For pre- and early teens, these three books are a way to discover how important heritage is to American Indians.

“Bear Dancer,” by Thelma Hatch Wyss (Margaret K. McElderry Books, $15.95), is based on the true 19th-century story of Elk Girl, whose Tabeguache Ute ancestry was a source of great pride to her.

Born in Colorado in 1845, as a young girl she survived being captured and abused by the hostile Arapahos. Eventually, she was rescued and returned to her family.

This book focuses on her determination to live, remain faithful to her people and survive the long journey home.

Written in direct, unembellished prose, “Bear Dancer” is so effective that readers will feel Elk Girl’s occasional joys and her long days of despair.

What keeps her story from utter darkness is the hope that Elk Girl never relinquishes. Wyss carefully shows the girl’s fiery temperament and her unshaken loyalty to loved ones, even after years of separation.

Reading about her customs and her perseverance should be an inspiration for any child 10 years or older.

A contemporary suspense novel for teens, “Whisper in the Dark” (HarperCollins, $15.99) recreates an old Narragansett legend, often retold in New England.

Author Joseph Bruchac, who draws on his Abenaki heritage for his writing, has written a tale that is eerie and compelling. Shifting between real life and fantasy, he sometimes blurs the two so that they become intermingled.

Told in first person by a teenager who realizes she’s being stalked but isn’t certain whether it’s by a person or an Indian demon, the book weaves in pieces of Native lore that illuminate tribal history. Chilling black-and-white illustrations by Sally Wern Comport add to the mood of menace.

Finally, heroine Maddy is able to face her tormentor and understand the positive impact of her ancestry, as well as its fearful aspects. She and readers breath a sigh of satisfaction at the end.

Dual narrators present conflicting perceptions of Indian behavior during the American Revolution in “Where the Great Hawk Flies” (Clarion Books, $16). Written by Liza Ketchum, it’s fitting tribute to her ancestors – a Pequot midwife and a white farmer – who married and lived in Vermont at the time of the war.

Ketchum lets two 13-year-old boys offer very different views of their families and of each other. Hiram looks at Daniel and sees a “dirty Injun,” while Daniel sees a yellow-haired adversary who is inept at the most basic chores.

Their progress in understanding each other’s cultures is slow and labored, but readers can see the boys begin to look beyond prejudices to common ground. Neither sees the conflict accurately until both sides have had a chance to present their fears. Then they discover that fears can be misleading and profoundly unfair.

Nothing could be more reassuring than to find Daniel and Hiram discussing how to make a Pequot canoe together at book’s end.

A culture shared is a culture gained.