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YA Stories By and About Indigenous Peoples

After the Fall   Kate Hart   (Young Adult - Y Hart)

17-year-old Raychel is sleeping with two boys—her overachieving best friend Matt…and his slacker brother, Andrew. Raychel sneaks into Matt’s bed after nightmares, but nothing ever happens. He doesn’t even seem to realize she’s a girl, except when he decides she needs rescuing. But Raychel doesn't want to be his girl anyway. She just needs his support as she deals with the classmate who assaulted her, the constant threat of her family’s eviction, and the dream of college slipping quickly out of reach. The friendships are a precarious balance, and when tragedy strikes, everything falls apart. Raychel has to decide which pieces she can pick up—and which ones are worth putting back together.

Apple: Skin to the Core   Eric Gansworth   (Adult Nonfiction - 921 Gansworth Gan)   Also available on: cloudLibrary Audiobook, Hoopla Audiobook, Libby/Overdrive Audiobook, Libby/Overdrive eBook

The term "Apple" is a slur in Native communities across the country. It's for someone supposedly "red on the outside, white on the inside." Eric Gansworth is telling his story in Apple: Skin to the Core—the story of his family, of Onondaga among Tuscaroras, of Native folks everywhere. From the horrible legacy of the government boarding schools, to a boy watching his siblings leave and return and leave again, to a young man fighting to be an artist who balances multiple worlds. Eric shatters that slur and reclaims it in verse, prose, and imagery that truly lives up to the word "heartbreaking."

Dreaming in Indian   Lisa Charleyboy   (Adult Nonfiction – 704.0397 Dre)   Also available on: cloudLibrary Audiobook, Libby/Overdrive eBook

This anthology features art and writings from some of the most groundbreaking Native artists working in North America today. Whether addressing the effects of residential schools, calling out bullies through personal manifestos, or simply citing hopes for the future, Dreaming In Indian refuses to shy away from difficult topics.

Elatsoe   Darcie Little Badger   (Young Adult Fiction - Y Littleb)   Also available on: cloudLibrary Audiobook, cloudLibrary eBook, Hoopla Audiobook, Hoopla eBook, Libby/Overdrive Audiobook, Libby/Overdrive eBook

Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask   Anton Treuer   (Juvenile Nonfiction - J 970.01 Tre)

Ranging from "Why is there such a fuss about non-Native people wearing Indian costumes for Halloween?" to "What's it like for Natives who don't look Native?" and beyond, Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask does exactly what its title says for young readers—in a style consistently thoughtful, personal, and engaging. 

Firekeeper's Daughter   Angeline Boulley   (Young Adult Fiction - Y Boulle)   Also available on: cloudLibrary eBook, Libby/Overdrive Audiobook, Libby/Overdrive eBook

Daunis, who is part Ojibwe, defers attending the University of Michigan to care for her mother and reluctantly becomes involved in the investigation of a series of drug-related deaths.

Hearts Unbroken   Cynthia Leitich Smith   (Young Adult Fiction - Y Smith)   Also available on: Hoopla eBook, Libby/Overdrive eBook

When Louise Wolfe's boyfriend mocks and disrespects Native people in front of her, she breaks things off and dumps him over email. She'd rather spend her senior year with her family and friends and working on the school newspaper. The editors pair her up with Joey Kairouz, an ambitious new photojournalist, and in no time, they find themselves with a major story to cover. As tensions mount at school, so does a romance between Lou and Joey. But, as she comes to find out, "dating while Native" can be difficult.

Ice Drift   Theodore Taylor   (Young Adult – Y Taylor)   Also available on: cloudLibrary eBook, Hoopla eBook

The year is 1868, and 14-year-old Alika and his younger brother, Sulu, are hunting for seals on an ice floe attached to their island in the Arctic. Suddenly, the ice starts to shake, and they hear a loud crack—the terrible sound of the floe breaking free from land. The boys watch with horror as the dark expanse of water between the ice and the shore rapidly widens, and they start drifting south—away from their home, their family, and everything they've ever known. Throughout their six-month-long journey down the Greenland Strait, the brothers face bitter cold, starvation, and most frightening of all, vicious polar bears. But they still remain hopeful that one day, they'll be rescued.

Killer of Enemies   Joseph Bruchac   (Young Adult – Y Bruchac)   Also available on: Libby/Overdrive eBook

In a world that has barely survived an apocalypse that leaves it with pre-20th century technology, Lozen is a monster hunter for four tyrants who are holding her family hostage.

Love Beyond Body, Space and Time: An Indigenous LGBT Sci-Fi Anthology   Hope Nicholson   (Young Adult Fiction - Y Love)

This anthology of science fiction and urban fantasy stories stars First Nations and Metis characters with an LGBTQ+ and two-spirit theme.

The Marrow Thieves   Cherie Dimaline   (Young Adult - Y Dimaline)   Also available on: Libby/Overdrive Audiobook, Libby/Overdrive eBook

In a world where most people have lost the ability to dream, a 15-year-old Indigenous boy who is still able to dream struggles for survival against an army of "recruiters" who seek to steal his marrow and return dreams to the rest of the world.

Mongrels   Stephen Graham Jones   (Adult Fiction – Jones)   Also available on: cloudLibrary eBook, Hoopla eBook, Libby/Overdrive eBook

Poor yet resilient, the boy lives in the shadows with his Aunt Libby and Uncle Darren, folk who stubbornly make their way in a society that does not understand or want them. They're always on the move across the South, living a life of late-night exits and narrow escapes, one step ahead of the law, but everything is about to change. The boy will be turning 16, and he will need to understand his family and his place in the world—a world that shuns and fears werewolves.

My Name Is Not Easy   Debby Dahl Edwardson   (Young Adult - Y Edwards)   Also available on: Libby/Overdrive eBook

Alaskans Luke, Chickie, Sonny, Donna, and Amiq relate their experiences in the early 1960s when they are forced to attend a Catholic boarding school where, despite different tribal affiliations, they come to find a sort of family and home.

Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present   Adrienne Keene   (Adult Nonfiction - 920 Kee)   Also available on: cloudLibrary eBook, Libby/Overdrive eBook

An accessible and educational illustrated book profiling 50 notable American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people. Celebrate the lives, stories, and contributions of Indigenous artists, activists, scientists, athletes, and other changemakers in this illustrated collection. Also offers accessible primers on important Indigenous issues, from the legacy of colonialism and cultural appropriation to food sovereignty, land and water rights, and more.

#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women   Lisa Charleyboy   (Adult Nonfiction - 818 Not)

#Not Your Princess presents an eclectic collection of poems, essays, interviews, and art that combine to express the experience of being a Native woman. Stories of abuse, humiliation, and stereotyping are countered by the voices of passionate women making themselves heard and demanding change. Sometimes angry, often reflective, but always strong, the women in this book will give readers insight into the lives of women who, for so long, have been virtually invisible.

Strangers   David Robertson   (Young Adult Fiction - Y Roberts)   Also available on: cloudLibrary Audiobook, Hoopla Audiobook, Hoopla eBook, Libby/Overdrive eBook

When Cole Harper returns to Wounded Sky First Nation, he finds his community in chaos—a series of murders, a mysterious illness ravaging the population, and re-emerging questions about Cole's role in the tragedy that drove him away 10 years ago.

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet   Jenny Ferguson   (Young Adult Fiction - Ferguso)   Also available on: cloudLibrary eBook, Libby/Overdrive eBook

Lou has enough confusion in front of her this summer—she'll be working in her family's ice cream shack with her former best friend, King, who is back in their Canadian prairie town after disappearing three years ago. But, when she gets a letter from her biological father, Lou immediately knows that she cannot meet him. While King's friendship makes Lou feel safer, when her family's business comes under threat, she soon realizes that she can't ignore her father forever.

Trail of Lightning   Rebecca Roanhorse   (Science Fiction & Fantasy - SF Roanhor)   Also available on: Libby/Overdrive eBook

While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters. Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. 

Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team   Steve Sheinkin   (Adult Nonfiction – 796.332 Sheinkin)   Also available on: Libby/Overdrive Audiobook

A great American sport and Native American history come together in this true story of how Jim Thorpe and Pop Warner created the legendary Carlisle Indians football team.

Walking in Two Worlds   Wab Kinew   (Young Adult Fiction – Y Kinew)   Also available on: Hoopla eBook, Libby/Overdrive eBook

Bugz is caught between two worlds. In the real world, she's a shy and self-conscious Indigenous teen who faces the stresses of teenage angst and reserve life. But in the virtual world, her alter ego is not just confident but dominant in a massive multiplayer video game universe. Feng is a teen boy who has been sent from China to live with his aunt, a doctor on the reserve, after his online activity suggests he may be developing extremist sympathies. As Bugz and Feng's connection is strengthened through their virtual adventures, they find they have much in common in the real world, too—both must decide what to do in the face of temptations and pitfalls, and both must grapple with the impact of family and community trauma.

Graphic Novels

Four Faces of the Moon   Amanda Strong   (Graphic Novels - GN Strong Four Faces Of The Moon)   Also available on: Libby/Overdrive Audiobook

On a journey to uncover her family's story, Spotted Fawn travels through time and space to reclaim connection to ancestors, language, and the land—creating a path forward in this essential graphic novel.

If I Go Missing   Brianna Jonnie   (Graphic Novels - GN 305.48897 Jon)   Also available on: Hoopla Graphic Novel, Libby/Overdrive Graphic Novel

Combining graphic fiction and non-fiction, this graphic novel serves as a window into one of the unique dangers of being an Indigenous teen in Canada today. The text of the book is derived from excerpts of a letter written to the Winnipeg Chief of Police by 14-year-old Brianna Jonnie—a letter that went viral and in which Jonnie calls out the authorities for neglecting to immediately investigate and involve the public in the search for missing Indigenous people. She also urges them to not "treat me as the Indigenous person I am proud to be" if she were ever to be reported missing. 

Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection, Volume 1   Hope Nicholson   (Graphic Novels – GN Moonshot Indigenous Comics Collection v. 1)

This thrilling new collection showcases diverse Aboriginal representation in comic books. Its stories of identity, culture, and spirituality are told by writers and artists from a range of communities across North America, including many creators that identify as Métis, Inuit, Dene, Anishnaabe, Cree, Mi'kmaq, Caddo, Haida, Sioux, and Suquamish, among others. 

Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band   Christian Staebler   (Graphic Novel- GN 780.92 Redbone Sta)   Also available on: Hoopla Graphic Novel - English edition, Hoopla Graphic Novel - Spanish edition

Brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas were talented Native American rock musicians that took the 1960s Sunset Strip by storm. They influenced The Doors and jammed with Jimmy Hendrix before he was "Jimi," and the idea of a band made up of all Native Americans soon followed. Determined to control their creative vision and maintain their cultural identity, they eventually signed a deal with Epic Records in 1969. But as the American Indian Movement gained momentum, the band took a stand, choosing pride in their ancestry over continued commercial reward.

Surviving the City   Tasha Spillett   (Graphic Novels - GN Spillet Surviving The City)

Miikwan and Dez are best friends. Miikwan's Anishinaabe; Dez is Inninew. Together, the teens navigate the challenges of growing up in an urban landscape—they're so close, they even completed their Berry Fast together. However, when Dez's grandmother becomes too sick, Dez is told she can't stay with her anymore. With the threat of a group home looming, Dez can't bring herself to go home and disappears. Miikwan is devastated, and the wound of her missing mother resurfaces. Will Dez's community find her before it's too late? Will Miikwan be able to cope if they don't?

This Place: 150 Years Retold   (Graphic Novels - GN This Place One Hundred Fifty Years Retold)   Also available on: Hoopla Graphic Novel, Libby/Overdrive Graphic Novel

Explore the past 150 years through the eyes of Indigenous creators in this groundbreaking graphic novel anthology. Beautifully illustrated, these stories are an emotional and enlightening journey through Indigenous wonderworks, psychic battles, and time travel. See how Indigenous peoples have survived a post-apocalyptic world since Contact.

 

Downtown Library |  812-349-3050
303 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47408

Ellettsville Branch |  812-876-1272
600 W. Temperance Street, Ellettsville, IN 47429

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890 W. Gordon Pike, Bloomington, IN 47403

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We respectfully acknowledge that Monroe County Public Library, in all of its iterations since 1818, was built and exists on land that has been, is still, and will continue to be rightfully occupied and nurtured by the Bodwéwadmik (Potawatomi), Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo), Lënape (Delaware), Myaamia (Miami), and Saawanwaki (Shawnee) Indigenous peoples, among others. More details and resources