Loralee Sepsey (Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley) & Sage Andrew Romero (Tovowahamatu Numu (Big Pine Paiute) and Tuah-Tahi (Taos Pueblo))

Morgan Thompson (Cherokee Nation)

Volume 3 in the acclaimed Fighting for Justice series for young readers: the story of a Native teenager’s history-making fight for equal education.

Alice Piper just wanted to go to public school. The year was 1923, and Alice, a Native Paiute (Nuwuvi) teenager in California, dreamed about learning from teachers, making new friends, and being respected for who she was. So, when the school board refused to let her and six other Native students attend, she decided to speak up, and she sued for her right to an equal education.

Alice Piper Speaks Up, the first book dedicated to this major champion of civil rights, features new research into Alice’s life and court case. Each chapter begins with lyrical verse and full-color illustrations that invite readers into Alice’s story.

Paired with the poems are visually engaging sections filled with keyword definitions, historical context, timelines, primary sources, and questions that help readers relate Alice’s experience to their own lives. The text connects Alice’s case to larger themes about education, Native rights, and movements for school desegregation across the United States.

The third book in Heyday’s widely acclaimed Fighting for Justice series, Alice Piper Speaks Up shows how one teen’s action resonates throughout America’s history, even now.

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Ashley Fairbanks (White Earth Nation)

Created in collaboration with Race2Dinner, here’s the harrowing true story of America’s history with boarding schools, and the forced assimilation of Indigenous kids and families.

Education is a powerful tool, one that allows us to better understand the world around us. But these same tools can also be used to mislead people, and to exert control with ulterior motives.
For nearly 100 years, the U.S. Government used boarding schools to remove Indigenous kids from their families and erase their traditions—to attempt to replace their culture with white, European cultures. Children were often taking by force, and were punished for speaking their native languages. The practice was not discontinued until the 1940s, and survivors of these schools have been speaking out about their experience for decades.

This painful history and the resilience of Indigenous communities who persist despite this widespread attempt at their erasure show us what the U.S. Government was willing to do to gain total power, and only by learning the true history of boarding schools can we truly understand the history of our country.

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Stacy Wells (Choctaw Nation)

Time-honored celebrations, rich histories, and enduring customs—that’s the Choctaw Nation. Learn how the Choctaw people continue to thrive by preserving their language, celebrating cultural practices, and participating in meaningful ceremonies. Choctaw author Stacy Wells introduces readers to the past, present, and future of this resilient culture.

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Katrina M. Phillips (Red Cliff Ojibwe)

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Meet extraordinary Indigenous women―51 biographies for kids ages 8 to 12.

Discover the stories and achievements of 51 Native and Indigenous women from history and today! This collection of biographies for kids explores the lives of North American Indigenous women from different backgrounds, different life experiences, and different eras who achieved amazing things in art, science, medicine, sports, and more. Learn how their talent, passion, and determination have been an inspiration to others and helped to change the world.

Fascinating biographies―Explore the lives of amazing Indigenous women, like Osage ballet dancer and activist Maria Tallchief, award-winning Blackfeet and Nez Perce actor Lily Gladstone, the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation Wilma Mankiller, and so many more!

Ways to learn more―Each brief biography includes an inspiring quote and another way to learn about the person and their work, like a book to read, a website to visit, or a video to watch!

Colorful portraits―Bring these heroes to life with beautiful, full-color, illustrated portraits of each person.

Female Indigenous Heroes goes beyond other biographies for kids to highlight incredible women from across North America!

Who will your new hero be?

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Julie Fiveash (Diné)

Spend your summer on Soggy Stump! This cozy, colorful, and amphibious graphic novel adventure draws inspiration from the author’s background as a Diné librarian.

Anura is a young frog spending the summer back home with their grandmother. With some… er… gentle prodding from Grandma, they get a job working at the local library. It’s about 11 minutes in when they’re tasked with a big project: create an archive that captures what makes Soggy Stump so special.

What the heck is even an archive?! And so begins a summer full of fry bread, weaving, zines, community gardens, manga, and (maybe) an answer to the question of: how do we preserve the knowledge, wisdom, and memories of the ones we love?

Inspired by Julie Fiveash’s Diné background and career as a librarian, and infused throughout with the colors of the Southwest, The Froggy Library is a love letter to Native communities, summers with friends and family, and libraries everywhere.

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Katrina M. Phillips (Red Cliff Ojibwe); Charles Albert Bender (Ojibwe) ; Red Cloud (Oglala Lakota); Billy Frank, Jr. (Nisqually tribe); Madison Hammond (San Felipe Pueblo (Katishtya), Navajo (Diné), and Black); Joy Harjo (Mvskoke Nation); John Herrington (Chickasaw Nation); Maria Tallchief (Osage Nation); Wilma Mankiller (Cherokee Nation)

This series highlights eight Indigenous people who have had an important impact on the world. Each book provides an overview of the subject’s life, work, and legacy. Each book also includes an “Topic Spotlight” special feature, several “Did You Know” facts, a table of contents, quiz questions, a glossary, additional resources, and an index. This Focus Readers series is at the Beacon level, aligned to reading levels of grades 2-3 and interest levels of grades 3-5.

School Library Journal: “Biographical introductions to Indigenous figures who have made notable impacts on the world from fighting for Indigenous rights to being firsts in their fields. Photographs are used throughout to show not only the people of the past, but also those still living and changing the world today. At the close of each title, there is a quiz to help review learning and recap highlights.”

Link to review

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Christine Hartman Derr (Cherokee Nation)

Perfect for fans of Christine Day and Cynthia Leitich Smith, this debut novel follows a Cherokee girl who, after the tragic loss of her parents, tries to acclimate to difficult social dynamics in her new school and a curious magic that her mother may have passed down to her.

Raven Miller only just moved to Bear Creek Falls, but she already hates it. There’s a clique that has it out for her, a vice principal who keeps targeting her for dress code violations, and a cruel rumor going around that Raven is a witch who killed her parents. If it weren’t for her new friends Laurel and Hazel, she’d be lost.

he “witch” stuff would be easy to shrug off, but Raven does possess magical powers in the kitchen—the treats she makes can mysteriously change the lives of those who eat them. Though she doesn’t bake anymore—not since the accident that took her parents’ lives.

Then the clique’s bullying and the vice principal’s watchful eye intensifies. When the girls’ attempts to retaliate fall flat, Raven wonders if the magical sweets she used to make could whip up a justice so powerful it would set everything right. In order to find out, she’ll have to face the things she’s been avoiding. Can Raven rise above the pain of her past to secure a better future?

Publishers Weekly: “a gentle, uplifting portrait of a tween seeking and finding support.”

Link to review

Kirkus: “Raven’s journey, which addresses grief, stereotypes, identity, agency, and more, unfolds with warmth and depth, while demonstrating the difference that collective voices can make and the healing that can be found in community. A heartfelt and relevant story that’s brimming with hope.”

Link to review

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Brenda J. Child (Red Lake Ojibwe)

Benay McNamara (Red Lake Ojibwe)

This in-depth history examines letters to and from boarding schools, all compiled and edited by Dr. Brenda J. Child. Firsthand accounts reveal how profoundly entire families were affected by the dark period in US history when Native children were taken from their families to attend schools far from home.

With a special focus on the Haskell Institute in Kansas, the Flandreau School in South Dakota, and the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, this invaluable work offers an unfiltered look at letters written by parents, children, and school officials—all of which convey the impacts of the boarding school era, from illnesses to poor living conditions, homesickness, and the suppression of Native languages.

In Our Own Words serves as a powerful testament to the resistance of young Indigenous people and shines a spotlight on disastrous assimilation policies spanning 1870 to 1940.

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Carole Lindstrom (Anishinaabe/Metis)

This adventurous historical novel by bestselling author Carole Lindstrom offers readers a dramatic portrayal of a young Métis girl who takes a stand to protect her way of life.

Rose, her family, and the Métis people have lived on the land for generations. She spends afternoons tracking rabbits and gathering roots with her best friend, Ambroise, and her little sister, Delia. She loves to watch the ferry arrive, delivering goods and the latest news to their remote community.

But then Rose’s parents start speaking in hushed tones, discussing whether they should “join the Resistance.” When she learns that the government wants to push the Métis off their land again, Rose feels angry. This is the home they love–and the land they tend to with care and respect. Determined to help preserve their way of life, Rose sets out on an adventure that will test her bravery more than she ever expected.

Set amid the Northwest Resistance of 1885, where the Métis people fought to defend the land, this powerful historical tale by New York Times bestselling author Carole Lindstrom illuminates the often forgotten side of life on the prairie.

Kirkus: “Honors the resistance of the Métis and First Nations people… The emotional stakes are high, and Rose’s journey is one of inner growth, emphasizing courage, resilience, and the power of identity in uncertain times.”

Link to review

Booklist: “Lindstrom paints an image of life on the prairie for the Métis people, showing hardship while highlighting joy amid the Northwest Resistance of 1885.”

Link to review

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Traci Sorell (Cherokee Nation) & Will Chavez (Cherokee Nation/San Felipe Pueblo)

Follow Cherokee youths on a 950-mile bike journey retracing the Trail of Tears—from Georgia to Oklahoma—on the annual Remember the Removal Ride.

This inspiring photo-rich nonfiction book follows Native youth riding to remember history, linking past and present through culture, resilience, and activism.

The Cherokee Nation’s Remember the Removal bicycle ride is a youth leadership program that includes a three-week, nearly 1,000-mile memorial ride to commemorate the forced removal of Cherokee people. The program teaches culture, history, and language as youth cycle the same route their ancestors walked in 1838–1839. There are nearly 300 alumni, including coauthor Will Chavez, who was also a coordinator of the program.

In 112 compelling pages by enrolled Cherokee Nation coauthors, Riding the Trail does something no other book does: presents the Trail of Tears in a contemporary context. While Cherokee people suffered that grim chapter in history, they thrive today.

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Anna Rose Johnson (Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa)

To draw tourists to their declining coastal town, a group of children claim to have seen a mythic creature from Ojibwe legend, the storm-monster Mishipeshu. But when their plan backfires, they’ll need to convince everyone the beast is only make-believe. But… what if it isn’t?

1943. Sparhawk Point, Michigan may be a small town, but it’s home. For the Swedish Ahlstrom girls, it’s the only place they’ve ever known—a place they may have to leave if their father’s church can’t find more parishioners. The Ojibwe Robicheaux boys are struggling, too: their father is off at war, and a lack of tourists means no income from their two rental cottages. These kids can’t bear the thought of leaving… so they’ll have to make new residents come to them, and fast.

After spotting an unknown object in the water, they find their solution. Drawing on inspiration from Ojibwe stories of the mysterious Mishipeshu—the riser of storms on Lake Superior—the children spread stories of their very own “American Loch Ness monster” to bring curious visitors to their shores. But their plan works too well! People become afraid to visit. To save their families, they’ll need to convince everyone that the creature isn’t real… even if that may prove to be their biggest lie yet.

Secrets at Sparhawk Point is a timeless summer adventure from acclaimed Ojibwe voice Anna Rose Johnson, whose first two books—The Star that Always Stays and The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry—have received an avalanche of awards, nominations, and media spots. This is another flawless, insightful, and glowing novel that marries a Native American perspective with myth, history, and a classic storytelling voice.

Publishers Weekly: “Omniscient third-person narration fluidly shifts among the four protagonists, granting insight into their individual challenges and shared bonds . . . Details about the youths’ cultural backgrounds, and their eagerness to share them with one another, add texture to a thoughtful story of community care.”

Link to review

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Malia Maunakea (Native Hawaiian)

From the award-winning author of the Lei and the Legends duology comes a sharp new fantasy about a Hawaiian boy who can transform into what people fear most: a shark.

In a small Hawaiian village, Nohea is the latest son in a long line of male ancestors with a horrible secret: He’s half-human, half-shark. After his father—also cursed as a shark—kills someone while surfing and subsequently disappears, Nohea is left isolated with only his mom and tūtū as company. He knows he’ll suffer the same fate one day, so he can’t go to school or make any friends.

Worse yet, when he eventually succumbs to his shark-like cravings, he’ll be put to death, and his family will have to move to the continent. But when Nohea sees a flyer for a new surf competition, he realizes the prize money might be enough to help his family afford to stay in Hawaii when Nohea is gone. The catch? The competition is for school teams only.

So taking the biggest risk yet, Nohea joins the local public seventh-grade class where he makes friends, contends with a school bully, and gets so angry, he discovers a new row of supersharp teeth in his mouth! But this is only the beginning of Nohea’s problems.

Because soon, Nohea realizes that one by one, his surfing friends are disappearing. Is Nohea killing his classmates without knowing it? Or is something even more dangerous afoot?

School Library Journal: “Leisurely pacing immerses readers into his world, including the Hawaiian setting. The multiple sources of conflict keep the narrative engaging without overwhelming readers. Themes of family, social justice, and self-acceptance tie the story together… An immersive coming-of-age fantasy perfect for mystery lovers and sports fans alike.”

Link to review

Kirkus: “With exciting Hawaiian mythology, nail-biting moments, and a mystery to solve, this thrilling fantasy has broad appeal. Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian) author Maunakea explores themes of identity, family, friendship, and community, showing how they’re entwined with the culture, land, and language of Hawaiʻi and the Hawaiian people. A riveting and culturally grounded read to sink your teeth into.”

Link to review

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Darcie Little Badger (Lipan Apache)

Few campers at Camp Apple Hill Farm have found the mysterious cabin rumored to be hidden deep in the woods, but those who have whisper of a mysterious woman who tells tales of horrors beyond imagination. Find out if you’re brave enough for Tales from Cabin 23—the thrilling new series created by award-winning authors Justina Ireland and Hanna Alkaf.

Sean knows that one disaster tends to leads to another—like when his mother got sick and the cost of the treatment meant they had to move out of their cozy Texas home. As they try to get back on their feet, Sean’s parents send him to stay with his aunt and cousin, Zeke, in Victorvale, Massachusetts—a seaside town that has seen its own share of bad luck, with crumbling houses sitting on an eroding coastline that threatens to fall into the sea. It is into one of these decrepit old mansions that Sean and Zeke, along with their classmate Jenny, venture, looking for a neighbor’s lost cat. Before they can rescue it, though, lightning cracks, the ground rumbles, and the cliffside crumbles….

When Sean and Jenny come to, they find themselves trapped inside a house on its side, half submerged in the ocean, leaning against a sheer wall of rock. Zeke is in a room somewhere below them—one that is filling with water. And as night falls and the storm picks up, they discover there may be something else in the house with them.

Now, the three friends must escape before the cold water—or whatever lurks within it—consumes them.

And don’t miss the other books in the hit Tales from Cabin 23 series: The Boo Hag Flex, Night of the Living Head, and The Visitors!

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Stacy Wells (Choctaw)

Maria Gabriela Gama

Tana’s class is going to start having show-and-tell. Tana wants to bring something that tells her classmates something about who she is, but she’s having a hard time deciding. There’s her journal or her special necklace, but neither feels quite right. What is the show-and-tell item that symbolizes Tana best?

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Stacy Wells (Choctaw)

Maria Gabriela Gama

Tana and her friends are excited about their upcoming field day! Her class will be a team and work together, competing against the other second-grade classes. There’s just one thing she is nervous about: the egg-and-spoon race. She dropped the egg five times the last time she raced! But maybe, with her friends’ help, this year will be different.

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Anne Broyles (Cherokee Nation)

Award-winning author Anne Broyles weaves the lyrical story of fourteen-year-old Jane Bushyhead and her family’s forced removal, upon threat of death, from their home in the ancestral Cherokee Nation. Based on a true story, this evocative, compelling account of the pain and hardships endured, as well as the love and courage summoned by the Cherokees on the Trail of Tears, is equal measures heartbreaking and hopeful.

Jane Bushyhead dreams of one day becoming a teacher. But everything changes when she and her family are forced from their ancestral Cherokee homeland by US soldiers at gunpoint. After months of imprisonment and uncertainty, Jane and her people are then ordered to march eight hundred miles to “Indian Territory” (modern-day Oklahoma) during one of the worst winters of the 19th century.

It’s a grueling journey–many of the Cherokee people are barefoot and unprepared for the freezing weather–and all go hungry as supplies dwindle and sickness abounds. Yet, Jane finds romance with a young man who has been adopted by the Cherokees and comfort within the loving embrace of her family.

As the dangerous journey unfolds, and Jane finds purpose in teaching and recording the stories of her people, she will be forced to bear witness as they perish from starvation, disease, and deadly hazards of the trail. Soon, Jane will have to face an impossible choice between love and her own family.

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