Fiction

The books in this post discuss historical representations of Native cultures, as well as more contemporary portrayals. Accurate representations of the Native American experience not only improves a library collection, it also helps reach audiences by using an authentic voice. It can lead a reader to seek more information about the culture or history of a Native nation.

Historical Fiction:

Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom
Tim Tingle (Choctaw), Illus. by Jeanne Rorex Bridges (Cherokee)

Tingle tells the tale of a Choctaw girl that befriends a slave, living across from her community on the river Bok Chitto, in 1800s Mississippi and how the Choctaw help outwit the owners of the plantation.

Crazy Horse's Vision
Joseph Bruchac (Abenaki), Illus. by S.D. Nelson (Lakota)

The story of Curly, the boy who would grow up to be Crazy Horse.

Guests
Michael Dorris (Modoc)

A novel for older children, Guests is a Thanksgiving story told from the point view of Moss, a Wampanoag boy in the early 1600s.







Contemporary Fiction:

Fox on the Ice
Tomson Highway (Cree), Illus. by Brian Deines - Bilingual (English & Cree)

The first book in trilogy about Joe, Cody, their parents and dog, recounting their adventures in northern Manitoba. (The other books in the trilogy are Caribou Song and Dragonfly Kites)

Red Bird
Barbara Mitchell, Illus. by Todd L.W. Doney

Kate, a Nanticoke girl living a large city, attends a powwow with her family on the Nanticoke tribal lands in Delaware, and readers are able to experience the powwow along with her.

SkySisters
Jan Bourdeau Waboose (Ojibway), Illus. by Brian Deines

The wonder and excitement of the SkySpirits (Northern Lights) are showcased through the eyes of two Ojibway sisters.

Fox Song
Joseph Bruchac (Abenaki), Illus. by Paul Morin

A helpful book about dealing with the loss of a grandparent, Bruchac's book frames the story within the Native experience.