(from Kalay, age 11)
Marjorie answers:
Dear Kaylay,
The big lesson is not something we are not familiar with because most of us, young and old, go through this process and it’s called maturity. How do most of us (sadly, not all) go through this process? Dar starts off as an insecure boy, without parents, criticized by his uncle, and not skilled at the two things he must know: how to hunt and how to make tools. Slowly he gains confidence and finds he is able to help Bowan through his initiation ceremony, he goes up a steep cliff which if part of an effort to rescue his uncle, and he sets out alone on a difficult trip to find Toreg’s clan and see if he can trade his sunstone for the amazing spear-thrower. Finally—and this takes real courage—he meets his uncle in the Pine Forest and speaks to him honestly. The result is they come to an understanding of each other which is important to them both and to their clan. A mark of his growing maturity is that Dar goes back home to take care of his grandmother, knowing that he owes her his love and care; without her he would not have survived. Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Marjorie Cowley
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