9th Grade Multicultural Choice Book Unit: Native American Voices

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger; Rovina Cai (Illustrator) In an America very similar to ours, Lipan Apache Elatsoe can raise the ghosts of dead animals while others have more dangerous magic skills. When her cousin is murdered, Elatsoe investigates the death and in the process she discovers gruesome secrets in her town of Willowbee.

Lana's Lakota Moons by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve This charming and poignant contemporary story about two Lakota girls and their Laotian friend illuminates for children and adults the Lakota meaning of family, friendship, life, and death. In the Lakota way, Lana and her cousin Lori are like sisters, growing up together under the caring eyes of an extended family of parents and grandparents. Also like sisters, they have their share of squabbles and fights, but when they meet a new girl at school who has recently arrived from Laos, they are drawn closer by their shared friendship, their discoveries about cultural differences, and their experience with loss and death.

The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich Omakayas, a seven-year-old Native American girl of the Ojibwa tribe, lives through the joys of summer and the perils of winter on an island in Lake Superior in 1847.

Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac Years ago, seventeen-year-old Apache hunter Lozen and her family lived in a world of haves and have-nots. There were the Ones—people so augmented with technology and genetic enhancements that they were barely human—and there was everyone else who served them. Then the Cloud came, and everything changed. Tech stopped working. The world plunged back into a new steam age. The Ones’ pets—genetically engineered monsters—turned on them and are now loose on the world.Lozen was not one of the lucky ones pre-C, but fate has given her a unique set of survival skills and magical abilities.

Apple in the Middle by Dawn Quigley A biracial girl, Apple, rejected her Native American ancestry after suffering a racist epithet, but can't seem to be accepted by either the white or Native cultures. One summer, her father sends her to spend time on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation to engage with her Native American relatives. Reluctantly, she tries to find a connection, especially to her dead mother, and in the process of learning more about her heritage, learns to take pride in where she came from. Additionally, she has to contend with an angry Indian man who dated Apple's mother in high school and is furious at her for marrying a white man. He decides to turn his rage and vengeance on her daughter.

Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith Louise dumps her popular, jock boyfriend after he makes some insensitive remarks about his brother's Native American fiancée without regard for the fact that she is also Native American. As a reporter for her school newspaper, she finds herself working on the story of the year alongside Joey. A story that involves racism, blackmail, and bullying centered around the cast of the school play--a cast that includes Louise's younger brother.

There There by Tommy Orange Twelve individuals travel to the Big Oakland Powwow for their own reasons. Following each one, their stories reveal a unique glimpse into the struggles faced by modern Native Americans in urban America, highlighting the complex history and inheritance of both a profound spirituality and a propensity for addiction and suicide.

Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King Four Indian elders welcome Native American men and women to the Blackfoot reservation for the Sun Dance. All are trying to balance tradition with life in the modern world, a challenge that requires humor, resolve, and strength. The Sun Dance is a turning point for them and the town of Blossom.

Rain Is Not My Indian Name by Cynthia L. Smith Tired of staying in seclusion since the death of her best friend, a fourteen-year-old Native American girl takes on a photographic assignment with her local newspaper to cover events at the Native American summer youth camp.

Me (Moth) by Amber McBride Two years after the death of her family in a car accident, sole survivor Moth still feels adrift and lost, even though she's mostly comfortably cared for by her aunt. When she meets junior classmate Sani, whose ancestors are Navajo, she finds a kindred spirit who understands what it feels like to be disconnected from family.

Give Me Some Truth by Eric Gansworth In 1980 life is hard on the Tuscarora Reservation in upstate New York, and some of the teenagers feel they have fewer options than they'd like: Carson Mastick dreams of forming a rock band, and Maggi Bokoni longs to create her own conceptual artwork instead of the traditional beadwork that her family sells to tourists--but tensions are rising between the reservation and the surrounding communities, and somehow in the confusion of politics and growing up Carson and Maggi have to make a place for themselves.

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline In a world where most people have lost the ability to dream, a fifteen-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.

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley 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.

Apple by Eric Gansworth Indian artist and author Eric Gansworth tells the story of his life, his family, and his search for identity. Gansworth discusses the legacy of government boarding schools, the ramifications of his family being Onondaga among the Tuscarora, and the issues he has faced while trying to become an artist.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones Four Native American men are bound to each other for life following a disturbing event during their childhood. With a vengeful entity hunting them, the men must face the consequences of their actions and pay the ultimate price for dishonoring their heritage and culture.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie; Ellen Forney (Illustrator) Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Native American is the school mascot.

Flight by Sherman Alexie Depicts the story of a troubled, orphaned and violent Indian teenager nicknamed Zits who, after a killing spree, travels through time experiencing eye-opening moments in American history. Examines prejudice, cynicism, good and evil as Zits "flies" into the body of an Indian boy at Little Big Horn, Indian tracker and airline pilot. Includes more than forty discussion questions and a list of suggested reading.

The Round House by Louise Erdrich After Geraldine Coutts is attacked on the Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota, her husband Bazil, a tribal judge, tries to find justice for his wife, and their teenage son Joe tries to help his mother heal.

A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger Nine-year-old Nina has grown up with the stories from her Lipan Apache grandmother about shapeshifting animals from the Reflecting World who visit the human world. In fact, her father runs a bookstore that caters to the animal visitors.

Trust Your Name by Tim Tingle After Bobby Byington's unforgettable winning high school season, Coach Robison recruits Choctaw players from several communities to play in a summer league. Coach selects the Panther as the team's mascot, saying, \"To many Choctaws, young and old, the panther is an elder watching over us, helping us when we are in need.\" As the team gels and they move to the national tournament, they find out they are up against more than other basketball teams. They must deal with racist taunts and unsportsmanlike conduct on the court. The situation comes to a head when, on the eve of a key game against a bullying opponent, two Choctaw players are arrested for robbery. Never doubting their innocence, Coach Robison asks, \"Who can we trust, and how can we find the truth?\"