I first became aware of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman (#MMIW) crisis through podcasts like Connie Walker's Finding Cleo. Since that podcast's first episode aired back in 2018, books written for a YA audience, like Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley and KA Cobell's Looking for Smoke, have continued the work of drawing attention to the epidemic of violence against native women. However, Red Bird Danced by Dawn Quigley is the first book for middle grade readers, that I've read centering the experience of native communities whose women continue to be victimized and murdered at alarming rates.
To be sure, this topic could be a particularly heavy lift for young readers were the story not crafted by the expert hands of Dawn Quigley. A former teacher herself, Quigley has approached this work as someone who not only cares very deeply for readers' hearts, but who also respects them enough to know that they can carry heavy things with the right support. Much like Ariel and Tomah, the two protagonists in Red Bird Danced , Quigley helps readers navigate heartbreak and trauma by empowering them to use their own voices to tell their stories, share their grief and to speak for those who can no longer speak for themselves.
Life changes forever when eleven-year-old Ariel's Auntie Bineshiinh goes missing. As her family devotes its resources to finding their missing loved one, luxuries like ballet lessons for Ariel are no longer within reach. Unsure how to help her family heal or how to navigate her own feelings of powerlessness, Ariel channels her grief into action through a school project that focuses on raising awareness of the MMIW crisis plaguing her community.
Meanwhile, twelve-year-old Tomah, who lives in the same Intertribal Housing Complex as Ariel, uses humor to deflect attention away from the fact that he struggles to read. Despite being a gifted and natural storyteller, words jumble and fly away from Tomah when he tries to decode them. As a former teacher myself, I recognized Tomah in so many of the kids I taught and I loved how his teacher employed innovative ways to help Tomah utilize his gifts both on and off the page.
When Tomah's grandmother teaches Ariel how to perform the traditional Ojibwe Jingle Dance, Tomah uses his stories to compliment Ariel's movements in a way that proves healing for their entire community. As Ariel finds her voice and the courage to use it, it's Tomah's stories and big, big heart that help to fuel the fire growing inside her.
Told from alternating perspectives, Red Bird Danced is full of thoughtful imagery that brings to life themes of healing, identity, and the importance of community. Together, Ariel and Tomah offer a poignant mix of grief, hope, and resilience as they find strength in their culture, their community and the connective powers of story and art. It's also worth mentioning that at a time when readers and librarians are clamoring for shorter books, Red Bird Danced not only clocks in at only 176 pages, but as a novel in verse, it also offers readers plenty of white spaces to rest their eyes and their hearts.
I love this book, y'all. More and more I find myself seeking out stories that so clearly respect kids' ability to navigate tough topics, glimpse experiences that are different from their own and discover and understand their role as stewards of this world. Red Bird Danced is a beautiful and necessary example of all of this and more. There are so many readers whose hearts need this book. I know mine did.
ISBN: 9780063223622
Publisher: Heartdrum Books
Publication Date: June 4, 2024
Audience: Ariel and Tomah are 11 and 12, respectively. I feel readers in grades 5-9 will love this book.
⭐️ BONUS CONTENT:
Y'all! Dawn Quigley will be joining me (and all of you!) for this month's Bookelicious Middle Grade Book Club on 9/17/24! Registration for this event is FREE and there will be a recording, so reserve your spot today! That said, every month I create additional resources, (related to our book club pick) for participants. It's my hope that these resources will prove helpful to educators who spend their days connecting readers to the stories their hearts need most. While I'm still holding a few goodies up my sleeve, here's a preview of the Red Bird Danced related resources I will share during book club in September.
COLORING SHEET:
First, I created a coloring sheet to go along with Red Bird Danced ! I've been thinking a lot lately about the ways that reading (and coloring!) can serve as stress reducers during a time when so many of us (kids included!) are experiencing a great deal of stress. In my heart of hearts, I'd like to think that this resource might entice colorers to pick up Dawn's book, while also giving those readers who have already fallen in love with it, a fun way to stay connected to the story, but... it's fine if readers (of all ages!) just have fun coloring it, too. You can access the free download here.
CONNECTIONS:
Next up, I also created a Connections style puzzle to go along with Red Bird Danced ! As someone who plays the NYT Connections puzzle every day, I have the most fun creating these, y'all! I wrote about the process for creating book related Connections here. The post also includes a planning worksheet for kiddos to help them with the process of creating their own book related Connections puzzles. That said, a link to the puzzle for Red Bird Danced , along with the answer key, can be found here.
DISCOUNT CODE:
Finally, please enjoy a special discount of 20% off Red Bird Danced (or other books of your choice) by visiting Bookelicious and using the code JENNIFERLAGARDE. Note: I do not make any money when you purchase books from Bookelicious, but I am delighted that you get to save some by using my discount code! HOWEVER, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that buying books from Bookelicious is the way we keep events (like our Middle Grade Book Club) free while also supporting the authors and illustrators who join us each month, so... I hope you'll think of your book purchases from Bookelicous as supporting a good cause!
Happy Reading!
