2009 Selections

With the young person in mind, these strong, clear and encouraging poems from Rita Joe speak directly to all of us, a testament to courage and her hope for a better world. Down-to-earth and often humorous and a world honoured Mi'kmaw elder and Order of Canada recipient, in the book Rita Joe passes her torch to the young.

Born in 1932, in Whycocomagh, Rita Joe lived a hardscrabble existence, from foster home to foster home, experiences that helped her decide to admit herself to Shubenacadie Indian Residential School, a place most Mi'kmaq people had come to dread. It was a rare example of the child choosing Shubie, "to better myself," to get an education. That same determination compelled her to write about her personal combination of traditional Mi'kmaw spiritualism and Catholic faith, carrying forward her 'gentle war'. Her last poem, unfinished, was found in her typewriter when she died in March 2007.

Additional Information
52 pages | 8.00" x 8.00"

Joseph Brant was a promising but undistinguished Mohawk warrior living in upper New York State. He became an innovative, influential leader and spokesperson for First Nations, whose support for Britain during the American Revolution led to their resettlement in Upper Canada along the Grand River. Their descendants live today on the large Six Nations Reserve alongside the Grand, south of Brantford in southwestern Ontario.

This new, illustrated biography of Brant reflects recent research into the political, social and cultural background of his life. Author James Paxton rejects the interpretation of earlier biographers, who depicted Brant as a man who belonged neither to the "Indian" or the "white" world. Paxton shows that Brant was fully Mohawk, with Iroquoian values that stressed the interdependence of people. He stands as the product of a unique, multicultural 18th-century community in the Mohawk Valley, New York.

Using skill and diplomacy and his dense network of relationships and alliances, Brant attempted to ensure the ongoing social, economic and political autonomy of the Six Nations in their new Canadian territory.

The events of Brant's day impinge directly on our own. It would be hard to imagine the standoff at Caledonia had Brant not led the Six Nations to the Grand River area and then invited Loyalists to settle among them. Yet, in 1784, Mohawks and Loyalists envisioned a different sort of community, one bound by history, common interest and shared practices. At a time when First Nations' claims against the government promise to become more numerous and confrontational, this book encourages us to consider the inclusive and multicultural legacy of Joseph Brant.

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96 pages | 8.26" x 9.01"

Gaylord Powless was playing lacrosse by the age of three. He descended from generations of Mohawk lacrosse players and possessed great skill, but his native ancestry made him the target of brutal checking, and slashing. This is a compelling story of how this champion learned to deal with emotions.

Ideal for reluctant readers.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended Ages: 12-18.

Fry Reading Level: 4.5

This book is part of the Recordbooks Series. Recordbooks help reluctant readers understand social issues through the lens of a true story of a sports hero.

Series features:

• Ideal for reluctant readers
• Hi-lo
• Short chapters, easy-to-read format
• Great for ESL and adult students
• Writing with a flair for making history feel like novels
• Accompanied by historical photos and sports trivia
• Ideal for ages 12+

Additional Information
120 pages | 4.25" x 7.00"

Philip Kevin Paul's first book, Taking the Names Down from the Hill won the 2004 Dorothy Livesay Award for Poetry. In Little Hunger, his second book for the WSÁ,NEC (Saanich) Nation of Vancouver Island, Paul continues to draw upon the rich oral culture and traditions of his people.

From the eye of a whale rising from the deep, to an albino pigeon being nursed back to health, Paul's work addresses nature, family and traditions that get passed on from generation to generation. A raccoon's eyes become "holy doors of lost keys" and sockeye swim upstream. With elegance and wisdom, Paul speaks of "the stories gone sad, / singing to the hunger that made them, / running past the voices no longer speaking."

Suggested Grades: 11-12
ABPBC

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96 pages | 5.25" x 7.50" | Paperback 

This book profiles ten outstanding women leaders in the Native community. All of these successful, trailblazing women are stellar role models who have raised the profile of indigenous culture in North America. From heroines of the past to women making new history today, this exciting work of nonfiction reminds readers of the extraordinary contributions of Native Americans to our daily lives.

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the First Nations Series for Young Readers. Each book is a collection of biographies of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit women and men who are leaders in their fields of work, in their art, and in their communities. For ages 9-14.

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89 pages | 6.00" x 8.98"

A sleepy native reservation. A troubled teen girl. A vampire returns home.

Nothing ever happens on the Otter Lake reservation. But when 16-year-old Tiffany discovers her father is renting out her room, she's deeply upset. Sure, their guest is polite and keeps to himself. But he''s also a little creepy.

Little do Tiffany, her father or even her astute Granny Ruth suspect the truth. The mysterious Pierre L'Errant is actually a vampire, returning to his tribal home after centuries spent in Europe. But Tiffany has other things on her mind: her new boyfriend is acting weird, disputes with her father are escalating, and her estranged mother is starting a new life with somebody else.

Fed up and heartsick, Tiffany threatens drastic measures and flees into the bush. There, in the midnight woods, a chilling encounter with L'Errant changes everything... for both of them.

A mesmerizing blend of Gothic thriller and modern coming-of-age novel, The Night Wanderer is unlike any other vampire story.

Reviews
"One of Quill and Quire's Books of the Year 2007: "Shivers and chills in an Anishinabe setting... refreshingly smart humour." — Patty Lawlor, Quill and Quire, December 2007

"Teens who devour vampire fiction will enjoy this unusual slant on the oft-told legend." — Jan Chapman, VOYA, June 2008

Educator Information
Recommended Ages: 12-18.

Grades 10-12 BC English First Peoples resource for units on Identity, Place-Conscious Learning, and Relationships.

This book is available in French: Le rôdeur de nuit

Additional Information
218 pages | 5.00" x 7.25"

The Everland-home of the tree-born Kyn since time immemorial, a deep green world of ancient mystery and danger. The wyr-powers of the Kyn and the other Eld Folk have preserved this wild region from the ravenous hunger of Humanity for over a thousand years, but those powers are fast fading away. As the eyes of Men turn once more to the Everland and its rich bounty, the leaders of the Folk gather in Sheynadwiin, the Kyn capital, hoping to find a way to survive the growing storm. She is Tarsadeshae the Spearbreaker a fearless Kyn warrior trained in the Redthorn ways of battle and blood. She knows her place in the Everland's cycle of life and death, and that knowledge gives her strength and purpose. Yet Tarsa's ordered world is shattered when an act of courage goes horribly awry, and her spirit awakens to the wild wyr of her ancestors powers long persecuted by the assimilationist Shields and their allies. As she struggles to reconcile her former life with the call of the rising bloodsong, Tarsa joins the summons of the Sevenfold Council, where she is swept into the struggle between those Folk who would embrace the promises of Men, and those who would hold fast to the rooted understandings of the Eld Green. For all who call the Everland home, there can be no middle path.

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of The Way of Thorn & Thunder Trilogy. It is Book One in the trilogy (Kynship, Wyrwood, and Dreyd).

"The Way of Thorn & Thunder Trilogy: Kynship, Wyrwood, and Dreyd. An epic story of a struggle for the Everland, a green land of ancient mystery and danger, and the forest home of the Kyn. These three remarkable novels tell the story of Tarsa'deshae, a fearless Kyn warrior trained in the Redthorn ways of battle and blood. Tarsa is swept into the struggle between those Folk who would embrace the promises of Men, and those who would hold fast to the rooted understandings of the Eld Green. In beautifully crafted language, these stories break the stereotypes of both Indigeneity and gender, and serve as a powerful allegory for Indigenous history. Award-winning author Daniel Heath Justice has masterfully created a world of magic, adventure and heroism that rivals the classic fantasy of Tolkien and Le Guin." - Kegedonce Press

Additional Information
262 pages | 5.50" x 7.00"