SJPL Picks: Native American Heritage Month (~Grades 4-8)Like this list

29 items

• The Flicker

  Edgmon, H. E.,

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  Leaving home with their infant half-brother in search of Millie's Seminole elder grandma, step-sisters Mille and Rose get some unexpected help braving the hostile wasteland to make it to her safely, but the Hive, a villainous group hoarding supplies…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Buffalo Dreamer

  Duncan, Violet,

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  When twelve-year-old Summer visits her family on a reservation in Alberta, Canada, she begins experiencing vivid dreams of running away from a residential school like the one her grandfather attended as a child and learns about unmarked children's…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• On a Wing and a Tear

  Smith, Cynthia Leitich,

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  Melanie "Mel" Roberts and Ray Halfmoon may be from different Indigenous Nations, but the friends have become like siblings since their families moved in together. And they soon welcome a distinguished guest: Great-grandfather Bat, whose wing is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Red Bird Danced

  Quigley, Dawn,

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  Ariel and Tomah have lived in the city's intertribal housing complex all their lives. But for both of them, this dagwaagin (autumn) season is different than any before. As the seasons change and the cold of winter gives way to spring's promise,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Other Side of Perfect

  Florence, Melanie,

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  When Autumn, a wealthy girl from an Indigenous family, comes across Cody face down in the laneway behind her house, beaten by his father, she lets him hide out in her dad's art studio, and as his story of neglect and abuse comes out, so does hers.

• Colonization and the Wampanoag Story

  Coombs, Linda,

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  When you think about the beginning of the American story, what comes to mind? Three ships in 1492, or perhaps buckled hats and shoes stepping off of the Mayflower, ready to start a new country. But the truth is, Christopher Columbus, the Pilgrims,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Two Tribes

  Bowen Cohen, Emily,

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  Mia is still getting used to living with her mom and stepfather, and to the new role their Jewish identity plays in their home. Feeling out of place at home and at her Jewish day school, Mia finds herself thinking more and more about her Muscogee…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Eagle Drums

  Hopson, Nasůgraq Rainey,

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  This magical origin story of the Iųpiaq Messenger Feast, a Native Alaskan tradition, follows a young, skilled hunter who, confronted by a terrifying eagle god, is led on a harrowing journey during which he learns unexpected lessons about the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• We Still Belong

  Day, Christine, 1993-

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  Wesley—seventh-grader, gamer, and member of the Upper Skagit tribe—has two important things in her backpack: the poem she wrote for Indigenous People’s Day and a card for Ryan from Gamer Club asking him to the school dance. But the school’s…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Indigenous Ingenuity

  a Celebration of Traditional North American Knowledge

  Havrelock, Deidre,

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  Corn. Chocolate. Fishing hooks. Boats that float. Insulated double-walled construction. Recorded history and folklore. Life-saving disinfectant. Forest fire management. Our lives would be unrecognizable without these, and countless other, scientific…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Tiger Lily and the Secret Treasure of Neverland

  Dimaline, Cherie, 1975-

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  [Author] Dimaline provides vibrancy and substance to a chronically badly represented character in children's literature—Tiger Lily. Her latest novel spotlights the titular tween as she utilizes her sharp wit and acuity to outsmart the devilish…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sky Wolf's Call

  the Gift of Indigenous Knowledge

  Yellowhorn, Eldon, 1956-

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  Learn about Indigenous knowledge that comes from centuries of practices, experiences, and ideas gathered by people who have a long history with the natural world and live in harmony with one another.

• The Star That Always Stays

  Johnson, Anna Rose,

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  When fourteen-year-old Norvia moves from Beaver Island to Boyne City in 1914, she has to contend with a new school, a first crush, and a blended family, but she also must keep secret her parents' divorce and her Ojibwe heritage.

• Healer of the Water Monster

  Young, Brian

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  Nathan, a young Navajo boy from Phoenix, Arizona, goes on an epic hero's journey.

• Ancestor Approved

  Intertribal Stories for Kids

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  Edited by award-winning and bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of intersecting stories by both new and veteran Native writers bursts with hope, joy, resilience, the strength of community, and Native pride.

• Peacemaker

  Bruchac, Joseph, 1942-

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  A twelve-year-old Iroquois boy rethinks his calling after witnessing the arrival of a mystical figure with a message of peace in this historical novel based on the creation of the Iroquois Confederacy

• Rez Dogs

  Bruchac, Joseph, 1942-

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  Twelve-year-old Malian lives with her grandparents on a Wabanaki reservation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The Sea in Winter

  Day, Christine, 1993-

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  After an injury sidelines her dreams of becoming a ballet star, Maisie is not excited for her blended family's midwinter road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up.

• Indian Shoes

  Smith, Cynthia Leitich,

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  Together with Grampa, Ray Halfmoon, a Seminole-Cherokee boy, finds creative and amusing solutions to life's challenges.

• The Used-to-be Best Friend

  The Used-To-Be Best Friend

  Quigley, Dawn,

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  Jo Jo Makoons Azure is a spirited seven-year-old who moves through the world a little differently than anyone else on her Ojibwe reservation. It always seems like her mom, her kokum (grandma), and her teacher have a lot to learn--about how good Jo…Read moreRead more of this annotation