Indigenous Reads for Teens

The items listed below were purchased with funds from the Ron Lewis Memorial Gift, which was donated to the Library by the Canmore Rotary Club Charitable Foundation in the summer of 2022.

Ron Lewis was a Rotarian and long-time resident of Canmore who was greatly interested in education and Indigenous Studies, and the Library has recently acquired over 150 items by, for, and about Indigenous peoples in his name.

A complete list of the Ron Lewis Memorial Gift items can be viewed here.

Sort by:

Betty : the Helen Betty Osborne story

Betty : the Helen Betty Osborne story

Robertson, David, 1977- author
2015


Braiding sweetgrass for young adults : indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants

Braiding sweetgrass for young adults : indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants

Gray Smith, Monique, 1968- adapter.
2022

"Botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer's best-selling book Braiding Sweetgrass is adapted for a young adult audience by children's author Monique Gray Smith, bringing Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the lessons of plant life to a new generation"-- Provided by publisher.

Show More


Creeboy

Creeboy

Wouters, Teresa, author.
2022

"Sixteen-year-old Josh is no stranger to gang life. His dad, the leader of the Warriors, a gang on their reserve, is in jail, and Josh's older brother has taken charge. Josh's mom has made it clear the Warriors and their violence aren't welcome in her home--Josh's dad and brother included. She wants Josh to focus on graduating high school. Josh is unsure whether gang life is for him--that is until gang violence arrives on his doorstep. Turning to the Warriors, Josh, now known as "Creeboy," starts down the path to becoming a full gang member--cutting himself off from his friends, family and community outside the gang. It's harder than ever for Creeboy to envision a different future for himself. Will anything change his mind?"-- Publisher's website.

Show More


Elatsoe

Elatsoe

Little Badger, Darcie, author
2020

When Apache teen Ellie's cousin dies, her ghost dog Kirby tells her he was murdered, so with the help of her family, her best friend Jay, and the memory of her great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother, Elatsoe, she must track down the killer and unravel the mystery.

Show More


Finding Izzy

Finding Izzy

Doherty, Sheryl, author
2021

A teen wakes up in a hospital with no memory. There is nothing to indicate who she might be-no identification and no distinguishing marks on her body, not even a freckle. She is brought to a foster home where she wades through relationships all the while trying to figure out her identity. Her skin colour and features indicate she is Indigenous, possibly Cree. But how did she arrive alone and naked in a Vancouver metro station? As she begins to piece together the puzzle with the help of two new friends, she discovers she is no ordinary girl-and her life has no ordinary purpose. Sheryl Doherty was born in Saskatoon, Canada in the '70s and adopted at ten months. She is Cree and Irish and is part of the Sixties Scoop, a generation of Indigenous children who were adopted out to non-Indigenous people for the purpose of assimilation. While growing up, she was denied her Cree heritage. However, when she started university, she began learning about Indigenous people's histories across Canada, cultural and intergenerational trauma, and about the alarming numbers of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in North America. Sheryl finished her Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, and Master of Arts, then began her lifelong passion of teaching about Indigenous literature.

Show More


A girl called Echo. Vol. 3, Northwest Resistance

A girl called Echo. Vol. 3, Northwest Resistance

Vermette, Katherena, 1977- author
2020

Echo travels to 1885, a period of turmoil. The bison are gone, settlers from the East are arriving daily, and the Métis and First Nations of the Northwest face hunger and uncertainty as their traditional way of life is threatened. The Canadian government has ignored their petitions, but hope rises when Louis Riel returns to help. However, battles between Canadian forces and the Métis and their allies lead to defeat at Batoche. Through it all, Echo gains new perspectives about where she came from and what the future may hold.

Show More


A girl called Echo. Vol. 4, Road allowance era

A girl called Echo. Vol. 4, Road allowance era

Vermette, Katherena, 1977- author
2021

"In the fourth volume of A Girl Called Echo, Echo Desjardins resumes her time travel and learns more about Métis history in Canada, including the "road allowance" land set aside by the crown, and the former community known as "Rooster Town" in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She also witnesses the trial of Louis Riel in Regina, Saskatchewan."-- Provided by publisher.

Show More


Hearts unbroken

Hearts unbroken

Smith, Cynthia Leitich, author
2018

When Louise Wolfe's boyfriend mocks and disrespects Native people in front of her, she breaks things off and dumps him over e-mail. She'd rather spend her senior year with her family and friends and working on the school newspaper. The editors pair her up with Joey Kairouz, an ambitious new photojournalist, and in no time the paper's staff find themselves with a major story to cover: the school musical director's inclusive approach to casting The Wizard of Oz has been provoking backlash in their mostly white, middle-class Kansas town. As tensions mount at school, so does a romance between Lou and Joey. But 'dating while Native' can be difficult. In trying to protect her own heart, will Lou break Joey's? -- adapted from jacket.

Show More


If I go missing

If I go missing

Jonnie, Brianna, author
2019


Moonshot. Volume 1, The indigenous comics collection

Moonshot. Volume 1, The indigenous comics collection

2020

Moonshot is a project that is a thrilling new collection that showcases diverse aboriginal representation in comic books. This is an anthology of stories about identity, culture, and spirituality told by writers and artists from a range of communities including many creators that identify as Métis, Inuit, Dene, Anishnaabe, Cree, Mi'kmaq, Caddo, Haida, Sioux, and Suquamish, among others.

Show More


Moonshot. Volume 2, The indigenous comics collection

Moonshot. Volume 2, The indigenous comics collection

2017

Moonshot is a project that is a thrilling new collection that showcases diverse aboriginal representation in comic books. This is an anthology of stories about identity, culture, and spirituality told by writers and artists from a range of communities across North America.

Show More


Moonshot. Volume 3, The indigenous comics collection

Moonshot. Volume 3, The indigenous comics collection

2020

"Moonshot, the Indigenous Comics Collection Volume 3 brings you even more original stories, graphic novels and comics written by Indigenous authors from across North America. The stories in Moonshot 3 pay homage to Indigenous futurisms, which weaves in traditional knowledge and culture with futuristic ideas and settings where some stories are sci-fi based, some appear in the past, and some appear in places beyond, they all take place in the 'now'."

Show More


Pilleurs de rêves

Pilleurs de rêves

Dimaline, Cherie, 1975- auteur
2019

Dans un monde ravagé qui court à sa perte, les êtres humains ont perdu la capacité de rêver. Seuls les peuples autochtones ont su préserver cette faculté dont le secret réside dans la moelle de leurs os. Frenchie, un jeune Métis, fuit la ville pour échapper aux hommes désespérés qui traquent les Autochtones comme des animaux afin d'obtenir la précieuse substance. Déjà, sa famille est tombée sous leurs mains. Aux côtés de ses compagnons de voyage, Frenchie progresse vers le nord pour gagner la terre de ses ancêtres et assurer la survie des siens. Avec Pilleurs de rêves, Cherie Dimaline crée un monde dystopique aussi lugubre qu'inquiétant, qui ne nous est pourtant pas complètement étranger. Elle parvient à tisser des liens troublants entre cet univers fictif et le monde dans lequel nous vivons, présentant une allégorie puissante du colonialisme en Amérique du Nord.

Show More


Red : a Haida manga

Red : a Haida manga

Yahgulanaas, Michael Nicoll, author, artist
2009


A snake falls to earth

A snake falls to earth

Little Badger, Darcie, 1987- author
2021

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 worlds together in ways they haven't been in centuries. And there are some who will kill to keep them apart

Show More


The spirit of Denendeh. Volume 1, A blanket of butterflies

The spirit of Denendeh. Volume 1, A blanket of butterflies

Van Camp, Richard, author
2022

"No one knows how a suit of samurai armour ended up in the Fort Smith museum. When a mysterious stranger turns up to claim it, Sonny, a young Tłı̨chǫ Dene boy, is eager to help. Shinobu has travelled to Fort Smith, NWT, to reclaim his grandfather's samurai sword and armour. But when he discovers that the sword was lost in a poker game, he must confront the man known as Benny the Bank. Along the way, Shinobu must rely on unlikely heroes--Sonny, his grandmother, and a visitor from the spirit world. Together, they face Benny and his men, including the giant they call Flinch. Will Shinobu be able to regain the lost sword and, with it, his family's honour? Can Sonny and his grandmother help Shinobu while keeping the peace in their community? Now in full-colour, this new edition includes additional background information and cultural context. Learn about the real-life inspiration behind the story and the intersections between Indigenous and Japanese-Canadian experiences during the Second World War"-- Provided by publisher

Show More


Surviving the city. Volume 1

Surviving the city. Volume 1

Spillett-Sumner, Tasha, 1988- author
2018

Tasha Spillet's graphic-novel debut, Surviving the city, is a story about womanhood, friendship, resilience, and the anguish of a missing loved one. Miikwan and Dez are best friends. Miikwan's Anishinaabe; Dez is Inninew. Together, the teens navigate the challenges of growing up in an urban landscape - they're so close, they even completed their Berry Fast together. However, when Dez's grandmother becomes too sick, Dez is told she can't stay with her anymore. With the threat of a group home looming, Dez can't bring herself to go home and disappears. Miikwan is devastated, and the wound of her missing mother resurfaces. Will Dez's community find her before it's too late? Will Miikwan be able to cope if they don't? Colonialism and the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People are explored in Natasha Donovan's beautiful illustrations.

Show More


Surviving the city. Volume 2, From the roots up

Surviving the city. Volume 2, From the roots up

Spillett-Sumner,Tasha, 1988- author
2020

Dez and Miikwan's stories continue in this sequel to Surviving the City. Dez's grandmother has passed away. Grieving, and with nowhere else to go, she's living in a group home. On top of everything else, Dez is navigating a new relationship and coming into her identity as a Two-Spirit person. Miikwan is crushing on the school's new kid Riel, but doesn't really understand what Dez is going through. Will she learn how to be a supportive ally to her best friend? Elder Linda is doing her best to be supportive, but she doesn't know how to respond when the gendered protocols she's grown up with are thrown into question. Will Dez be comfortable expressing her full identity? And will her community relearn the teachings and overcome prejudice to celebrate her for who she is?

Show More



Walking in two worlds

Walking in two worlds

Kinew, Wab, 1981- author
2021

Bugz is caught between two worlds. In the real world, she's a shy and self-conscious Indigenous teen who faces the stresses of teenage angst and life on the Rez. But in the virtual world, her alter ego is not just confident but dominant in a massively multiplayer video game universe. Feng is a teen boy who has been sent from China to live with his aunt, a doctor on the Rez, after his online activity suggests he may be developing extremist sympathies. Meeting each other in real life, as well as in the virtual world, Bugz and Feng immediately relate to each other as outsiders and as avid gamers. And as their connection is strengthened through their virtual adventures, they find that they have much in common in the real world, too: both must decide what to do in the face of temptations and pitfalls, and both must grapple with the impacts of family challenges and community trauma. But betrayal threatens everything Bugz has built in the virtual world, as well as her relationships in the real world, and it will take all her newfound strength to restore her friendship with Feng and reconcile the parallel aspects of her life: the traditional and the mainstream, the east and the west, the real and the virtual.

Show More