An illuminating novel about the importance of reclaiming the past, based on the author’s family history
Summer and her family always spend relaxed summers in Alberta, Canada, on the reservation where her mom’s family lives. But this year is turning out to be an eye-opening one. First, Summer has begun to have vivid dreams in which she's running away from one of the many real-life residential schools that tore Native children from their families and tried to erase their Native identities. Not long after that, she learns that unmarked children’s graves have been discovered at the school her grandpa attended as a child. Now more folks are speaking up about their harrowing experiences at these places, including her grandfather. Summer cherishes her heritage and is heartbroken about all her grandfather was forced to give up and miss out on. When the town holds a rally, she’s proud to take part to acknowledge the painful past and speak of her hopes for the future, and anxious to find someone who can fill her in on the source of her unsettling dreams.
* Featuring bonus educational resources from the author! *
Violet Duncan (VioletDuncan.com) is Plains Cree and Taino from Kehewin Cree Nation. She is also the author of National Book Award finalist Buffalo Dreamer, as well as several picture books, including Where the Wind Blows, Life is a Dance, I Am Native, When We Dance, and Let’s Hoop Dance! She has toured nationally and internationally as an author, educator, dancer, and storyteller, and facilitates workshops to promote spiritual wellness and cultural education across the United States, Canada, and Europe. She is currently the Indigenous cultural advisor at the Tempe Center for the Arts, where she aims to create space for a permanent program of Indigenous performance and practice. In her role as creative director at Young Warriors, Violet is dedicated to cultivating spaces for Indigenous performances and practices. She lives in Mesa, Arizona.
* “Duncan shines a light on a devastating aspect of Indigenous history, never sugarcoating the topic yet leaving readers with hope. Her writing is seamless, tight, and immersive, making stellar use of sensory descriptions, and she braids important truths into her captivating narrative. . . . Compelling yet heartbreaking—and essential reading for all young people.” —Kirkus STAR * “Balances an exploration of painful events with idyllic scenes of intergenerational love and connection. Beautiful descriptions of traditional Native American culture and dress make scenes vivid for readers. . . . A powerful addition to all middle grade library shelves highlighting a time in history that has been hidden and often forgotten.” —SLJ STAR * “Intimate and compelling. . . . Makes a violent and devastating component of Indigenous history emotionally appropriate for middle-graders by connecting the author's rich and sensitive past to a hopeful present. . . . Deeply and proficiently written . . . a welcome addition to the often-underexplored history of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas.” —SA STAR “Summer is earnest, thoughtful, and unfailingly kind . . . the perfect narrator to introduce a heavy topic that is underexplored in literature for youth. . . . Duncan’s powerful afterward offers a brief description of how her own family survived the harrowing experience of the residential school system, ending the book with a poignant sense of intimacy.” —BCCB
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