Rez Dogs

A book that takes place during the pandemic! This is my first juv. Book that focuses on this time.

Our character is on lock-down in the rez with her grandparents as the pandemic and school continues. Sometimes there is internet struggles on the rez and school is hard to connect to sometimes. For an assignment our girl learns about her history and wonders if her white classmates will care about it?

She comes to her own and learns a lot about both pride-filled and painful history of her ancestors.

Really great book, a short one that can be finished quickly with a lot of great perspective!

hm I thought this would shine in audiobook but it didn't totally click for me–I understand the desire for the author to read their own book but since the protagonist is a girl, a female reader might have been better IMO?

That aside, it's wild that there are already books set during COVID and I think this is one that can both universally help a lot of kids process the trauma and weirdness of early lockdown while also specifically sharing Wabanaki stories. Plus: dogs! Lots to like.

This certainly is timely.

Wanted to love this, just didn't. The writing is very, very loose. Characters are introduced and never revisited. This a very quick read and does introduce a young reader to some valuable concepts like pre-Columbian America and Indian Schools.