Tag: Native Voices

Celebrating Indigenous Voices for National Native American Heritage Month

Celebrate National Native American Heritage Month in your school or library! Keep reading to find more book recommendations, download resources for your classroom—including guides for Warrior Girl Unearthed and Eagle Drums—and inspire your students to take the pledge to be water protectors, like Indigenous Rights activists Josephine Mandamin and Autumn Peltier in Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior!

From New York Times bestselling picture book author Carole Lindstrom and illustrator Bridget George comes Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior, an inspiring picture book biography about two Indigenous Rights Activists, Josephine Mandamin and Autumn Peltier that will energize young readers to join the tidal wave of change.

In the spirit of this stunning book, we want YOU to take the Water Protector’s Pledge!

Download the Pledge Sheet to take the pledge. Then let everyone know that you took the pledge by sharing the “I Took the Pledge!” graphic. Simply add your photo above “I AM A WATER PROTECTOR” and share on social media! Don’t forget to use the hashtag #WeAreWaterProtectors and tag us on Twitter at @MacKidsSL!

Looking for an interactive way to take the pledge with students? Download the Activity Kit to learn how you can help protect the water and environment.

Download the Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior Activity Kit here!
Find more books for National Native American Heritage Month here →

Watch our ALA New Voices in YA Panel!

Join five young adult authors for a conversation about their debut or sophomore titles moderated by Candice Mack, President of the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association. Participating authors include Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (Ace of Spades), Cory Anderson (What Beauty There Is), Angeline Boulley (Firekeeper’s Daughter), Cassandra Hartt (The Sea is Salt and So Am I), and Joan He (The Ones We’re Meant to Find).

Learn more about these books here!

Teacher’s Guide: Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

An instant New York Times bestseller, Angeline Boulley’s debut novel, Firekeeper’s Daughter, is a groundbreaking YA thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption in her community, perfect for readers of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange.

Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team.

Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. At the same time, she grows concerned with an investigation that seems more focused on punishing the offenders than protecting the victims.

Now, as the deceptions—and deaths—keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

Download the Firekeeper’s Daughter teacher’s guide here.

Find Ojibwe language translations, correct spellings, and audio pronunciations for Firekeeper’s Daughter in this Anishinaabemowin resource center, created by Margaret Noodin, a professor at UW-Milwaukee.

Four Starred Reviews!

★ “This novel will long stand in the hearts of both Native and non-Native audiences.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “Though it both shocks and thrills, in the end, what leaves you breathless is Firekeeper’s Daughter’s blazing heart.” —BookPage, starred review

★ “Boulley, herself an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, writes from a place of love for her community and shares some key teachings from her culture, even mixing languages within the context of the story.” —Booklist, starred review

★ “This suspenseful upper-YA novel will keep readers wondering who Daunis can trust.” —Horn Book, starred review

Listen to a clip from the Firekeeper’s Daughter audiobook,
read by Isabella Star LaBlanc:

Activity Kit: This Earth Day, Take the Pledge to become a Water Protector!

Inspired by the many Indigenous-led movements across North America, We Are Water Protectors is a bold and lyrical picture book by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade. It issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth’s water from harm and corruption.

In the spirit of this stunning book, we want YOU to take the Protector’s Pledge this Earth Day!

Download the Kit Here →