Books by Indigenous and First Nations Creators for Middle Grade Readers

The Storyteller By Brandon Hobson Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781338797268
Availability: On Our Shelves Now (Subject to Availability)
Published: Scholastic Press - May 2nd, 2023

From National Book Award finalist Brandon Hobson, a kaleidoscopic middle-grade adventure that mixes the anxieties, friendships, and wonders of a Cherokee boy's life with Cherokee history and lore.

Ziggy has ANXIETY. Partly this is because of the way his mind works, and how overwhelmed he can get when other people (especially his classmate Alice) are in the room.


Heroes of the Water Monster By Brian Young Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9780062990433
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Published: Heartdrum - May 23rd, 2023

An unmissable companion to Healer of the Water Monster, which won the American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award, this novel by Navajo author Brian Young tells the story of two contemporary young Navajo heroes—and one water monster—who must learn to work together to save their present world from the lasting hurts of their people’s past.


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Mascot By Charles Waters, Traci Sorell Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781623543808
Availability: On Our Shelves Now (Subject to Availability)
Published: Charlesbridge - September 5th, 2023

What if a school's mascot is seen as racist, but not by everyone? In this compelling middle-grade novel in verse, two best-selling BIPOC authors tackle this hot-button issue.


Eagle Drums: (Newbery Honor Book) By Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson, Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson (Illustrator) Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781250750655
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Published: Roaring Brook Press - September 12th, 2023

**A NEWBERY HONOR BOOK**

A magical realistic middle grade debut about the origin story of the Iñupiaq Messenger Feast, a Native Alaskan tradition.


As his family prepares for winter, a young, skilled hunter must travel up the mountain to collect obsidian for knapping—the same mountain where his two older brothers died.


Rez Ball By Byron Graves Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9780063160378
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Published: Heartdrum - September 12th, 2023

This compelling debut novel by new talent Byron Graves tells the relatable, high-stakes story of a young athlete determined to play like the hero his Ojibwe community needs him to be.


The Great Bear: The Misewa Saga, Book Two By David A. Robertson Cover Image
$9.99
ISBN: 9780735266155
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Published: Tundra Books - August 2nd, 2022

In this second book in the Narnia-inspired Indigenous middle-grade fantasy series, Eli and Morgan journey once more to Misewa, travelling back in time.


Give Me Some Truth By Eric Gansworth Cover Image
$12.99
ISBN: 9781338582161
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Published: Arthur A. Levine Books - August 16th, 2022

NPR Best Books of the Year * Boston Globe Best Books of the Year * School Library Journal Best Books of the Year * Chicago Public Library Best Books of the Year A stirring book from Eric Gansworth, author of If I Ever Get Out of Here, that speaks the truth on race, relationships, and rock from two unforgettable perspectives.

Carson Mastick is entering his senior year of high sc


The Stone Child: The Misewa Saga, Book Three By David A. Robertson Cover Image
$9.99
ISBN: 9780735266186
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Published: Tundra Books - July 5th, 2023

It's a race against time to save Eli, in this third book in the award-winning, Narnia-inspired Indigenous middle-grade fantasy series. Now in paperback!


The Star That Always Stays By Anna Rose Johnson Cover Image
$10.99
ISBN: 9780823456109
Availability: Usually Ships from Wholesaler in 1-5 Days
Published: Holiday House - September 5th, 2023

When bright and spirited Norvia moves from the country to the city, she has to live by one new rule: Never let anyone know you’re Ojibwe.

"INSPIRING."—Kirkus Reviews

"A NEW CLASSIC."—Southern Bookseller Review


Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids By Cynthia L. Smith Cover Image
$9.99
ISBN: 9780062869951
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Published: Heartdrum - February 8th, 2022

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.

Native families from Nations across the continent gather at the Dance for Mother Earth Powwow in Ann Arbor, Michigan.


We Have a Dream: Meet 30 Young Indigenous People and People of Color Protecting the Planet By Mya-Rose Craig, Sabrena Khadija (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Mya-Rose Craig, Sabrena Khadija (Illustrator)
$16.99
ISBN: 9781419756665
Availability: On Our Shelves Now (Subject to Availability)
Published: Harry N. Abrams - April 12th, 2022

Thirty young environmental activists share their dreams with voice of a generation Mya-Rose Craig

Indigenous people and people of color are disproportionately affected by climate change. And yet they are underrepresented within the environmental movement.


The Portal Keeper: The Misewa Saga, Book Four By David A. Robertson Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781774880258
Availability: On Our Shelves Now (Subject to Availability)
Published: Tundra Books - October 10th, 2023

Eli and Morgan experience life-changing revelations in this new adventure in the award-winning, Narnia-inspired Indigenous middle-grade fantasy series.


The Eagle Mother By Huson, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Huson, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator)
$23.00
ISBN: 9781553798590
Availability: On Our Shelves Now (Subject to Availability)
Published: Highwater Press - April 28th, 2020

Return to the valleys of the River of Mists with author Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson) and his award-winning, richly illustrative Mothers of Xsan series.

"An incredible celebration of the deep connections that are essential to the relationships between mothers and their children"--The Globe and Mail


Fatty Legs (10th Anniversary Edition) By Margaret-Olemaun Pokiak-Fenton, Christy Jordan-Fenton, Liz Amini-Holmes (Illustrator) Cover Image
$12.95
ISBN: 9781773213507
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Published: Annick Press - March 10th, 2020

The beloved story of an Inuvialuit girl standing up to the bullies of residential school, updated for a new generation of readers.


The Grizzly Mother By Huson, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Huson, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator)
$23.00
ISBN: 9781553797760
Availability: On Our Shelves Now (Subject to Availability)
Published: Highwater Press - September 1st, 2019

Book two in the award-winning Mothers of Xsan series, The Grizzly Mother uses striking illustration and lyrical language to bring the poetry of the Xsan ecosystem to life.


How I Became a Ghost: A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story By Tim Tingle Cover Image
$8.95
ISBN: 9781937054557
Availability: Usually Ships from Wholesaler in 1-5 Days
Published: Roadrunner Press - September 8th, 2015

A Choctaw boy tells the story of his tribe's removal from the only land his people had ever known, and how their journey to Oklahoma led him to become a ghost--one with the ability to help those he left behind.


I Can Make This Promise By Christine Day Cover Image
$9.99
ISBN: 9780062872005
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Published: Heartdrum - December 8th, 2020

In her debut middle grade novel—inspired by her family’s history—Christine Day tells the story of a girl who uncovers her family’s secrets—and finds her own Native American identity.


Indian No More By Charlene Willing McManis, Traci Sorell Cover Image
$18.95
ISBN: 9781620148396
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Published: Tu Books - September 24th, 2019

American Indian Youth Literature Award Winner - American Indian Library Association

When Regina's Umpqua tribe is legally terminated and her family must relocate from Oregon to Los Angeles, she goes on a quest to understand her identity as an Indian despite being so far from home.


Peacemaker By Joseph Bruchac Cover Image
$7.99
ISBN: 9781984815392
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Published: Dial Books - January 4th, 2022

A twelve-year-old Iroquois boy searches for peace in this historical novel based on the creation of the Iroquois Confederacy.


Powwow Summer: A Family Celebrates the Circle of Life By Marcie R. Rendon, Cheryl Walsh Bellville (By (photographer)) Cover Image
By Marcie R. Rendon, Cheryl Walsh Bellville (By (photographer))
$12.95
ISBN: 9780873519106
Availability: On Our Shelves Now (Subject to Availability)
Published: Minnesota Historical Society Press - September 1st, 2013

 Life is a circle, just like the seasons, from youth through old age. The circle of the year brings seasonal rituals: a winter of preparation followed by a summer of powwows.

Sharyl and Windy Downwind and their children travel from their home on the Red Lake Reservation in Minnesota to powwows all around the region.


The Sea in Winter By Christine Day Cover Image
$7.99
ISBN: 9780062872050
Availability: On Our Shelves Now (Subject to Availability)
Published: Heartdrum - January 4th, 2022

American Indian Youth Literature Award: Middle Grade Honor Book! In this evocative and heartwarming novel for readers who loved The Thing About Jellyfish, the author of I Can Make This Promise tells the story of a Native American girl struggling to find her joy again.


The Sockeye Mother By Huson, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Huson, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator)
$23.00
ISBN: 9781553797395
Availability: On Our Shelves Now (Subject to Availability)
Published: Highwater Press - March 1st, 2018

To the Gitxsan people of Northwestern British Columbia, the sockeye salmon is more than just a source of food. Over its life cycle, it nourishes the very land and forests that the Skeena River runs through and where the Gitxsan make their home. The Sockeye Mother explores how the animals, water, soil, and seasons are all intertwined.


Two Roads By Joseph Bruchac Cover Image
$8.99
ISBN: 9780735228870
Availability: On Our Shelves Now (Subject to Availability)
Published: Puffin Books - August 27th, 2019

A boy discovers his Native American heritage in this Depression-era tale of identity and friendship by the author of Code Talker


The Four Hills of Life: Ojibwe Wisdom By Thomas Peacock, Marlene Wisuri Cover Image
$19.95
ISBN: 9780873518284
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Published: Minnesota Historical Society Press - March 1st, 2011

The Four Hills of Life tells the wise and beautiful Ojibwe story about the path we walk through the seasons of life, from the springtime of youth through the winter of old age. The hills we climb along the way are the challenges we face and the responsibilities we accept. The path is not always easy; some of us lose our way. We question the meaning of life.