesome with some moments that make you go hmmmm. Kaya and her sister are kidnapped by a neighboring "enemy" tribe, enslaved, and treated inhumanely. Even under these conditions, Kaya is resolved to do well and work hard for her captors. Ultimately, she escapes, some mystical stuff happens (another "magical Indian" trop moment?), and is found by her father. It's one of the most violent-adjacent books in the entire AG canon.

But can these books still offer empathy and life lessons? Sure. Will these books sell more dolls? Probably not.

[Joey Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a jam packed book so much happened in just a few pages and it was an intense and really fun read. It took you on such a journey and leaves you needing to get more answers after you have finished it.

It was such a quiet and peaceful place and then suddenly it became dangerous and scary, Kaya and Speaking Rain got captured and my goodness was that terrifying, I was in shock that it was even a thing that happened back then, in their tribes I had no idea about it.

Kaya was so incredibly brave, smart and resourceful throughout this whole scary endeavour, she went on the journey home and didn’t know what was coming, or if her family could even find her, she was incredible. I was so sad she had to leave her sister and her horse though it broke my heart for her, but I know in future books they’ll be together again.

I honestly really enjoyed reading this book, as so much actually happened throughout it, it was such a thrilling and scary journey, with our brave Kaya. I do wish though that the fact file could have shared more about what entailed in the story regarding the actual tribes, the kidnappings, the raids, the making children into slaves, I would have liked a bit more real information to be provided as that was something I knew nothing about.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I said in my initial update after starting this book, what a surprisingly dark story to write for young girls. Not saying that as a criticism, it's actually praise! I admire AG for not shying away from these more unfortunate sides of history, as I can only assume, based on this book, that many Native Americans, even as young as 9 years old, were captured by enemy tribes and treated as slaves.

It's quite a way for Kaya to "learn her lesson", as is the usual title and story beat for the 2nd books in the original series for the historical girls. It kinda didn't hit me till the end, when Kaya is finally reunited with her father, that that was ultimately the point in this book. Kaya does learn a lesson in the first book as well, about the inappropriateness of bragging in her tribe, but it's not nearly as significant and probably life-changing as the one she learns here. On the subject of that first book, though, I will say that I kinda hate that she hasn't fully shaken off the "magpie" nickname. I really thought that her heroic endeavor at the end of her first book would make the tribe finally let go of that nickname, but I guess not.

Obviously, this entry in Kaya's series had a lot more drama than the first one, and a couple more loose ends that weren't tied up by the end of the book. Which kinda just makes me wish that this book were longer, but I guess that's the point of the series, and these overarching storylines will all be wrapped up by the 6th book. I just really hope that Speaking Rain is okay, and that Kaya gets Steps High back. Though I have kinda looked ahead and read the later book descriptions, as listed in the back of each of the books, so I know that both will return. I just wonder how, and if they'll come back unscathed or not.

I liked the introduction of Two Hawks! I'm glad Kaya has a guy friend now outside of her immediate family. His misogyny frustrated me a little, though. I can understand that he wouldn't wanna do more "women's work" after it was basically all that he did as a slave, but I just thought that Kaya was trying to delegate tasks during their escape so that they could work together and get things done faster. It felt like, to me, Two Hawks was flat out refusing to help by being so hung up about the "women's work" thing. But I know I also have to forgive it as a product of the times. Still frustrating to read now, as a modern feminist.

Onto the next one!

[Laura]

Quite harrowing! I feel like this would be very dark if not written for a child audience. You know things are going to be generally okay because it’s an American Girl book, but as an adult (without nostalgic childhood readings), it makes you think of real situations like this.

Props to the Peek Into The Past for acknowledging the residential schools. I do not know if these books are fully accurate, and I wish they were Own Voices, but this is definitely the only children’s book I have read that educates on residential schools at all. (For clarity if you have not read the book, Kaya does not go to a residential school. The American Girl historical books give a final chapter with real information about the time period, and in this case also the Nez Perce people over time, always one of my favorite elements of the books.)

[Laura Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last spring/summer, I reread the Bobbsey Twins series for the umpteenth time. This spring/summer I decided to revisit the American Girls series. I read these to my niece when she was a girl, so they bring back good memories.

I love the historical facts packed into the books and in a way which makes it interesting. "Kaya's Escape!" even has a cliffhanger involving Speaking Rain. The artwork is excellent, too.

The one drawback which is the same for each book in the Kaya series. I don't like that some characters such as Speaking Rain, Brown Deer and Two Hawks, etc. have anglicized versions of their names. Why not have the native name like Kaya and a definition of the name? Her parents and grandparents go by the native name for mother, father, etc.

[JamesH · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the men are gone from camp, a group of raiders attacks and thinking only of her horse, Kaya and her sister Speaking Rain are taken captive. As slaves for the raiders, Kaya protects Speaking Rain while befriending a slave boy, Two Hawks. With Speaking Rain’s encouragement, Kaya and Two Hawks devise a plan to escape. Leaving behind Speaking Rain, the two must survive the trek back to Kaya’s home. Winter is coming and rangers are many, will they survive?
————————
Kaya, once again thinking of herself, sets her plight in motion. Clearly the nickname hasn’t gone anywhere! This addition showed Kaya’s ingenuity and bravery that I was happy to read - it’s been a long time since we’ve had an AG that would have shown such bravery and determination, much less survived this kind of ordeal!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love the pacing. It was action packed but we often didn't dwell on feelings. Probably because this book dealt with some very traumatic things but that meant we never acknowledged that. For young readers, this would be especially upsetting. I really wish we could have avoided traumatic events, especially as an indigenous story. I understand that the American Girls series changed the formatting of story planning around this era but I can't help think that we remove how many skills Kaya has by removing the "lessons" titling of the second book.

[Delaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s honestly pretty amazing to reread these books as an adult and think about how much I didn’t realize the subjects they cover as a child. Kautsa’s horse falling off the cliff, Kaya and Speaking Rain being captured for slavery… it hits different now as an adult, knowing more of the history behind it all. These books are, in my opinion, so important for young people to read. And I think a big part of why I love history today. Not to mention the illustrations are beautiful, particularly the cover of this book.

[Amanda Van Parys · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of the series. Kaya has to make two difficult choices in order to escape her capture by an enemy tribe. Her and a fellow captive boy, Two Hawks, make the perilous escape home through the mountains in winter. This book was important because it didn't shy away from the more gruesome aspects of Native American life. I sometimes feel that white people romanticize Indigenous peoples when they also had negative aspects to their lives such as war, slavery, pillaging, and theft.

[Becca Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is the most intense American Girl book. Kaya finds her self in a life or death situation with others depending on her for survival. This books showcases a lot of skills the Nez Perce people would have learned very young to survive harsh conditions ( putting moss in their moccasins to keep warm, traveling with coals from the fire to start a fire the next, using tassels from their clothing as bait to catch fish, and how to scare off predatory animals) It was a thrilling read.

[Ashlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one. I didn’t like it quite as much as the first one because I think the characters were fleshed out more in it but I still learned some new things about the Nez Perce tribe. And I may have gotten more if I had read it with my eyes instead of listening to it as an audiobook too but I’m glad I read it!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was always one of my more favorite books in this series because it is an adventure the whole time. Looking at it again as an adult I liked how her bad nickname was still a thing and the book showed she was still learning from it. Trying to be a better person.

[Jamie and Cam · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Kaya lived with her family but there was a storm and some people came and got Kaya and then made them slaves at their campsite. But then a guy went hunting and Kaya escaped and Kaya’s dad went looking for them and found her out in the woods. And then Kaya went home with her family!”