Notes

205 pages : illustrations ;20 cm

Novel for children.
'When her tribe is defeated in battle, Atapō is captured and becomes a slave of her enemies. Freedom seems impossible; the penalty for runaway slaves is death. But when sickness strikes the village, Atapō is blamed, and now it is even more dangerous to stay. To save her life, she escapes to the Pākehā mission station at Paihia. There, Atapō is taught to read and write, and learns of the threat to Māori by some unscrupulous settlers greedy for land. Against the backdrop of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, Atapō discovers how her education can save her tribal lands and help her reclaim her destiny as the guiding star of her people'--Publisher information.