Me (Moth): a journey of grounding effervescence

 Me (Moth) a young adult debut by Amber McBride is a haunting story told in verse about two teens, Moth and Sina.  Moth loses her entire family in a car accident that spares only her and she lives with survivor's guilt.  Although what she does is not considered living.  Moth cocoons herself against any enjoyment, even in her aunt's home. Her grief drives Aunt Jack to abandon her. The only voice that Moth clings to is the advice her Gray-Bearded Grandfather gave her about their Hoodoo spiritual roots.  She is surprised to be drawn to the new student, Sina, a member of the Navajo Nation, who has his own emotional struggles.  Although Moth is determined to stay invisible, Sina sees her and invites her to join him on a road trip back to New Mexico.

On this journey, Moth and Sina stop at various landmarks from Virginia to the Four Corners. As a former social studies teacher and librarian, it stood out to me how these characters take in each place through their own unique lens.  For example, while in Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home, they visit the quarters for the enslaved people and leave offerings for their courageous legacies.  It's refreshing to have a point of view that is seeped in spirituality and a recognition for marginalized groups.

I highly recommend this book for young adult readers and adult readers because of the topics of identity, supporting one another and for learning about non-Western beliefs.  The characters show strength through their struggles in a mystical, dreamy way.  McBride writes as if the reader is floating above the story, yet feeling as if their feet are planted firmly in the Earth.  I don't want to spoil the story but it ended in a way that made me go back and reread it knowing how it ended; it was like an entirely different story!  Only a master storyteller can accomplish something that beautiful.

Congratulations to McBride for being a finalist for the National Book Award 2021 in the Literature for Youth category. Here is McBride reading an excerpt from Me (Moth): 

I Can Make This Promise: family secrets & identity

 Christine Day's debut middle grade novel, I Can Make This Promise, conveys a perspective of a 12-year old Native American girl who only knows that her mother was adopted by a White couple so she has no connection to the Native side of her heritage.  Although Edie is constantly "othered" by people asking her "what are you?", she feels as though her parents would've shared anything they knew with her.  That is until she and her friends stumble across a box of keepsakes in Edie's attic full of mysterious photos, letters, and postcards.  The woman in the photos looks just like Edie and even shares her name.  When Edie asks her parents, they act shifty and change the subject.  Why would they keep something like that a secret? 

Edie and her friends approach this sensitive mystery in different ways. One of her friends urges Edie to talk about it with her parents more while her other friend thinks they should dig for more clues on their own.  The journey that Edie takes to find out the truth is both heart-breaking, yet, hopeful.  Day puts real faces and emotions to the atrocities Native people suffered at the hands of the U.S. Government.  Readers can take the snippets of people mentioned in the story and conduct further research about who they were and why they were considered activists of their time.  Readers can also relate to the changing friendships and history that follow them into adolescence.  Edie decides to cut ties with someone who refuses to be an ally to her and that is a situation that readers can discuss.  

As a teacher, librarian and parent, I would definitely share this book with my students and daughter.  The themes of identity, family, friendship, and historical power and injustice offer a lot of important conversations that connect to other media.  Share the book trailer below with readers to gauge their interest in this story:

Initially I read Day's second novel, The Sea in Winter and was impressed by the authentic voice her characters use while teaching the reader about the upper northwestern U.S. and the Native tribes located there.  I'm looking forward to reading more by Day!

Ancestor Approved: a Native Voices anthology

 

Ancestor Approved, a middle grades anthology of short stories and poems edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith is a book that presents a wide range of Native people's experiences attending a big pow wow in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Each story takes on a unique point of view, even a rez dog!  What stands out is the variety of what it means to be Indian for each individual person.  Traditions are universally respected, but each character's background results in a plethora of feelings to be explored:  from apprehension about dancing, meeting family for the first time, to not feeling Native enough because of being so far from a rez and being adopted by White parents, jealousy even, from not being good at beadwork, and of course, the pride of being part of a large community.

As a parent, educator, and librarian, I think this book would be perfect for a community common read.  The writers in the anthology are incredibly detailed in their storytelling and are all authentic in their depiction of characters.  Every reader can find so much to discuss in each story and poem.  The best parts are the extensions that result from the references made in each story.  If a reader is interested in the mythology, they can do more readings upon that topic.  Or if someone is more into the music and dance side, they attend a pow wow and see firsthand what it is like.  The cuisine is also deliciously described. Readers can try fry bread, Navajo tacos, and other tasty treats from the book.  I also like how there is a critical view of stereotypes of how Native people are portrayed in the media and books.  Readers can find more examples of this and learn about ways to curb those images.  Finally, I especially appreciated the way some of the authors included how schools often make Native students feel as the other, tease and bully them.  Each of these instances is an opportunity to discuss with students if they have ever faced those moments and how to help one another because words and actions have life-long effects that can harm people.  

At the end of the anthology there is a glossary for correct pronunciation of words used and each author shares a bit about why they chose the topic they did.  This is the perfect chance for readers to read other works by the authors included in the anthology.  

Indian Shoes: a modern-day NativeVoices snapshot

Indian Shoes is an award-winning, short chapter book (under 70 pages), written by Cynthia Leitich Smith and the cover art is by Sharon Irla and the interior illustrations are by Marybeth Timothy.  It's a must-have addition to any library or classroom collection.  Although it's slim in length, it's full of snapshots of life between a Ray Halfmoon, a Cherokee-Seminole boy and his Grampa, who is raising him.  Each chapter is a different time when Ray learns from and appreciates his Grampa.  Smith writes with humor while authentically conveying the values and beliefs of the characters.  

When reading this with others, I like to preview the chapter names to try to predict what they will be about.  By the time the chapter titled, "The Accident," came up, I had already fallen in love with the characters and wanted nothing bad to happen to the them!  Fortunately, my daughter reminded me that not all accidents were bad and that, perhaps, something positive will result from this chapter's mishap--which thankfully, it does!

Another interesting feature about this book are the detailed illustrations that enhance the stories.  Smith writes with impeccable detail and the pictures add to the comfortable feel of them.  Reading this book is like wrapping yourself up in a cozy blanket and allowing the caring relationship evoked in the story to encompass your mind.  That positive feeling goes beyond Ray and Grampa as they go out into their community and bring that spirit out into Chicago, which they call the steel and stone city, and to their homeland in Oklahoma.  Readers will connect with Ray's innocence, love for animals, sports, art and making his Grampa proud.

The title of the book, Indian Shoes, is the opening chapter and it is perfect to introduce the characters, their community, and what it means to be "Indian" by today's standards.  There is an important interaction with a librarian & as a librarian myself, I cheered for what resulted!  This provides an opportunity to discuss with readers the stereotyping that often goes with the portrayal of Native people and how we have the power to change that.

A readalike for this book is Cynthia Rylant's The Islander.  They are both short, yet impactful reads.  Both boys have lost their parents and live with their grandfathers who mean the world to them.  But Indian Shoes is realistic fiction while The Islander has fantasy involved.  Both of these are excellent read alouds and book club books for lower elementary grades and up.  There is much to discuss and love about them!

 

For more educational resources click on the picture below to go to Smith's website and download the activities.  I especially love the Reader's Theater script for "Don't Forget the Pants"!

Prairie Lotus: a Chinese-American perspective

 Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park is a historical fiction novel perfect for 3rd graders and up.  

This story is told through the 14 year-old character, Hannah.  She has been traveling on a wagon with her father for the last three years, after her mother's death.  They are on the emerging trails from California, moving eastward towards the Dakota Territory.  The white townsfolk are prejudice towards Hannah because she is half-Chinese and half-white.  Although she has never been to school, Hannah excels in her studies and makes a few friends.  Despite her success in school, she is unsure of her future in such a racist community.  Thankfully, her talents for sewing and dress-making offer a hopeful venture that will allow her to be an independent and respected person in the community.  Will the townspeople get over their suspicions and accept Hannah and her father?  

Park explores many topics that are important for the discussion of U.S. History:  immigration, the treatment of Indigenous people, racism, settling into towns, early education, gender roles, and a different view of "Westward Expansion" than is presented in textbooks and other children's stories.  As a teacher and librarian, this book is ideal for exploring how Indigenous people were treated, along with immigrants.  Women's gender roles are also a good topic that are shown in this story.  In what ways does Hannah fulfill her duties and how does she challenge what society dictates as her place in the world?

Here is an audiobook sample to listen to and share with readers.

The Sea in Winter: an authentic, modern-day Native voices book

 

The Sea in Winter written by Christine Day  is a middle grades novel that appeals to those who have been disconnected from their life purpose and need to find their way back.  In this story, 12 year-old Maisie is recovering from a knee injury that has left her without her ballet friends and her identity as a dancer.  This loss of control of her life is sending her down a depressing cycle of negative self-talk and a feeling of helplessness.  

When her family goes on a road trip to her mother's native ancestral homeland, the Makah, Maisie connects to the strength of her ancestors who had to endure hardships.  During the trip she cannot express why she feels so low despite her attempts to try to enjoy the memories she is making with her family.  After a text from her friend sends her into a downward spiral, Maisie has no choice but to face reality and accept help from her family so that she may heal in more ways than one.  

As a teacher and librarian, this book can be used in multiple ways:

1. The poetic language Day uses to describe the landscape as well as the characters.  It transports the reader to the landscape of the Pacific Northwest, to the ocean and the forest.   Students can explore the setting through online research to note how it compares to what they imagined while reading the book.  

2. Maisie learns how her ancestors lived through a landslide caused by magnitude-9 earthquake in the 1700s that caused a tsunami in Japan.  When asked how that could be, her mother replies, "The ocean has always connected us."  Students can take this one step further by researching other ways that one natural event affects other places.  

3.  Maisie and her little brother learn from their father about how his Klallam peoples' lives were affected by White settlement in the area, specifically, not being able to fish without a license.  But fishing licenses were only granted to citizens and Native Americans did not attain citizenship until 1924.  Students can research how the Native American community in their area was affected by White settlement. 

4. Maisie is going through a difficult time in her life. She doesn't have friends at school, her grades are slipping, and her one and only hobby is something that is off-limits until her body can heal.  A lot of people can relate to this sense of loss.  Students can revisit Maisie's mother's advice when she tells her, " Dreams change. Realities change. People change.  We all go through it in different ways."  What does she mean by this? How does this connect to your life?

The author's note at the end of the story gives more context to the various topics explored in the book.  The reader can benefit from reading this because it has such a personal connection to Day and her life.  More stories of modern-day Native people and their history and hopes for the future are much needed. Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, which published Day's book, has more authors with stories to tell. In partnership with We Need Diverse Books, classrooms and libraries around the world can carry and share these stories with their communities. 

Apple: Skin to the Core

 

Apple: Skin to the Core by Eric Gansworth is a touching and haunting memoir.  Told in verse, it is full of stories and photography that opens with Gansworth's grapndparents' school photos from Carlisle, the Indian Internment School.    It ends with a photo of Gansworth in his Batman cape as a child on the Rez.  So it truly comes full circle.  

What makes this memoir stand out is Gansworth's artwork throughout the book. It enhances the stories and memories he chooses to share.  

He writes of the rules, opportunities, lost language, and learning how to be himself when he ultimately chooses to leave the Rez to enter the White World.  This is a book for young adult and adult readers to understand one person's family history and the affects that the U.S. Government had on them.