Indigenous Novels
Curated 2019-2021 by Langley teachers.
How do I access these books?
Novels are available through the DLC as hard copies or through SORA as eBooks. Click here for instructions on how to access both the physical sets and eBook versions. For more information on how to evaluate resources for your classroom, click here. Please connect with your Teacher Librarian if you would like further assistance.
*The Break by Katherena Vermette
Available as physical set of 6 from the DLC and as eBooks through SORA.
Stella, a young Métis woman, spots someone in trouble on a barren field outside her house, and calls the police to warn them of a possible crime. Through shifting narratives, the family, friends, and police connected to the victim tell their personal stories that lead to a tragic event. Set in Winnipeg, this character-driven novel for grades 10-12 introduces a complex and resilient community that survives despite historical and social challenges. Useful as a class, literature circle, or independent novel, it demonstrates cultural, economic, and social forces on a community and introduces issues of family unity, social justice, prejudice, and violence. (Taken from Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation. Please note that we would recommend this be used at the Grade 12 level as a literature circle option.)
Click here for the full Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.
*The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
Available as physical set of 6 from the DLC and as eBooks through SORA.
The future is plagued with global warming, wars, and chaos, and most humans can no longer dream – except for indigenous people. Scientists discover that if their bone marrow is extracted and injected into dreamless people their dreams will return, which leads to marrow extraction centres, similar to residential schools. Teenager Frenchie joins forces with other nomadic indigenous people to escape capture and in turn they learn about their history. This important Canadian novel, filled with rich detail and descriptive language, is suitable for grades 9-12, and deals with issues of identity, loss, family, residential schools, and destruction of culture and language. Social considerations are noted. (Taken from Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.)
Click here for the full Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.
*Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
Available as physical set of 6 from the DLC and as eBooks through SORA.
While a First Nations community must cope with being cut off from the world due to disruption in phone, television, cell, satellite services, it is thrust into darkness when the power fails. As they struggle to survive, a white stranger arrives and pleads to stay with them and a series of mysterious events and tragedies occur. This powerful novel, suitable for a literature circles, provides many opportunities for creative and critical thinking, allows students to explore traditions, culture, and identity of First Peoples, and shows how outside interference can have long-lasting effects on their traditional way of life. Social considerations noted. (Taken from Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.)
Click here for the full Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.
One Native Life by Richard Wagamese
This memoir of Richard Wagamese is a collection of reflections on his journey to discover his Ojibway roots. The essays describe the author’s search for his Ojibway identity from his childhood experiences in foster homes, his challenging adolescence on the streets and his growth as an adult. The writer focuses on the experiences as positive rather than negative: a celebration. (Taken from Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.)
Click here for the full Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.
*The Outside Circle by Patti LaBoucane-Benson
Available as physical set of 6 from the DLC and as eBooks through SORA.
This award winning graphic novel is a powerful, gritty, well researched account of the healing journey and rehabilitation undertaken by Pete, a young Aboriginal man, who joins the “In Search of Your Warrior” program while incarcerated. Opportunities for critical thinking and responding abound throughout the novel. (Taken from Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.)
Click here for the full Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.
Strangers by David A. Robertson
Available as eBooks through SORA.
Cole has not visited his home—Wounded Sky First Nation—for a decade, but when a “friend” implores him to visit he relents. His return is greeted with suspicion and derision by many, especially when mysterious events, including death and disease, follow him wherever he goes. A past encounter with the trickster Coyote gave him special powers, but can he use them to save his community? This engaging novel combines Indigenous ideas and teachings with suspenseful adventure and can launch discussions, research, and critical, creative, and reflective thinking. Useful as a read-aloud, class, lit circle, book club, or independent read. (Taken from Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.)
Click here for the full Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.
Tilly and the Crazy Eights by Monique Gray Smith
Available as eBooks through SORA.
Tilly takes a group of eight Indigenous elders on a road trip to New Mexico, making stops along the way and ticking off places on each one’s bucket list. The eight elders, who call themselves the Crazy Eights, learn about themselves and each other while addressing serious issues with light-hearted humour and allowing readers to learn about Indigenous belief systems as well as contemporary issues through the wisdom and perspective of an elder. Suitable for secondary students, this book can be used in a small group or whole-class setting. Teachers may use this book to invite students to further explore Aboriginal cultural practices as well as pertinent and timely issues affecting Indigenous culture. (Taken from Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.)
Click here for the full Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.
*This novel was included in a literature circle kit around the inquiry question: What is the nature of evil? To review the full curated list of novels and additional related resources, click here. The books in this lit kit are available for sign out in sets of 6 at the DLC along with a companion Creator Kit to support the unit.
Black Canadian and American Novels
Curated 2020-2021 by Langley teachers and Teacher Librarians.
How do I access these books?
Literature circle sets of each title below are available for sign out through the DLC. There are 6 copies within each set. Individual eBooks of each title are available through SORA for students and staff. Click here for instructions on how to access both the physical sets and eBook versions. For more information on how to evaluate resources for your classroom, click here. Please connect with your Teacher Librarian for further assistance.
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely (2015)
There are two narrators and perspectives, one black and one white, told over the course of one week and surrounding one pivotal event. Despite the multiple viewpoints, the structure is easy to navigate and the story is straightforward, although the themes are still complex. Teachers should note that some strong language is present, along with gun violence and police brutality. The book has been challenged and banned by some audiences. However, the themes are contemporary and worthy of discussion.
Jason Reynolds is a Black American writer raised in Maryland who currently lives in Brooklyn. Brendan Kiely is a White American author from the Boston area but now living in New York City. This novel is most appropriate for grade 11/12 but could be used at a grade 10 level for mature readers. Supplementing with audiobook access opens up access and increases engagement; a specific strategy is having students walk around campus while listening to the audiobook prior to group conversations.
Click here for the full Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.
The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed (2020)
Ashley, from a wealthy African American family in an affluent neighbourhood near Los Angeles, attends an exclusive mostly white high school and her charmed life, and that of her family and friends, changes forever with the death of Rodney King and the acquittal of the officers involved. Ashley must face issues of racism and learn to accept herself, her identity, and her black culture. This relevant and engaging novel deals with timely issues of racism, social justice, personal growth, personal identity, loss, struggle for cultural awareness and acceptance, and empathy, and is suitable for a class novel or literature circle in grades 11 and 12. (Taken from Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation)
Click here for the full Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.
Dear Martin by Nic Stone (2018)
Dear Martin is a compelling and transformative novel that demands to be in the hands of students. Through a unique technical structure that weaves third-person narrative, journal entries, media reports, and script-structured class debates where points of view are documented in a fast-paced chat-style and not filtered through a narrator’s lens, Stone dissolves the barrier between character and reader, allowing students to experience the events alongside Justyce, taking on his pain, confusion, and anger. The novel is best fit for the grade 10-12 level and would work effectively as a whole class text or literature circle option with thematic groundings in identity, social justice, or adversity. When deciding whether this text would be an appropriate fit for your students, consider their background knowledge and/or how you would support their understanding of topics such as activism, the Civil Rights Movement, gang culture, criminal justice reform, intersectionality/identity, implicit bias, privilege, police brutality, racial profiling, and trauma/PTSD.
Given the content of the novel, there are several social considerations such as depictions of violence in the form of fist fights, excessive force by police, and illegally owned guns by gang members, use of marijuana and alcohol at teenaged parties, explicit language used by characters in emotionally charged moments, and the use of N-word by both Black and white characters. Importantly, the novel does not glorify violence or write about it in explicit detail, but instead focuses primarily on the impact of racial injustice and violence, so that the reader might begin to understand the lived experiences of young Black males.
Click here for the full Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender (2021)
Seventeen-year-old Felix Love tries to balance his desire for his first romantic relationship with trying to obtain an art school scholarship. But when Felix becomes the victim of transphobic bullying, he plans revenge and finds himself on a personal journey to face his mom’s absence, transform his relationships with others, overcome an artist’s block, and discover his true identity. The novel explores LGBTQIA+ issues, including identity and self-discovery, family and friendships, and change and acceptance, and wider social issues. Suitable as a whole class novel study or in-class literature circles for mature students. Social considerations noted; teacher preview recommended. (Taken from Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation)
Click here for the full Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe (2019)
The engaging and cynical protagonist Norris Kaplan will have you laughing and cringing as he navigates life as a transplanted Black Canadian teenager in Texas. High school stereotypes are explicitly named, mocked and then disrupted as the author forefronts the adolescent experience with humor and a deft integration of social considerations such as race, divorced parents, a best friend coming out as gay and mental health. Characters are multi-dimensional and very human, avoiding (leveraging?) any polarized pitfalls and offering Norris and readers a multitude of nuanced portrayals of the courage it takes to explore, define and accept your own identity.
The author shares his background as: “Born in Haiti, raised in Montreal, QC, defected to America for college. Four different types of Visa later, I’m still here.” This novel is best suited as a literature circle option for grades 9 to 11 and is ideal for readers who would enjoy a snarky but endearing protagonist.
Click here for the Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.
Gutter Child by Jael Richardson (2021)
Richardson has created an eerily familiar alternate world that evokes both past and current social injustices rooted in nationalism, colonialism, and racism. The indigenous Sossi people were displaced by the Mainlanders or Joda (“one who devours”) and forced into the Gutter, where each individual must buy their freedom, paying off an insurmountable debt imposed by the Mainlander government in retaliation for a past uprising. The protagonist Elimina is one of 100 children taken as babies from the Gutter to be raised by Mainlanders and integrated into Mainlander society. Elimina survives a hostile childhood, servitude and the oppression of the Gutter to reconnect with her people and forge a future for the Sossi. This novel provokes a reckoning of Canada’s past and present that is both unsettling and uniquely accessible due to the alternate world provided as both buffer and Trojan horse.
Gutter Child would work well as a Grade 10 whole class novel or a grade 9-12 literature circle option. As well, this novel study would support senior Social Studies curriculum. Jael Richardson is a Black Canadian author from Brampton, Ontario well known for her advocacy on issues of diversity and her work within Canada’s literary communities (e.g. artistic director of FOLD literacy festival). Click here to view the Gutter Child Teacher Guide.
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (2017) (full evaluation)
Will’s brother Shawn was shot the day before, and according to the code of the neighbourhood, Will must kill the shooter. As he takes the elevator down to take his revenge, it stops on some floors and a ghost, who was the victim of gun violence and important in Shawn’s life, gets on. The novel is then told through the 60 seconds of interaction between the ghosts and Shawn, but the ending is left open—does Will decide to kill the shooter or not. This timely novel written in verse, for grades 9-12, deals with current issues of gun violence, being a black teenager in America, and social justice, and will appeal to and engage students, and encourage meaningful discussion. (Taken from Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation)
Click here for the full Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (2020) (full evaluation)
Fifteen-year-old Xiomara lives in Harlam with her strict immigrant parents, but she begins to question her family and church’s expectations and beliefs as she matures physically and emotionally. She feels herself silenced and restricted, but finds her voice in a romantic relationship with a classmate and with the help of her English teacher who encourages Xiomara to share her poems through the poetry club and a slam poetry event. This novel in free verse deals with issues of religion, first love, rebellion, marginalization, puberty, sexual identity, and relationships with parents, siblings, and friends, and is suitable for a literature circle or independent novel, or as part of a poetry unit. (Taken from Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation)
Click here for the full Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.
Slay by Brittany Morris (2020)
Black high school senior Kiera juggles her academic life at a predominantly white high school, friendships, a romance, and being the secret developer of an online role-playing card game called “Slay”, where black gamers can be safe and free from racism. But, when a teenager is murdered over an in-game dispute, Kiera faces a media nightmare and must defend herself and “Slay”. This engaging novel focuses on complex conflicts including online culture, black culture, race relations, stereotyping, online racism, gender roles, and multiculturalism. Suitable as a read-aloud, literature circle, or independent novel, and to launch discussions of social justice themes. Social considerations noted. (Taken from Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation)
Click here for the full Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.
Surviving the City by Tasha Spillett and Natasha Donovan (2018)
Dez and Miikwan are best friends. They are two teenage girls trying to navigate the social and cultural challenges of being female and Indigenous. But when Dez’s grandmother can no longer take care of her, Dez runs away for fear of being placed in the foster system, leaving Miikwan devastated and bringing up old wounds from her own mother’s disappearance. Suitable in a secondary classroom, this engaging graphic novel highlights current issues for Indigenous people in Canada authentically and carefully. The novel is appropriate as a read-aloud, in literature circles, or as an independent read; it can complement an exploration of identity and social justice—allowing Indigenous readers to feel validated and non-Indigenous readers to gain an understanding of culture and the challenges faced by Indigenous families and communities. (Taken from Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation)
Click here for the full Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (2019)
This book was excellent and portrays what a non-liner career choice looks like. The main character is a black high school student who is also a young mom. She’s trying her best to get a scholarship to an elite high school so she can study to be a chef but all the odds are against her: race, gender, low SES, young mom, family situation, etc. This would be an excellent novel for students questioning what to do with their future or a Careers course. Key themes include resilience, achieving your goals, family and pursuing a career that you love. No noteworthy triggers
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson (2020)
This accessible but compelling YA novel features a Black teen who, against all previous interests, decides to run for Prom Queen. Why? She didn’t get the scholarship she needs to get into the University that will take her out of the town she’s grown up in, the dream she’s had for years. She and her brother live with their grandparents, and money is hard to come by, so the contest that comes with Prom Queen is her last shot at her dream. This allows our main character to show resilience, determination, and explore different friendship dynamics, including one with another teen in the contest as well. Feelings develop between the two, which is an additional stressor for Liz, as her school clearly states that all dates must be male-female partnerships. Overall, this Scholastic-published text could be considered an access point into many different social considerations, while remaining upbeat and ensuring that her triumphs, not her struggles, are the focus of the plot.
Click here for the full Focused Education (ERAC) evaluation.