Middle Grade: Family Life

Families come in all shapes, sizes, temperaments, and configurations. Novels that depict family life offer a glimpse into the beauty of everyday living, the struggles and joys of familial relationships, and the deep effects of strong intergenerational bonds.

Kinship and community are highly valued in many Indigenous Nations and cultures. Connections to each other and the world around us is something we are always aware of and considering. In Cherokee culture, the idea of gadugi, working together for the benefit of many, is one of our core values. It makes sense, then, that the Cherokee word for community is sgadugi.

The basis of family is connection, love, and support. These Native characters all have varying types of families, from divorced parents with little to no contact with one another to blended families to intergenerational households. Blended families, intergenerational families, found family—each valuable, each treasured, each important to represent.

Book cover of Two Tribes

Two Tribes

Author

Emily Bohen Cowen (Muscogee Creek Nation/Jewish)

Summary

Mia is a Muscogee-Jewish tween living in California with her mom and stepfather. Wanting to know more about her Muscogee heritage and to get to know her father better, Mia secretly travels to Oklahoma to visit. While there, she reconnects with her Oklahoma relatives, learns about her culture, and attends a powwow. Mia ultimately faces the consequences of her actions, and learns how to advocate for herself.

Book cover of I Can Make This Promise

I Can Make This Promise

Author

Christine Day (Upper Skagit)

Summary

Edie has often wondered about her Native heritage, but her mom’s non-tribal adoption separated her family from that background. When she discovers a box of letters and a photograph of a woman who looks just like her, Edie sets out to solve the mystery of her biological grandmother and learn about their tribal heritage. A story of adoption, reconnection, and community.

Book cover of Ancestor Approved

Ancestor Approved

Author

Cynthia Leitich Smith, Editor (Muscogee Nation)

Summary

This collection of short stories is connected through the shared setting of the Ann Arbor Powwow. Young heroes from across Turtle Island meet one another, mysterious strangers, and strengthen ties to their families and their identities over the course of the event. Contributors include Art Coulson, Christine Day, Eric Gansworth, Carole Lindstrom, Dawn Quigley, Rebecca Roanhorse, David A. Robertson, Andrea L. Rogers, Kim Rogers, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Monique Gray Smith, Traci Sorell, Erika T. Wurth, and Brian Young.

Book cover of Healer of the Water Monster

Healer of the Water Monster

Author

Brian Young (Navajo)

Summary

Nathan’s family is undergoing many changes, including his parents divorcing and his dad beginning to date. Hoping to avoid spending time with Dad’s new girlfriend, Nathan plans to spend the summer with his Nali on the Navajo reservation. When Nathan meets an injured Holy Being from the traditional stories his Nali has told him, he knows he must do what he can to help. With an emphasis on family relationships, healing, and being true to oneself, this book offers a look at complicated family dynamics in a loving way.

Book cover of In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse

In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse

Author

Joseph Marshall III (Sicangu Lakota)

Summary

Jimmy is made fun of by some classmates for his light hair and skin and Scottish last name. But Jimmy speaks Lakota, lives on the reservation, and is Lakota. In classic Elder fashion, Jimmy’s Grandpa takes him on a journey to places important in the life of another light-skinned Lakota: Crazy Horse. Grandpa Nyles and Jimmy discuss what these events mean to each of them and to their Nation.

Book cover of We Still Belong

We Still Belong

Author

Christine Day (Upper Skagit)

Summary

This story may only follow Wesley for a single day, but in that time readers get to meet her family, see her school life, and attend an intertribal powwow where Wesley is reminded of how loved and cherished she is as a member of her community. Wesley loves living with her mom, grandfather, uncle, aunt, and baby cousin, but still sometimes needs space for herself.

Book cover of Sisters of the Neversea

Sisters of the Neversea

Author

Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee Nation)

Summary

Stepsisters Lily and Wendy are more than family—they’re best friends, and love living in their blended family. But when their parents plan to take a break, leaving Lily and her mom in Tulsa while Wendy and her Dad spend the summer in New York City, Lily and Wendy have their own disagreement. What the girls don’t know is that someone has been watching them. Someone who wants to take them somewhere far away. Someone named Peter Pan, who offers danger disguised as adventure.

Conclusion

The world is filled with all kinds of families, and our books should represent that. Whether a reader is learning about a new type of family in these pages or seeing their own world represented, each of these titles encourages understanding, love, growth, and communication.

A headshot of Christine Derr

About the Author

Christine Hartman Derr

Christine Hartman Derr is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. A current student at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in the Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA program, she enjoys writing picture books, middle grade fiction, and young adult fiction. Her primary goal is to contribute to increasing Native representation and share the Cherokee language through her fiction. She runs the blog Paw Prints in the Sink, is a regular contributor for Knoxville Moms, and has written articles for regional publications. Christine is from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, but currently resides in East Tennessee on ancestral Cherokee land with her spouse, children, and a motley crew of lovable pets. She was honored to be selected for the We Need Diverse Books Native Children’s and YA Writing Intensive in 2022 and 2023. She won the VCFA-WCYA Summer-Fall 2022 Revisionary Award, the VCFA-WCYA Winter 2023 Candlewick Picture Book Award, and was chosen as a recipient for the 2022 Walter Grants for Native creators from We Need Diverse Books. Wado!