The Sign of the Beaver Analysis

The setting in this story—the Maine woods, off the Penobscot River—is more than just a pretty place to walk around and set up snares. In fact, it has a lot in common with the characters in the...

Sign of the Beaver is written in the third person, which means our narrator sits outside the story and tells us what's going on. However, the narrator is limited, so they only give us Matt's perspe...

Young Adult LiteratureLet's see if everything is present.Teen perspective? Check.Parents out of the picture? Yup. Hopeful conclusion? Absolutely.Young adult literature it is, folks.Historical Ficti...

The narrator for The Sign of the Beaver tells it like it is. Nothing's hidden behind complex metaphor and flowery language doesn't decorate developments. Check out this passage to see what we mean:...

Speare wastes no time in telling this story. Her word choice is simple and direct, with very few fancy pants words to muddy up the way. However, her simplicity does not skimp on detail. Speare did...

The sign of the beaver is all over The Sign of the Beaver, and you'll definitely want to hop on over to the "Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory" section to check out a detailed analysis of it. As far as...

Matt throws his arms into his jacket and walks outside, smelling the fire and getting all warm and fuzzy inside about his plans to make dinner and not eat alone. After waiting months for his family...

Despite a few technical terms, reading this book is not too strenuous. The terms are simple, the action well-explained, there's no gore, and it's short. In other words, this book is perfect for an...

All By His LonesomeMatt's got a lot of alone time on his hands. His dad's headed back to Massachusetts to pick up his mom, sister, and the new baby, and Matt is left behind to guard home base. It's...

Elizabeth George Speare didn't publish her first book until she was a whopping forty-nine years old. Never say never, Shmoopsters. (Source.) Speare's favorite editor said that the only change she e...

Read this book to your four-year-old sister, your grandma, or your Sunday school teacher. No one will squirm in discomfort, and they'll probably really enjoy the book to boot.

Robinson Crusoe (6.31; 7.11; 8.4-5, 8-9, 18, 23; 9.16-20, 30; 10.1-2, 5, 14; 11.22, 49; 13.28; 14.1; 16.22; 22.30; 24.9; 25.22)Samson (14.5)David and Goliath (14.5)Joseph and the Coat of Many...