The Sign of the Beaver
by Elizabeth George Speare
Middle grade · ages 10–14 · grades 5–9 · 750L · 135 pages · 2006
Why we'd hand it over
A serious, genuinely moving friendship story set against colonialism—the Newbery winner earns its place, though modern parents should discuss what the book *doesn't* center (Attean's loss) alongside what it does.