YA Native American Heritage Month Reads

Books found in the Young Adult collection that highlight the Native American experience. YA novels are made up of books for a wide age range (12-18 years old) and includes a variety of different topics and interests. Not all titles will be appropriate for all readers*

Showing 21 - 40 of 44  There are a total of 44 valid entries on the list.
Book cover for "If I go missing"
Star rating for If I go missing
Description:
"A powerfully illustrated graphic novel for teens about the subject of missing and murdered Indigenous people. Combining graphic fiction and non-fiction, this young adult graphic novel serves as a window into one of the unique dangers of being an Indigenous teen in Canada today. The text of the book is derived from excerpts of a letter written to the Winnipeg Chief of Police by fourteen-year-old Brianna Jonnie -- a letter that went viral and in which,...
Book cover for "An indigenous peoples' history of the United States for young people"
Star rating for An indigenous peoples' history of the United States for young people
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"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. The original academic text is fully adapted by renowned curriculum experts Debbie Reese and Jean Mendoza, for middle-grade and young adult readers to include discussion topics,...
Book cover for "Indiginerds"
Star rating for Indiginerds
Description:
"First Nations culture is living, vibrant, and evolving, and generations of Indigenous kids have grown up with pop culture creeping inexorably into our lives. From gaming to social media, pirate radio to garage bands, Star Trek to D&D, and missed connections at the pow wow, Indigenous culture is so much more than how it's usually portrayed. INDIGNERDS is here to celebrate those stories!"--
Book cover for "Killer of enemies"
Star rating for Killer of enemies
Series:
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"In a world that has barely survived an apocalypse that leaves it with pre-twentieth century technology, Lozen is a monster hunter for four tyrants who are holding her family hostage"--
Book cover for "Looking for smoke"
Star rating for Looking for smoke
Description:
Four teens on the Blackfeet Reservation find themselves the suspects of an investigation when a classmate is found murdered during the annual Indian Days celebrations.
Book cover for "Love after the end"
Star rating for Love after the end
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"A[n] ... anthology of queer Indigenous speculative fiction, edited by the author of Jonny Appleseed. This ... fiction anthology showcases a number of new and emerging 2SQ (Two-Spirit and queer) Indigenous writers from across Turtle Island. These visionary authors show how queer Indigenous communities can bloom and thrive through utopian narratives that detail the vivacity and strength of 2SQness throughout its plight in the maw of settler colonialism's...
Book cover for "The marrow thieves"
Star rating for The marrow thieves
Series:
Average Rating:
3.3 stars
Description:
In a future world ravaged by global warming, people have lost the ability to dream, and the dreamlessness has led to widespread madness. The only people still able to dream are North America's indigenous population--and it is their marrow that holds the cure for the rest of the world. But getting the marrow--and dreams--means death for the unwilling donors. Driven to flight, a 15-year-old and his companions struggle for survival, attempt to reunite...
Book cover for "My good man"
Star rating for My good man
Description:
When a mysterious assault lands the brother of his mother's late boyfriend in the hospital, Brian, a twenty-something Indigenous reporter, must pick up the threads of a life he's abandoned, returning to the Tuscarora reservation to discover the truth.
Book cover for "Name your mountain"
Star rating for Name your mountain
Author:
Series:
No Name volume 5.
Description:
Name Your Mountain continues the exciting No Name series as the high-school team matures and faces new challenges. When the all American Indian high-school basketball team in Trust Your Name enters a national-level tournament, the team travels to big cities and has new experiences, but all is not well. Choctaw Bobby Byington and his new Creek friend, Eddie, are torn between struggles on the court and painful episodes back home. With the door of adulthood...
Book cover for "#NotYourPrincess"
Star rating for #NotYourPrincess
Average Rating:
4.3 stars
Description:
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, #NotYourPrincess presents an eclectic collection of poems, essays, interviews, and art that [combines] to express the experience of being a Native woman. Stories of abuse, humiliation, and stereotyping are countered by the voices of passionate...
Book cover for "Peacemaker"
Star rating for Peacemaker
Description:
"A twelve-year-old Iroquois boy rethinks his calling after witnessing the arrival of a mystical figure with a message of peace in this historical novel based on the creation of the Iroquois Confederacy"--
Book cover for "Rain is not my Indian name"
Star rating for Rain is not my Indian name
Description:
"It's been six months since Cassidy Rain Berghoff's best friend, Galen, died, and up until now she has succeeded in shutting herself off from the world. But when controversy arises around Aunt Georgia's Indian Camp in their mostly white midwestern community, Rain decides to face the outside world again, with a new job photographing the campers for her town's newspaper. Soon, Rain has to decide how involved she wants to become in Indian Camp. Does...
Book cover for "Ready when you are"
Star rating for Ready when you are
Description:
"Jackson is a teenage boy living in the Mish, an Aboriginal community in Australia. He hangs out with his mates, has a girl who's really interested in him, and lives with a family that doesn't ask too many questions. He feels he's got everything under control...until Tomas comes along. Tomas is a mysterious boy with a troubled past who's been taken in by Jackson's aunt.Jackson's aunt and cousins come to visit, Tomas and Jackson are suddenly sharing...
Book cover for "Rez ball"
Star rating for Rez ball
Description:
These days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school team, even though he can't help but be constantly gut-punched with memories of his big brother, Jaxon, who died in an accident. When Jaxon's former teammates on the varsity team offer to take Tre under their wing, he sees this as his shot to represent his Ojibwe rez all the way to their first state championship. This is the first step toward his...
Book cover for "Saints of the household"
Star rating for Saints of the household
Author:
Description:
When brothers Max and Jay help a classmate in trouble, they struggle with the consequences of their violent actions and worry they may be more like their abusive father than they thought, so the brothers turn to their Bribri roots to find their way forward.
Book cover for "Sheine Lende"
Star rating for Sheine Lende
Average Rating:
4 stars
Description:
"Shane works with her mother and their ghost dogs, tracking down missing persons even when their families can't afford to pay. Their own family was displaced from their traditional home years ago following a devastating flood and the loss of Shane's father and her grandparents. They don't think they'll ever get their home back. Then Shane's mother and a local boy go missing, after a strange interaction with a fairy ring. Shane, her brother, her friends,...
Book cover for "A snake falls to Earth"
Star rating for A snake falls to Earth
Average Rating:
3.5 stars
Description:
"Nina is a Lipan girl in our world. She's always felt there was something more out there. She still believes in the old stories. Oli is a cottonmouth kid, from the land of spirits and monsters. Like all cottonmouths, he's been cast from home. He's found a new one on the banks of the bottomless lake. Nina and Oli have no idea the other exists. But a catastrophic event on Earth, and a strange sickness that befalls Oli's best friend, will drive their...
Book cover for "The summer of bitter and sweet"
Star rating for The summer of bitter and sweet
Description:
"Lou has enough confusion in front of her this summer. She'll be working in her family's ice-cream shack with her newly ex-boyfriend--whose kisses never made her feel desire, only discomfort--and her former best friend King, who is back in their Canadian prairie town after disappearing three years ago without a word. But when she gets a letter from her biological father--a man she hoped would stay behind bars for the rest of his life--Lou immediately...
Book cover for "This Indian kid"
Star rating for This Indian kid
Description:
"Growing up impoverished and shuttled between different households, it seemed life was bound to take a certain path for Eddie Chuculate. Despite the challenges he faced, his upbringing was rich with love and bountiful lessons from his Creek and Cherokee heritage, deep-rooted traditions he embraced even as he learned to live within the culture of white, small-town America that dominated his migratory childhood. Award-winning author Eddie Chuculate...
Book cover for "Those pink mountain nights"
Star rating for Those pink mountain nights
Description:
"Overachievement isn't a bad word--for Berlin, it's the goal. She's securing excellent grades, planning her future, and working a part-time job at Pink Mountain Pizza, a legendary local business. Who says she needs a best friend by her side? Dropping out of high school wasn't smart--but it was necessary for Cameron. Since his cousin Kiki's disappearance, it's hard enough to find the funny side of life, especially when the whole town has forgotten...