By Stefanie Davis
Author Angeline Boulley recently spoke at Beeson Hall in Franklin as part of the Johnson County Public Library’s Authors at JCPL series. Her newest book “Warrior Girl Unearthed” returns readers to Michigan’s Sugar Island with twin sisters Perry and Pauline Firekeeper-Birch. Pauline is excited to participate in the Ojibwe tribe’s internship program, while her sister Perry dreams of a responsibility-free summer. However, when Perry wrecks her aunt’s jeep, she is forced to join the internship program to help pay for the jeep’s repairs. She will learn about the repatriation of cultural artifacts and human remains as well as the many Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) during her different internship placements. This leads Perry to grapple with the question of whether the ends justify the means when she decides to plan a dangerous heist to return her ancestors back home. This is a suspenseful page-turner with an intricately detailed storyline and well-developed and relatable characters. This book is written for older teens, but adults can also learn something from this book. If you enjoy this book, you may also enjoy “This is My America” by Kim Johnson, “Elatsoe” by Darcie Little Badger, “We Deserve Monuments” by Jas Hammonds, and Boulley’s first award-wining book, “Firekeeper’s Daughter.”
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Adult:
“River Sing me Home” by Eleanor Shearer
“Something Wild and Wonderful” by Anita Kelly
“Zero Days” by Ruth Ware
“Better Living Through Birding: Notes From a Black Man in the Natural World” by Christian Cooper
Teen:
“Ravensong” by Cayla Fay
“The Making of Yolanda La Bruja” by Lorraine Avila
“Nick and Charlie: A Heartstopper Novella” by Alice Oseman
“We Don’t Swim Here” by Vincent Tirado
Children:
“A Flag for Juneteenth” by Kim Taylor
“Camp Quiltbag” by Nicole Melleby
“Windrush Child: The Tale of a Caribbean Child Who Faced a New Horizon” by John Agard
“Tenacious: Fifteen Adventures Alongside Disabled Athletes” by Patty Cisneros Prevo
