Prehistoric Times

The Kin 
Suth's Story

By Peter Dickinson 

Summary

     Recommended for grades 4-6.  Set 200,000 years ago, The Kin follows Suth, a young boy.  A devastating raid has killed most members of his tribe, including his parents.  Suth and his tribe are set to make a perilous track across a harsh desert, until his companion, Nori, receives a vision.  

     Suth and Nori decide to return to the place where four other orphans were abandoned and left to die.  The six children must now search for food, water, and shelter.  The plot thickens when Suth and his companions are captured by the inbred Monkey Kin.  

     This is the first of four books in The Kin series.  

  

Teaching Tips:

 1) Read the "Before You Start" section of the book prior to starting the story.  Since this book is set 200,000 years ago, Peter Dickinson had to make up most of the story.  While based on facts that are available, an argument can be made that this is borderline fantasy/historical fiction.  Make sure your students know this and do not take the book as historical fact.  

 2) The Oldtales between chapters are stories that Suth's people have made up to explain how things came to be.  You can compare this to mythology and folk tales that have been shared in the past.  

Additional Resources:

Books 2-4 in The Kin series: