In COYOTE'S DAUGHTER Maggie moves to Albuquerque from San Diego. Her family has come here to suit her parents' jobs, but she doesn't know anyone and feels lonely. When she does meet local kids, they're nice but she doesn't have much in common with them. She's actually happier walking to explore the new surroundings with her collie-cross Jack. Maggie is an experienced hiker so she brings a pack of anything she might need, including water and a dish for the dog. She meets a local boy who looks to be Native, by the Rio Grande, but he's too shy to talk.

Slightly strange things start to happen, though Maggie is assured that hearing coyotes howling at night is quite normal in this place. When the boy does talk to her, he says his name is Ash and gives her a turquoise necklace. She accompanies him to his village, which looks like the Pueblo dwellings in the local museum. But her father can't see the village on the maps. Then the village people come to life in Maggie's dreams, telling her that Ash needs her help. Maggie packs her bag for a few days and heads off with loyal Jack, not realising that she is stepping into another world full of danger.

I liked a great many things about this adventure, from Maggie's determination and her attempts to follow her parents' sensible rules, to the explanation of why the antagonist, a male witch named Shrivelled Corn Man, behaves as he does. Jack is equally as much a character as anyone and has an unexpected experience of his own. The other characters such as Bear Girl, Coyote and Spider Old Woman teach us a lot about the people and the legends of this place. Ash is a true friend but due to the evil acts of the witch he may be the last of his tribe. In fighting to save himself he is fighting to save the village, and Maggie knows nothing of the rules of this battle.

COYOTE'S DAUGHTER by Corrie Weaver is a brilliant read for young people and adults interested in paranormal books or in the desert location and tales. I highly recommend it.

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