Children's Book Suggestions | Native American Heritage Month

This list shares some of our favorite chapter books for readers in Grades 2-8.

For younger readers, see our Native American Heritage Month Scavenger Hunt book list.

Traditional Indigenous stories are shelved in Children's Nonfiction under the number 299.7

Information about federally registered tribes both historically and in the present day is shelved in Children's Nonfiction under the number 973.0497


Updated October 21, 2023
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Oregon City Public Library
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Rez dogs
Bruchac, Joseph
Paper Book
Renowned author Joseph Bruchac tells a powerful story of a girl who learns more about her Penacook heritage while sheltering in place with her grandparents during the coronavirus pandemic. Malian loves spending time with her grandparents at their home on a Wabanaki reservation...

This award-winning novel in verse about a young girl's experiences living with her grandparents in 2020 is also on the 2023 OBOB list. (Wabanaki, Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Brave Bird at Wounded Knee : a story of protest on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
Bithell, Rachel
Paper Book
It's 1973, and in Denver, Colorado, Patsy Antoine doesn't usually give much thought to her relatives living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. After all, her classmates don't even know she's part Lakota. Then she learns the tiny town of Wounded Knee has been occupied. Now Patsy's...

This new series about girls experiencing historical events is a great choice for fans of the 1990s Dear America books. (Lakota, Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

The used-to-be best friend
Quigley, Dawn
Paper Book
American Indian Youth Literature Award: Middle Grade Honor Book! Hello/Boozhoo--meet Jo Jo Makoons! Full of pride, joy, and plenty of humor, this first book in an all-new chapter book series by Dawn Quigley celebrates a spunky young Ojibwe girl who loves who she is. Jo Jo...

A great choice for fans of Junie B. Jones and Ramona Quimby. (Ojibwe, Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

We still belong
Day, Christine
Paper Book
A thoughtful and heartfelt middle grade novel by American Indian Youth Literature Honor-winning author Christine Day (Upper Skagit), about a girl whose hopeful plans for Indigenous Peoples' Day (and plans to ask her crush to the school dance) go all wrong--until she finds herself...

Pacific Northwest-based author Day tells a modern story about an Indigenous middle schooler navigating her heritage alongside ordinary school drama on Indigenous People's Day. (Upper Skagit, Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

The case of Windy Lake
Hutchinson, Michael
Paper Book
Sam, Otter, Atim, and Chickadee are four inseparable cousins growing up on the Windy Lake First Nation. Nicknamed the Mighty Muskrats for their habit of laughing, fighting, and exploring together, the cousins find that each new adventure adds to their reputation. When a visiting archeologist goes...

Fans of The Boxcar Children will love this story of four cousins solving mysteries on their Windy Lake reserve in Canada. (Cree, Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Ancestor approved : intertribal stories for kids
Smith, Cynthia Leitich
Paper Book
Edited by award-winning and bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of intersecting stories by both new and veteran Native writers bursts with hope, joy, resilience, the strength of community, and Native pride. Native families from Nations across the...

A collection of short stories by a variety of Indigenous authors, each one from the point of view of a child attending an intertribal powwow in Michigan. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Race to the sun
Roanhorse, Rebecca
Paper Book
Lately, seventh grader Nizhoni Begay has been able to detect monsters, like that man in the fancy suit who was in the bleachers at her basketball game. Turns out he's Mr. Charles, her dad's new boss at the oil and gas company, and he's alarmingly interested in Nizhoni and her brother, Mac, their...

A Rick Riordan presents fantasy adventure story starring a contemporary middle school student and characters from traditional Navajo stories. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Two tribes
Bowen Cohen, Emily
Paper Book
In her poignant debut graphic novel inspired by her own life, Emily Bowen Cohen embraces the complexity, meaning, and deep love that comes from being part of two vibrant tribes. Mia is still getting used to living with her mom and stepfather, and to the new role their Jewish...

A contemporary girl with Jewish and Muscogee Creek heritage embarks on an unsanctioned cross-country bus trip to visit her father in Tulsa. (Young Teen Graphic Novels Grades 5-7)

The storyteller
Hobson, Brandon
Paper Book
From National Book Award finalist Brandon Hobson, a kaleidoscopic middle-grade adventure that mixes the anxieties, friendships, and wonders of a Cherokee boy's life with Cherokee history and lore. Ziggy has ANXIETY. Partly this is because of the way his mind works, and how overwhelmed he...

A tween boy's search for his mother is aided by animals and other beings from Cherokee lore, highlighting the epidemic of missing women in Native American communities. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Borders
King, Thomas
Paper Book
A People Magazine Best Book ★ "The thematic and literary richness of this story is exhilarating."-- Horn Book, starred review ★ "An important and accessible modern tale."-- School Library Journal, starred review...

A graphic novel adaptation of Thomas King's famous short story about a boy detained on the US-Canada border when his mother chooses to identify her citizenship solely as Blackfoot. (Young Teen Graphic Novel Grades 5-7)

Thunderous
Smoker, M. L.
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE 2023 HIGH PLAINS BOOK AWARD FOR CHILDREN'S MIDDLE GRADE!   If Aiyana hears one more traditional Lakota story, she'll scream! More interested in her social media presence than her Native American heritage, Aiyana is shocked when she suddenly finds herself in...

A tween more interested in her social media presence than traditional Lakota stories finds herself trapped in the spirit world in this epic graphic novel. (Young Teen Graphic Novels Grades 5-7)

Living ghosts & mischievous monsters : chilling American Indian stories
Jones, Dan C.
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark! A shiver-inducing collection of short stories to read under the covers, from a breadth of American Indian nations. Dark figures in the night. An owl's cry on the wind. Monsters watching from the edge of the wood. Some of...

A compendium of traditional and modern spooky stories and urban legends that fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark will love. (Children's Nonfiction Age 8-12)

Eagle drums
Hopson, Nasug raq Rainey
Paper Book
**A NEWBERY HONOR BOOK** A magical middle grade debut about the origin story of the Iñupiaq Messenger Feast, a Native Arctic tradition. With beautifully hand-drawn full color art throughout! As his family prepares for winter, a young, skilled hunter must...

Hatchet fans will love the outdoor adventures in this retelling of a traditional Inupiaq story. (Children's Nonfiction Age 8-12)

Voices of the people
Bruchac, Joseph
Paper Book
DEVELOPMENT: Voices of the People Trade Book (Hardcover)

Award-winning Abenaki author Bruchac uses short poems to share the accomplishments of 34 Indigenous leaders from North American history. (Children's Nonfiction Age 9-12)

Mascot
Waters, Charles
Paper Book
What if a school's mascot is seen as racist, but not by everyone? In this compelling middle-grade novel in verse, two best-selling BIPOC authors tackle this hot-button issue. A perfect book for future changemakers and activists seeking contemporary stories about systematic racism and...

Five students, including a girl of Cherokee descent, represent the many voices disagreeing over the status of their school's mascot. (Young Teen Fiction, Grades 5-7)

Of all tribes : American Indians and Alcatraz
Bruchac, Joseph
Paper Book
In Of All Tribes, Abenaki children's book icon Joseph Bruchac tells the stirring history of the 1969 occupation of Alcatraz by Native Americans, which established a precedent for Indian activism. "Alcatraz is not an island. It's an idea." --activist Richard Oakes...

A story of a famous Civil Rights-era protest movement led by Indigenous North Americans, the 1969 occupation of Alcatraz. (Children's Nonfiction Age 10-14)

Jim Thorpe : original All-American
Bruchac, Joseph
Paper Book
Jim Thorpe was one of the greatest athletes who ever lived. He played professional football, Major League Baseball, and won Olympic gold medals in track & field. But his life wasn't an easy one. Born on the Sac and Fox Reservation in 1887, he encountered much family tragedy, and was sent as a young...

A lightly fictionalized biography of Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe, written in the first person to convey the thrilling sports action as Jim succeeds at football, baseball, and track and field. (Sac and Fox, Children's Nonfiction Ages 10-14)

The woman in the woods and other North American stories
McDonald, Kel
Paper Book
"Enjoyable for reading aloud or sharing around a campfire." -- KIRKUS "Be careful of what you accept from spirits." Loup Garrou, trickster rabbits, and spirits with names that can't be spoken -- the plains and forests of North America...

Eight traditional stories from throughout North America, told and illustrated by Indigenous creators. (Children's Graphic Novels Grades 3-5)

Sisters of the Neversea
Smith, Cynthia Leitich
Paper Book
Five starred reviews! In this beautifully reimagined story by NSK Neustadt Laureate and New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee Creek), Native American Lily and English Wendy embark on a high-flying journey of magic, adventure, and courage to a fairy-tale...

Beloved author and HeartDrum editor Smith takes on Peter Pan, telling a modern version of the story from an Indigenous girl's point of view. (Muscogee Creek, Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Indian no more
McManis, Charlene Willing
Paper Book
American Indian Youth Literature Award Winner - American Indian Library Association When Regina's Umpqua tribe is legally terminated and her family must relocate from Oregon to Los Angeles, she goes on a quest to understand her identity as an Indian despite being so far from home.<...

An award-winner and former OBOB pick from Oregon-born author Charlene Willing McManis tells the story of her family's relocation to Los Angeles after the loss of their traditional lands in the 1950s. (Klamath, Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

The barren grounds
Robertson, David
Paper Book
Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories of the sky and constellations in an epic middle grade fantasy series from award-winning author David Robertson. Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster...

One of last year's OBOB books, this novel focuses on two Indigenous young teens living in foster care who find a secret portal that connects them with their heritage. (Cree, Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

The birchbark house
Erdrich, Louise.
Paper Book
"[In this] story of a young Ojibwa girl, Omakayas, living on an island in Lake Superior around 1847, Louise Erdrich is reversing the narrative perspective used in most children's stories about nineteenth-century Native Americans. Instead of looking out at 'them' as dangers or curiosities, Erdrich,...

A classic from a National Book Award winning novelist, this is a great choice for fans of Little House on the Prairie who are interested in learning more about upper Midwest life in the nineteenth century. (Ojibwe, Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Rabbit chase
LaPense?e, Elizabeth
Paper Book
Anishinaabe culture and storytelling meet Alice in Wonderland in this coming-of-age graphic novel that explores Indigenous and gender issues through a fresh yet familiar looking glass. Aimée, a non-binary Anishinaabe middle-schooler, is on a class trip to offer gifts to ...

A two-spirit Anishinaabe tween follows a white rabbit into the woods on a class field trip in this Indigenous take on Alice in Wonderland. (Young Teen Graphic Novels Grades 5-7)

Healer of the water monster
Young, Brian
Paper Book
American Indian Youth Literature Award Winner: Best Middle Grade Book! Brian Young's powerful debut novel tells of a seemingly ordinary Navajo boy who must save the life of a Water Monster--and comes to realize he's a hero at heart. When Nathan goes to visit his grandma, Nali...

Nathan goes to stay with his grandmother on her Navajo reservation for the summer and must help a powerful spirit being as well as his family members. (Young Teen Grades 5-7)

Powwow : a celebration through song and dance
Pheasant-Neganigwane, Karen
Paper Book
Key Selling Points Beginning with a historical look at the origins of powwow and then moving on to what they look like today, this book is a practical guide to the songs, dances, regalia, culture and food associated with different powwows across North America. ...

A great primer on the history and traditions of contemporary North American powwow culture. (Children's Nonfiction Age 9-12)


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