by Angeline Boulley

Henry Holt and Co, 2021. 494 pages. YA Mystery Fiction

In the wake of a family tragedy, Daunis is debating whether to attend the University of Michigan to get a degree in medicine, or to stay in her Ojibwe community on Sault Ste Marie to help her mother. Daunis' decision is made for her when she is approached by undercover FBI agents who ask for her help assimilating into the community. An especially destructive strain of meth is being sold among tribal members, and Daunis, with her tribal connections and her interest in science, could be just the secret agent they need to help solve the case. But as Daunis gets closer to the truth, she discovers secrets that could tear apart her beloved community.

This highly acclaimed novel has been listed on many "Best YA of 2021" lists. While Daunis' age and status as a college student lead me to personally classify this as a New Adult novel instead, I do agree that this Book is not to be missed, and older teens will likely enjoy it. Daunis is a strong, determined, intelligent woman who readers will love to root for. While the novel's mystery and action would keep readers hooked on their own, the main appeal of this book is in its #OwnVoices depiction of modern life in the Ojibwe tribe, which directly affects the way some of the plot points unfold and resolve. I listened to the audiobook version of this book, which was excellently narrated and especially useful when it came to deciphering Ojibwe words and phrases used.

by Joseph Bruchac

7th Generation, 2020. 107 pages. YA Fiction

On his way to teach at Camp Seven Generations, a Native outdoor school, Nick, who is Abenaki, witnesses a murder and then is thrown off a train. Although his pursuers have modern technology to help them, Nick has something even more useful: he knows he has an ally in the natural world around him. 

This is My America

by Kim Johnson

Random House, 2020. 406 pages. YA Fiction

Tracy has been writing letters to Innocence X for years, asking them to use their resources as a justice-seeking organization to help her father, an innocent black man on death row. But when her brother is accused of killing his white girlfriend, Tracy decides it's time to take action herself in order to make sure her brother doesn't fall to the same fate. 

The Sentence

by Louise Erdrich

Harper, 2021. 386 pages. Fiction

Adults who enjoy Firekeeper's Daughter might want to explore the works of Louise Erdrich, who also writes fiction about the Ojibwa people. In this book, a small independent bookstore in Minneapolis is haunted from November 2019 to November 2020 by Flora, the store's most annoying customer. Bookstore employee Tookie must solve the mystery of this haunting while at the same time trying to understand all that occurs in Minneapolis during a year of grief, astonishment, isolation, and furious reckoning.

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