Browse Books for Teens

Profoundly honest and moving, Kihiani is the uplifting story of an Inuk artist’s journey to healing and self-discovery

Born in Fort Churchill, Manitoba, but raised in Arviat, a predominantly Inuit community on the western edges of Hudson Bay, Susan and her six siblings grew up in a humble but loving home. But while living in Rankin Inlet, when she was eight years old, Susan’s life was disrupted by a life-changing event, a distinct separation that created a schism inside her for many years and from which she continues to heal.

At fifteen, she started writing poems that spilled out of her, and when Susan had the choice to leave her community, she grabbed it like a lifeline. Eventually, Susan was approached by a producer at CBC who was making a compilation album of Arctic artists and years later signed with a major label for her third album, This Child.

The disruption and milestones, the turmoil and joy, the devastation and healing—this is Susan Aglukark’s story of discovering her Inuk self.

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272 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | Hardcover

An unflinching reimagining of Legacy: Trauma, Story, and Indigenous Healing for young adults.

Written specifically for young adults, reluctant readers, and literacy learners, Killing the Wittigo explains the traumatic effects of colonization on Indigenous people and communities and how trauma alters an individual’s brain, body, and behavior. It explores how learned patterns of behavior — the ways people adapt to trauma to survive — are passed down within family systems, thereby affecting the functioning of entire communities. The book foregrounds Indigenous resilience through song lyrics and as-told-to stories by young people who have started their own journeys of decolonization, healing, and change. It also details the transformative work being done in urban and on-reserve communities through community-led projects and Indigenous-run institutions and community agencies. These stories offer concrete examples of the ways in which Indigenous peoples and communities are capable of healing in small and big ways — and they challenge readers to consider what the dominant society must do to create systemic change. Full of bold graphics and illustration, Killing the Wittigo is a much-needed resource for Indigenous kids and the people who love them and work with them.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 12 to 17.

The adult version of this book can be found here: Legacy: Trauma, Story, and Indigenous Healing

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160 pages | 5.50" x 8.50" | Paperback

A Quebec bestseller based on the life of Michel Jean's great-grandmother that delivers an empathetic portrait of drastic change in an Innu community.

Kukum recounts the story of Almanda Siméon, an orphan raised by her aunt and uncle, who falls in love with a young Innu man despite their cultural differences and goes on to share her life with the Pekuakami Innu community. They accept her as one of their own: Almanda learns their language, how to live a nomadic existence, and begins to break down the barriers imposed on Indigenous women. Unfolding over the course of a century, the novel details the end of traditional ways of life for the Innu, as Almanda and her family face the loss of their land and confinement to reserves, and the enduring violence of residential schools.

Kukum intimately expresses the importance of Innu ancestral values and the need for freedom nomadic peoples feel to this day.

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Translated by Susan Ouriou.

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224 pages | 5.50" x 8.50" | Paperback

Kent Monkman's art has been described as "stupendous" (New York Times), "sure to alarm and educate" (The Observer), and beating "Western history painting at its own game" (The Globe and Mail). Subversive, bold, and groundbreaking, the work of this Cree artist has transformed contemporary Canadian visual culture. Monkman's art is included in major Canadian and international public institutions and he is the only artist in this country to be commissioned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Kent Monkman: Life & Work is the first comprehensive book about the celebrated Monkman (b.1965). It is the only publication to trace the arc of his career, from his early abstract paintings to his rise to fame creating works that re-visit and reinterpret historic paintings to offer a powerful commentary on Indigenous resistance, remembrance, and the re-thinking of history.

Author Shirley Madill chronicles the origins of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle—Monkman's time-travelling, shape-shifting, gender-fluid alter ego, who features prominently in his work—and details his youth in Manitoba growing up as a member of the Fisher River First Nation, where he first became aware of profound social injustice. Madill explores Monkman's provocative interventions into Western European and American art history, and shows how he created a body of work that raises awareness of the critical issues facing Indigenous peoples by fiercely addressing North America's legacy of colonialism, while also critiquing Western art history. Kent Monkman: Life & Work is the definitive publication for anyone passionate about Indigenous issues, art in North America, and contemporary culture.

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144 pages | 8.00" x 11.00" | Hardcover 

Indigenous Voices Award winner Cole Pauls returns with a robust collection of stories that celebrate the cultural practices and experiences of Dene and Arctic peoples. Gathering Pauls's comics from magazines, comic festivals and zine making workshops, these comics are his most personal work yet. You'll learn stories about the author's family, racism and identity, Yukon history, winter activities, Southern Tutchone language lessons and cultural practices. Have you ever wanted to learn how to Knuckle Hop? or to acknowledge and respect the Indigenous land you’re on? Or how to be an ally to Indigenous people? Well, gather around and hear this Kwändǖr! (Story!).

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140 pages | 6.50" x 10.00" Paperback

Pawaminikititicikiw, Wilfred Buck, is an Ininew / Cree, Knowledge and Dream Keeper of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation of Northern Manitoba. He is the author of Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star stories, and I Have Lived Four Lives, a memoir. Kitcikisik (Great Sky) features Indigenous Star Knowledge and is the second edition of Tipiskawi Kisik.

Educator Information
Recommended by the publisher for grades 7+

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86 Pages

The Neyhiyawak (Plains Cree) word "Kitotam" translates into English as, "He Speaks to It." This is a collection of free-verse poetry by Indigenous poet and artist John McDonald. Written in two parts, these poems chronicle John's life and experiences as an urban Indigenous youth during the 1980s. The second half of the book is a look into the inspirations and events, that shaped John's career as an internationally known spoken word artist, beat poet, monologist and performance artist.

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88 pages | 5.50" x 8.50"

Un livre à mettre entre toutes les mains, pour que le dialogue prenne le pas sur le racisme En 2016, la poète Innu Natasha Kanapé Fontaine et le romancier québéco-américain Deni Ellis Béchard entamaient une conversation sans tabou sur le racisme entre Autochtones et Allochtones. Cette rencontre littéraire et poétique ouvrait un dialogue nécessaire et faisait émerger une série de questions. Comment cohabiter si notre histoire commune est empreinte de honte, de blessures et de colère ? Comment faire réaliser aux Blancs le privilège invisible de la domination historique? Comment guérir les Autochtones des stigmates du génocide culturel ? Pour ouvrir le dialogue et amorcer la nécessaire réconciliation entre nos peuples, Deni et Natasha sont partis de leur trajectoire personnelle et ont tenté de débusquer les mots et comportements qui empruntent les chemins du racisme. Natasha raconte sa découverte des pensionnats autochtones, son obsession pour la crise d'Oka, la vie sur la réserve de Pessamit ; Deni parle du racisme ordinaire de son père, de la ségrégation envers les Afro-Américains, de son identité de Québécois aux États-Unis. Cinq ans et des milliers de lecteurs et lectrices plus tard, Deni et Natasha ont décidé de reprendre la plume et de poursuivre ce « rendez-vous de la parole qui s'ouvre ». Démarré en septembre 2020, leur échange épistolaire renoue avec le ton intimiste et le foisonnement intellectuel qui caractérisaient leurs premiers échanges. Deni écrit depuis Stanford, en Californie, alors que les feux de forêts ravagent ce territoire et que la campagne présidentielle bat son plein aux États-Unis, en pleine pandémie, sur fond de montée des extrêmes et d’une parole haineuse libérée par quatre ans de pouvoir de Trump. Il décrit la mobilisation sans précédent du mouvement Black Live Matters à la suite de l’assassinat odieux de George Floyd, cet Afro-Américain de 46 ans abattu par un policier blanc à Minneapolis le 25 mai 2020. Natasha a été marquée par le soulèvement des Wet’suwet’en contre le gazoduc Coastal GasLink partout au Canada et par l’hypocrisie colonialiste de la politique de la reconnaissance du gouvernement Trudeau à l’égard des Autochtones. Puis, au milieu de leurs échanges, est arrivé l’impensable : la mort de Joyce Echaquan, une femme de 37 ans, Atikamekw, sous les injures racistes et humiliantes de deux infirmières de l’hôpital de Joliette. « Une indignation est montée. […] À Montréal, le samedi suivant, nous étions des milliers à marcher pour la reconnaissance du racisme systémique, comme celui dans les services de la santé, et à réclamer justice. Son nom est désormais rattaché au mot « justice » : Justice Pour Joyce. Une douleur est venue m’envahir. Depuis, elle habite mon corps comme une vieille amie. Je n’ai pas ressenti de colère. Je n’en ai plus la force. Une douleur tellement vive, Deni. J’en pleure presque tous les jours. » Deni lui répond : « Chère nuitsheuakan, pendant cette période de souffrances et d’incertitudes, il est clair que la solution passera par un chemin long et difficile. […] Récemment, je me suis plongé dans l’histoire des mouvements sociaux et j’ai pris conscience des millions de personnes qui ont lutté jusqu’ici. C’est horrible de parler de patience quand tellement d’êtres humains vivent de l’oppression, mais il faut qu’on persiste et qu’on sache qu’au cœur de tout ce qu’on fait, reste le dialogue. Un proverbe grec dit : «?Une société devient grande quand des vieillards plantent des arbres à l’ombre desquels ils savent qu’ils ne s’assoiront jamais.?» Je souhaite qu’on ait des politicien.ne.s qui, un jour, se demandent ce qu’il faut faire aujourd’hui pour avoir la paix demain. En attendant, on a des artistes et des militant.e.s comme toi.» Croisant leurs mots, leurs indignations et leurs espoirs, ces deux grands écrivain.e.s nous offrent un livre humaniste et universel sur le rapport à l'autre et le respect de la différence.

Educator Information
The English version of this resource is a recommended resource for Grades 10-12 in these areas: BC First Peoples, Contemporary Indigenous Studies, English First Peoples, English Studies, Literary Studies.

This resource is also available in English: Kuei, My Friend: A Conversation on Race and Reconciliation.

Beaver shares his teachings on how he shapes the land.

kʷu‿c̕əx̌ʷəntim təl stunx isck’ʷuls / Lessons From Beaver’s Work teaches children through storytelling to hold reverence for all life forms. The book depicts a conflict between Tapit, a rancher, and stunx (beaver), as they both try to meet their water needs. The touching humanity of stunx (Beaver) softens Tapit’s outlook, as he reminds Tapit that he is not the only one that depends on water.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 10 to 13.

Author Harron Hall has written several children's books that incorporate her Indigenous heritage and her deep commitment to protecting the land and water, including The Water Sings to Suli?, Water Changeling and We Go with Muskrat to Those Living Underwater.

This fictional story teaches the importance of watersheds and protecting our water systems.

Includes words in n'syilxwcn, the language spoken by the Sylix/Okanagan peoples.

This book is part of the Follow the Water series.

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26 pages | 8.00" x 8.00"

TIME: All.
SPACE: The Multiverse.
Come along for the ride to Kamloopa, the largest Powwow on the West Coast. This high-energy Indigenous matriarchal story follows two urban Indigenous sisters and a lawless Trickster who face our postcolonial world head-on as they come to terms with what it means to honour who they are and where they come from. But how to go about discovering yourself when Christopher Columbus allegedly already did that? Bear witness to the courage of these women as they turn to their Ancestors for help in reclaiming their power in this ultimate transformation story.

In developing matriarchal relationships and shared Indigenous values, Kamloopa explores the fearless love and passion of two Indigenous women reconnecting with their homelands, Ancestors, and stories. Kim Senklip Harvey’s play is a boundary-blurring adventure that will remind you to always dance like the Ancestors are watching.

Kamloopa: An Indigenous Matriarch Story is the work of Kim Senklip Harvey, a proud Indigenous woman from the Syilx, Tsilhqot’in, Ktunaxa, and Dakelh First Nations, listed for the Gina Wilkinson Prize for her work as an emerging director and widely considered to be one of this land’s most original voices among the next generation of Indigenous artists.

Awards

• 2020 Governor General's Award for English-language drama

Reviews
"A thoughtful, funny, and compelling exploration of the complexities of Indigenous community making and knowledge reclamation."—BC Studies

“Kamloopa is a hilarious and courageous transformation story. Kim Senklip Harvey makes a generous invitation for all of us to bear witness to the joy, resilience, and brilliance of Indigenous women.”—Christine Quintana

“This story about three women who are actively trying to decolonize themselves (whether they realize it or not) resonated deeply … Uplifting the voices of Indigenous women, Two-Spirit, and non-binary folks is incredibly important to our resistance and our communities. Kamloopa is one of those stories providing that platform.”—Yolanda Bonnell

“Kamloopa brought me an empowerment of self and a reclaiming of knowledge. It brought me sisterhood and ties that have shaped the way I create and approach life. As an Indigenous woman I felt seen, heard, and valid, something we should all experience. Miigwech.”—Samantha Brown

Educator Information
Recommended in the Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 2020/2021 resource list for grades 8 to 12 for Acting, Drama, Theatre, and English Language Arts.

The Syilx language, Nsyilxcǝn, is used throughout this play.  Also included is the resource "Fire Zine! A Kamloopa Study Buddy" by Kimi Clark.  It discusses Indigenous artistic ceremony Protocol, Indigenous Theatre terms, and guides users in facilitating a Talking Circle.

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