SOURCE: A review of Guests, in The New York Times Book Review, January 29, 1995, p. 20.

[Below, Perkins offers a favorable assessment of Guests, noting that Dorris "weaves important moral themes—identity, responsibility, generosity—into his tale."]

In his second novel for children [Guests], Michael Dorris steps into the life and mind of a young Native American boy named Moss as his clan prepares the traditional harvest feast. Moss's father has invited a group of hungry, strange-looking immigrants to join them. Despite the obvious contemporary parallels, the setting, though not specified, is probably 17th-century North America, and the scene bears a strong resemblance to the traditional Thanksgiving.

Moss wrestles with family traditions, questions his father's decision to invite the guests and observes the family tension surrounding the coming festival. He questions his older cousin Cloud about his "away time, a rite of passage into manhood, but the answer is always...