Bibliographic Data
Boulley, A. (2021). Firekeeper’s daughter. Henry Holt And Company.
Summary
This is the story of a soon to be college student named Daunis whose mother is white, and her father is Ojibwe. She is torn between fitting in with her Ojibwe family and friends and her white family and friends. Daunis has seen her best friend murdered and she gets pulled into an undercover investigation with the FBI to find out who is involved.
Critical Analysis
Firekeeper’s Daughter, is author Angeline Boulley debut novel. She has written a novel that has twists and turns. It is a book with mystery and suspense. Ms. Boulley has taken the character Daunis and has put us in her world where she struggles with what it is like to be a Native American and white. There is a crisis in the Ojibwe community with the high school hockey team. Daunis is pulled in by the FBI to go undercover. The author has explained in detail why Daunis is ideal for the role. The reader sees the struggle that Native American women are confronted with not only with the white man but even their own race. This is a story of sadness and healing and how a community comes together to work to protect their own and triumph over the wrongdoing in the community. This is recommended for grades 10 and up due to suicide, drugs, gun violence.
Reviews and Awards
School Library Journal, 03/01/2021
This #OwnVoices novel is a character-driven crime thriller packed with Ojibwe culture and high-stakes tension with themes of identity, trust, and resilience.
Booklist Starred Reviews, 02/15/2021
This debut novel is gripping from the start, letting the reader know that they’re in for wild ride.
Publishers Weekly Starred, 02/01/2021
Featuring prolific use of Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language), this wonderfully tribally specific story offers powerful messages about what it can mean to be an Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman): “complex and sometimes exhausted, but mostly brave.” Hitting hard when it comes to issues such as citizenship, language revitalization, and the corrosive presence of drugs on Native communities, this novel will long stand in the hearts of both Native and non-Native audiences.
Awards:
Printz Award Winner 2022
William Morris Debut Award Winner 2022
Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature winner 2022
Connections
Learning to Give: Firekeeper Daughter Discussion Guide Guide with Discussion Questions
Consider reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Ojibwe.net is a website to explore more information on the Ojibwe culture and language.
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