Daughter of the Fifth Moon — Lynn Sholes

Ages ago, in the tropical Caribbean before the arrival of Columbus, a young child lost all she knew and loved . . . but through unbreakable courage, she forged a new life. Nyna is awakened in the blackness of night to find her peaceful Taino village under attack by the savage Caribs. In a frantic effort to save Nyna, her parents shove her out to sea in an empty enemy dugout, hoping the current and wind will bring her to rest on another Taino island. Nyna witnesses the massacre of her mother and her father as they heroically sacrifice their lives to save her. For days she drifts beneath the searing sun, huddled and alone in the piragua. She awakens to find the dugout aground on a beautiful white beach. But this is not the beach her parents had hoped for. She is amongst a strange people who will never accept her. Nyna is not like anyone they have ever seen before. On her small wrist she wears a bracelet so brilliant some believed it was made from the sun. Many believe that she is evil and should be outcast. Yet, Joog sees Nyna as a gentle girl who is frightened and desperate. He becomes her protector and friend, and when she is finds herself trapped by terrible danger, Joog and his love for her is the only thing that can save her.