Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian
Sherman Alexie (Little Brown, c2007)
Shelf Number:  Young Adult

Based on the authors own experiences, this first young adult novel by bestselling author Alexie features poignant drawings by acclaimed artist Ellen Forney that reflect the characters art as it chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy attempting to break away from the life he was destined to live.

Bearwalker
Joseph Bruchac (HarperCollins, c2007)
Shelf Number:  J FICTION/BRU

When Baron arrives at the camp in the Adirondacks, he senses something sinister about the man who wears a bear claw necklace. He’s heard the Native American legend of evil men who can walk the earth as a bloodthirsty combination of man and bear, but Baron never thought he’d come face to face with the legend.

Beyond the Northern Lights
Lynn Blaikie (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, c2006)
Shelf Number:  EASY/BLA

A girl calls on Raven to take her to magical places, and imagines the two of them traveling into the northern skies, beyond the northern lights, into the depths of the ocean, and finally back to her own bed.

The Huron Carol
Jean de Breuf (Groundwood Books /House of Anansi Press, 2006)
Shelf Number:  EASY/BRE

One of the loveliest of all carols, the Huron Carol was written by Father Jean de Breuf, a French Catholic priest who settled among the Huron people in the early 1600s. Despite his missionary zeal, Breuf was sensitive to the Hurons' beliefs. He wrote the carol in Huron and incorporated the Huron landscape and flora and fauna into the telling of the Christmas story. Ian Wallace brings his gorgeous landscapes and cultural sensitivity to this beautiful and unusual Christmas song, which makes a thoughtful gift for both children and adults.

Kiki's Journey
Kristy Orona-Ramirez (Children's Book Press, c2006)
Shelf Number:  EASY/ORO

Like millions of other children who call Los Angeles home, Kiki is a city girl, even if she was born on a reservation. Her parents left the Taos Pueblo long ago, and she hasn’t been back since she was a baby. But when she returns with her parents during spring break, Kiki feels like a tourist in a place that should feel like home. An honest look at the challenges and rewards of contemporary American Indian life, Kiki’s Journey is enhanced by Jonathan Warm Day’s glowing illustrations of the Pueblo and its people.

Nokum is my Teacher
Dave Bouchard (Red Deer Press, c2006)
singing and drumming by Northern Cree
Shelf Number:  EASY/BOU

Parallel text in English and Cree presents a poetic conversation between a boy and his grandmother as they discuss the importance of reading and how to blend life outside the reservation with Cree skills and traditions.

Secret of the Dance
Andrea Spalding and Alfred Scow ( Orca Book Pub., c2006)
Shelf Number:  J FICTION/SPA

In 1935, A Nine-Year-Old Boy's Family held a forbidden Potlatch in faraway Kingcome Inlet. Watl'kina slipped from his bed to bear witness. In the Big House masked figures danced by firelight to the beat of the drum. And there, Watl'kina saw a figure he knew. Aboriginal Elder Alfred Scow and award-winning author Andrea Spalding collaborate to tell the story, to tell the secret of the dance.