Last November, I took Native American Heritage Month as the inspiration to dive into some books that had been on my TBR forever. Most of these authors were new to me, except Louise Erdrich (who I probably owe some kind of life debt for whatever THE SENTENCE did to my psyche). This was, of course, a fabulous decision which I intend to repeat, so I thought I would share my reads from last year, other favorites, and things on my list for next month.

Picture Books

SWEETEST KULU – Gorgeous illustration (really cool use of shape and color) and a lovely poem. Every time I pass this book on the library shelf I just wanna pull it out and look at it. Another PB with really fantastic art is sibling-focused adventure THE SONG THAT CALLED THEM HOME.

ROCK YOUR MOCS – Intertribal celebration of moccasins, a great read for Rock Your Mocs Day, which is November 15th!

KAPAEMAHU – I’ve talked about this one before, it’s a quite lovely Hawaiian story. For another Native Hawaiian picture book that features nonbinary characters, though this one in a modern context, check out HO’ONANI: HULA WARRIOR, which is based on a real person.

LOAF THE CAT GOES TO THE POWWOW – It was hard to choose just one of the cool-looking powwow books I’m excited for, but this one has a cat. Also a boy! I’ve only seen girl dancers before, e.g. WHY WE DANCE, JOSIE DANCES, POWWOW DAY, and JINGLE DANCER (which I’ve read and is very sweet).

WE ARE STILL HERE! – This one is apparently aimed at the upper age range of picture book readers, introducing historical events and current issues that impact Native communities. I’m planning to give it a read before it goes front-and-center on our Heritage Month display.

Middle Grade

ANCESTOR APPROVED – A really fun anthology following kids from various Nations as they cross paths at a powwow. Definitely put some new authors on my radar, some of whom are on this list!

THE STAR THAT ALWAYS STAYS – A great read for around the holidays about a blended family learning to trust and care for each other. Vibes of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES for sure. I actually might reread this one soon, I could use the hope. Another MG historical with found family vibes and explorations of race and belonging is STONE RIVER CROSSING, which I also enjoyed a lot!

HEALER OF THE WATER MONSTER – First in a series featuring Navajo mythology! I particularly enjoyed the family dynamic, but the adventure is definitely neat too.

BIRCHBARK HOUSE – This book hurt me and I can’t recommend it enough. A must for fans of historical fiction. Great audiobook, too! I might not get to the rest of the series in November (I’d like to prioritize authors I haven’t read as much) but I’m very excited to read them.

SISTERS OF THE NEVERSEA – This has been on my shelf forever, I’m so looking forward to finally reading it! PETER PAN, despite its deep flaws, is a favorite of mine, so a retelling from an Indigenous perspective is an obvious must-read for me. TIGER LILY AND THE SECRET TREASURE OF NEVERLAND is on my TBR as well!

MASCOT – I’ve already decided to read all of the NH Great Stone Face Award nominees this year, so this works out perfectly. There’s another MG novel in verse I’m looking forward to, RED BIRD DANCED, which deals with MMIW. Hopefully I’ll get to both of them!

Young Adult

A SNAKE FALLS TO EARTH – I enjoyed the audiobook very much last year, there’s something very… gentle, I guess is the word, about it. The split narrative gave it an interesting structure, and the spirit world is so neat!

THE UNFINISHED – A Mohawk girl trying to save her crush from monsters! Written by one of my agency siblings, so I’m super hyped to read it. There’s another YA horror/fantasy on my TBR, MANMADE MONSTERS, a collection of stories following one family over time, but I’m putting a different Andrea L. Rogers story on this list.

THE ART THIEVES – So this just came out and it sounds so intriguing. One reviewer described it as “Cherokee futurism,” there is apparently time travel, the MC works in an art museum, sign me up I’m in.

TO SHAPE A DRAGON’S BREATH – I was really excited for this, then got a little burnt out on the dragon boom and put it aside, but I absolutely can’t wait to read it. I’m always intrigued by Indigenous fantasy, and I actually haven’t read many writers from the Nations around where I grew up, which I would love to change!

IF I EVER GET OUT OF HERE – I haven’t read any Eric Gansworth yet, which feels like a gross oversight. GIVE ME SOME TRUTH is also high on my list, I do love YA about music.

Graphic Novels

TRICKSTER – A really cool comic anthology of trickster tales from various Nations. Lots of different tones and styles, so there’s definitely something for everyone! We have this in our kids section at my library, but it’s one I really think could appeal to all ages. There’s another comics anthology of Indigenous stories, THE WOMAN IN THE WOODS, that looks great, too!

REDBONE – A nonfiction comic about the band which gave us “Come and Get Your Love” and “We Were All Wounded at Wounded Knee.” I picked up a copy at Birchbark Books years ago, but it got lost in the piles that make up my paper burrow of an apartment. This year I will finally read it!

THUNDEROUS – This fantasy/adventure YA sounds super neat, I found it browsing for graphic novels on Birchbark Books’ website. Just look at that cover!

EARTHDIVERS – Speaking of kickass covers! Not to mention a kickass concept: it’s dystopian time travel again, but with the aim of rewriting history by killing Christopher Columbus. This looks so cool I might not be able to wait until November to dive in.

BORDERS – It’s never the wrong time to think about borders from an Indigenous perspective, but this might be a particularly good time. We’ve got this at my library and I’ve had my eye on it for a while, so I’m determined to read it next month.

Adult

WHITE HORSE – This author had one of my favorite stories in ANCESTOR APPROVED, and I’m very excited to see that she writes mystery/horror! Fall is absolutely the time for ghost stories – I might even jump the gun and read this for Halloween. I’ve got another haunting on my list, SISTERS OF THE LOST NATION, that I’d love to read soon, too.

LOVE BEYOND BODY, SPACE, & TIME – Another one I’ve been meaning to read forever. A sci-fi anthology! I’ve got another Indigenous anthology of dark spec fic, NEVER WHISTLE AT NIGHT, on my TBR, but that one is more recent so it will wait its turn.

WANDERING STARS – I really, truly loved THERE THERE (probably my favorite piece from my Native American Lit course, phrases from this book run through my head on a loop) so I’m incredibly excited for this follow-up.

A TWO-SPIRIT JOURNEY – Another Birchbark purchase that got lost in the TBR pile. I’ve been trying to read more queer nonfiction this year so hopefully I’ll be able to unearth it!

THE LOST JOURNALS OF SACAJEWEA – I went down a research rabbit hole on Sacajewea a while back, so when this came out last year I put it on my list immediately. Still hoping that someday someone will write a book about her son!

If you’ve made it this far, Native American Heritage Month is a great time to check in on the issues your local Nations are engaged with (maybe subscribe to a newsletter or follow them on social media), donate to fundraising efforts like the Quileute Tribe’s Move to Higher Ground Project, and keep an eye out for opportunities to support Native rights and sovereignty. Of course, like reading books by Native authors, these are things we can do all year, but no time like the present to start!