Skip to Main Content
Middle School | Native American Voices
In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall; Jim Yellowhawk (Illustrator)
Teased for his fair coloring, eleven-year-old Jimmy McClean travels with his maternal grandfather, Nyles High Eagle, to learn about his Lakota heritage while visiting places significant in the life of Crazy Horse, the nineteenth-century Lakota leader and warrior, in a tale that weaves the past with the present.
Do All Indians Live in Tipis? by National Museum of the American Indian Staff; Rick West (Foreword by); Wilma P. Mankiller (Introduction by)
Addresses many of the questions, myths, and misconceptions regarding the customs, culture, traditions, and history of Native Americans.
Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask by Anton Treuer
Contain 120 questions and responses regarding Native American history, culture, languages, politics, economics, education, and more.
If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth
Seventh-grader Lewis "Shoe" Blake from the Tuscarora Reservation has a new friend, George Haddonfield from the local Air Force base, but in 1975 upstate New York there is a lot of tension and hatred between Native Americans and Whites--and Lewis is not sure that he can rely on friendship.
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.
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Going beyond the story of America as a country “discovered” by a few brave men in the “New World,” Indigenous human rights advocate Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz reveals the roles that settler colonialism and policies of American Indian genocide played in forming our national identity.
Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids by Cynthia L. Smith
In this Native American anthology, eighteen stories and poems from various nations showcase the beauty, struggles, and life-affirming aspects of being a Native American.
#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women
Whether looking back to a troubled past or welcoming a hopeful future, the powerful voices of Indigenous women across North America resound in this book. In the same style as the best-selling Dreaming in Indian, #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 teen readers insight into the lives of women who, for so long, have been virtually invisible.
I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day
All her life, Edie has known that her mom was adopted by a white couple. So, no matter how curious she might be about her Native American heritage, Edie is sure her family doesn’t have any answers. Until the day when she and her friends discover a box hidden in the attic—a box full of letters signed “Love, Edith,” and photos of a woman who looks just like her. Suddenly, Edie has a flurry of new questions about this woman who shares her name. Could she belong to the Native family that Edie never knew about? But if her mom and dad have kept this secret from her all her life, how can she trust them to tell her the truth now?
Talking Leaves by Joseph Bruchac
When thirteen-year-old Uwohali's father returns after being in the West for six years, he is obsessed with drawing peculiar images that leave those in his Cherokee community thinking he might be going mad. Little do they know, he has created a new alphabet that represents the sounds of the Cherokee language. Despite the power of his new discovery, convincing others of its worth could prove to be dangerous for Uwohali and his father.
Speaking Our Truth: a Journey of Reconciliation by Monique Gray Smith
Examines the fissure in the relationship between Canada and its Indigenous people as a result of the Residential Schools system. Explores the historical and current impact of this system, and highlights how lack of understanding and awareness hinders healing as survivors and their families move forward in repairing the relationship between themselves and their country.
The Brave by James Bird
Collin has a compulsive behavior to count every letter spoken to him. After he is kicked out of yet another school, his father is fed up and sends him to go live with the mother he's never met in Minnesota. His mother lives on an Ojibwa reservation, and Collin soon finds a warm and welcoming environment unlike anything he has ever known. He befriends his neighbor, Oredna, and soon embraces his new family and way of life.
Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin
Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team is an astonishing underdog sports story—and more. It’s an unflinching look at the U.S. government’s violent persecution of Native Americans and the school that was designed to erase Indian cultures.
Two Roads by Joseph Bruchac
In 1932, twelve-year-old Cal must stop being a hobo with his father and go to a Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school, where he begins learning about his history and heritage as a Creek Indian.
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.
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.
In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by
Teased for his fair coloring, eleven-year-old Jimmy McClean travels with his maternal grandfather, Nyles High Eagle, to learn about his Lakota heritage while visiting places significant in the life of Crazy Horse, the nineteenth-century Lakota leader and warrior, in a tale that weaves the past with the present.
Do All Indians Live in Tipis? by
Addresses many of the questions, myths, and misconceptions regarding the customs, culture, traditions, and history of Native Americans.
Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask by
Contain 120 questions and responses regarding Native American history, culture, languages, politics, economics, education, and more.
If I Ever Get Out of Here by
Seventh-grader Lewis "Shoe" Blake from the Tuscarora Reservation has a new friend, George Haddonfield from the local Air Force base, but in 1975 upstate New York there is a lot of tension and hatred between Native Americans and Whites--and Lewis is not sure that he can rely on friendship.
Rain Is Not My Indian Name by
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.
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by
Going beyond the story of America as a country “discovered” by a few brave men in the “New World,” Indigenous human rights advocate Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz reveals the roles that settler colonialism and policies of American Indian genocide played in forming our national identity.
Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids by
In this Native American anthology, eighteen stories and poems from various nations showcase the beauty, struggles, and life-affirming aspects of being a Native American.
#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women
Whether looking back to a troubled past or welcoming a hopeful future, the powerful voices of Indigenous women across North America resound in this book. In the same style as the best-selling Dreaming in Indian, #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 teen readers insight into the lives of women who, for so long, have been virtually invisible.
I Can Make This Promise by
All her life, Edie has known that her mom was adopted by a white couple. So, no matter how curious she might be about her Native American heritage, Edie is sure her family doesn’t have any answers. Until the day when she and her friends discover a box hidden in the attic—a box full of letters signed “Love, Edith,” and photos of a woman who looks just like her. Suddenly, Edie has a flurry of new questions about this woman who shares her name. Could she belong to the Native family that Edie never knew about? But if her mom and dad have kept this secret from her all her life, how can she trust them to tell her the truth now?
Talking Leaves by
When thirteen-year-old Uwohali's father returns after being in the West for six years, he is obsessed with drawing peculiar images that leave those in his Cherokee community thinking he might be going mad. Little do they know, he has created a new alphabet that represents the sounds of the Cherokee language. Despite the power of his new discovery, convincing others of its worth could prove to be dangerous for Uwohali and his father.
Speaking Our Truth: a Journey of Reconciliation by
Examines the fissure in the relationship between Canada and its Indigenous people as a result of the Residential Schools system. Explores the historical and current impact of this system, and highlights how lack of understanding and awareness hinders healing as survivors and their families move forward in repairing the relationship between themselves and their country.
The Brave by
Collin has a compulsive behavior to count every letter spoken to him. After he is kicked out of yet another school, his father is fed up and sends him to go live with the mother he's never met in Minnesota. His mother lives on an Ojibwa reservation, and Collin soon finds a warm and welcoming environment unlike anything he has ever known. He befriends his neighbor, Oredna, and soon embraces his new family and way of life.
Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by
Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team is an astonishing underdog sports story—and more. It’s an unflinching look at the U.S. government’s violent persecution of Native Americans and the school that was designed to erase Indian cultures.
Two Roads by
In 1932, twelve-year-old Cal must stop being a hobo with his father and go to a Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school, where he begins learning about his history and heritage as a Creek Indian.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by
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.
The Birchbark House by
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.