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Native Voices to the Front

By Grace Menary-Winefield

Young adult readers of Indigenous literature, rejoice! Whether you're a fan of thrillers, romance, horror, or realistic fiction, these recently published books will see you through.

  • Looking for Smoke

    2024 by Cobell, K. A.

    When a local girl includes mixed-raced Mara in a traditional ceremony to honor her missing sister, Mara thinks she might finally make some friends. Instead, another girl is found dead. This debut mystery is dark and tender, relevant, and pressing, much like The Firekeeper's Daughter or Elatsoe.

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  • Where Wolves Don't Die

    2024 by Treuer, Anton

    Ezra Cloud did not set the town bully Matt's house on fire. But as First Nation, his family knows he will never get a fair trial, and he can run as faraway as he wants--Matt will still look for him. This coming-of-age story blends thriller elements with a message about family loyalty and connecting to your culture.

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  • The Unfinished

    2024 by Isaacs, Cheryl

    This Indigenous horror novel centers around Mohawk runner Avery, who begins to experience creepy things like rising dark water, dragging footsteps, and faceless ghosts. People in her small town are going missing, and when her best friend Key is the next to disappear, she has to dig deeper into her heritage, put on her running shoes, and save the town.

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  • Hearts of Fire and Snow

    2024 by Bowles, David

    Blanca Montes is inexplicably drawn to the new kid, Greg Chan, but little does she know that in his first life, Greg was Captain Popoca. Will the tragedy of their original union repeat itself? This swoon-worthy reimagining of an Aztec tale blends contemporary romance with magical realism.

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  • Sheine Lende: A Prequel to Elatsoe

    2024 by Little Badger, Darcie

    This prequel to Elatsoe, which can easily be read by itself, weaves magic, mystery, and heart in the story of young girl searching for her missing mother and a local boy. Her determination to find them will see her and her friends traverse strange lands--and even places out of time--to bring them home.

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  • The Other Side of Perfect

    2024 by Florence, Melanie

    Cody, who comes from an abusive household, flies under the radar while Autumn, a Cree teen, is lost in the popular crowd. As their paths cross, their stories come out and a tolerance turns into friendship. This realistic and sweetly simple story is perfect for middle schoolers who read quickly and voraciously.

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  • On a Wing and a Tear

    2024 by Smith, Cynthia Leitich

    In this road trip adventure, teens (plus an injured bat) drive cross country to the historic Great Ball Game and find mystery and danger along the way. Acclaimed Muskogee author Cynthia Leitich Smith is back with a heartwarming story about friendship, family, and embracing the unexpected.

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  • The Flicker

    2024 by Edgmon, H. E.

    This middle grade, postapocalyptic coming-of-age story features a group of teens, notably a girl named Millie, desperately searching for her Seminole grandmother and other survivors through the the hostile wasteland left in Appalachia.

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  • A Constellation of Minor Bears

    2024 by Ferguson, Jenny

    Molly can't stand her brother's best friend Tray--not since "the accident"--and now Molly is stuck on a postgraduate camping trip with him. From the author of The Summer of Bitter and Sweet comes a realistic fiction book about the intersectionality of Indigeneity, the joy of difference, and the importance of forgiveness.

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  • Eagle Drums

    2023 by Hopson, Nasugraq Rainey

    Part cultural folklore and part origin myth of the Iñupiaq Messenger Feast, this magical middle grade novel follows a skilled hunter as he climbs a mountaintop and is confronted with the eagle god Savik. Its wonderful descriptions and leisurely pace celebrate the art of oral storytelling, so the audiobook is also highly recommended.

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  • Mascot

    2023 by Waters, Charles

    When the 8th grade English class in football town Rye, VA, takes on an assignment to debate whether the team's mascot is problematic, it turns the community upside down. Told from several perspectives, this middle grade realistic fiction book explores how six students get caught up in a discussion around identity and tradition.

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  • Earthdivers

    2023 by Jones, Stephen Graham

    Written by Native horror master Stephen Graham Jones, this adult graphic novel series explores a future in which Indigenous outcasts try to rewrite history (and avoid the apocalypse) by going back in time and killing Christopher Columbus. Teen readers should go in knowing there are mature themes and violence.

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  • This Indian Kid: A Native American Memoir

    2023 by Chuculate, Eddie

    In this coming-of-age memoir, readers follow Creek and Cherokee Eddie Chuculate's boyhood through rural Oklahoma and how he balances his family's deep-rooted traditions with an overwhelmingly white small town. The challenges he faces show the next generation that acceptance and empathy are more important than ever.

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