Indigenous Reads for Teens

A selection of recent novels and graphic novels written by Indigenous authors.

Updated May 29, 2026
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The rez doctor
Crazyboy, Gitz
Ebook
The Fragments That Remain
Angeconeb, Mackenzie
Paper Book
Dearest Departed, I do not know when I decided I was going to write. I am not a writer. You are. You were. Honorary twins Ally and Andy, born at the start and end of the same year, have always shared everything -- until Ally dies, his passing ruled a suicide by overdose. A year later, Andy...
Between the pipes
McLeod, Albert
Paper Book
Thirteen-year-old Chase's life and identity should be simple. He's the goalie for his hockey team, the Eagles. He's a friend to Kevin and Jade. He's Kookum's youngest grandchild. He's a boy. He should like girls. But it's not that simple. Chase doesn't like girls the way that the other...
Ours to tell : reclaiming Indigenous stories
Yellowhorn, Eldon
Paper Book
NYPL Best Books of 2025 | Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection | 2026 Best Children's Books of the Year List, Bank Street College of Education A wide-ranging anthology that shines a light on untold Indigenous stories as chronicled by Indigenous creators, compiled by the acclaimed...
This place : 150 years retold
Akiwenzie-Damm, Kateri
Ebook
Ahiahia the orphan
Illuitok, Levi
Paper Book
After his parents are brutally murdered, Ahiahia is raised by his grandmother in a camp surrounded by enemies. His grandmother knows that eventually the camp will turn on Ahiahia, just as it did his parents, so she chants a protection chant over the clothing that she lovingly sews for him, over the...
Funeral songs for dying girls
Dimaline, Cherie
Paper Book
After inadvertently starting rumors of a haunted cemetery, a teen befriends a ghost in this brand-new young adult novel exploring grief and belonging by the critically acclaimed and bestselling author of The Marrow Thieves series. Winifred has lived in the apartment above the...
My good man
Gansworth, Eric
Paper Book
BEST OF THE YEAR Kirkus * Boston Globe A literary tour-de-force sure to turn the coming-of-age genre on its head from Printz honoree Eric Gansworth Brian, a 20-something reporter on the Niagara Cascade's City...
Rez ball
Graves, Byron
Paper Book
This compelling debut novel by new talent Byron Graves tells the relatable, high-stakes story of a young athlete determined to play like the hero his Ojibwe community needs him to be. These days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school...
A girl called Echo. Vol. 1, Pemmican Wars
Vermette, Katherena
Ebook
Sheine Lende : A Prequel to Elatsoe
Badger, Darcie Little/ Cai, Rovina (ILT)
Paper Book
"Like Elatsoe, Sheine Lende is much more chill than your typical YA fantasy or YA mystery. The stakes are high, but it never feels stressful. There is little on-the-page violence, and even when things get heavy or dangerous, the reader always feels...
Hunting by stars
Dimaline, Cherie
Paper Book
From the acclaimed author of The Marrow Thieves comes a thrilling new story about hope and survival that New York Times bestselling author Angeline Boulley called "a revelatory must-read." Hunting by Stars is an engrossing, action-packed, deftly...
A snake falls to Earth
Little Badger, Darcie
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER In this breathaking work of Indigenous futurism, Darcie Little Badger weaves an unforgettable tale of monsters, magic, and family. Nina is a Lipan girl in our world. She's always felt there was something more out there. She still...
Firekeeper's daughter
Boulley, Angeline
Paper Book
An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller! A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick! A Printz Medal AND Morris Award Winner! "One of this year's most buzzed about young adult novels." --Good Morning America A groundbreaking thriller about...
Hearts unbroken
Smith, Cynthia Leitich
Paper Book
Winner of an American Indian Youth Literature Award New York Times best-selling author Cynthia Leitich Smith turns to realistic fiction with the thoughtful story of a Native teen navigating the complicated, confusing waters of high school -- and first love. ...
Sugar Falls : a residential school story
Robertson, David
Paper Book
A great read and teaching tool for National Indigenous History Month! Inspired by true events, this story of strength, family, and culture shares the awe-inspiring resilience of Elder Betty Ross. Abandoned as a young child, Betsy is adopted into a loving family. A few short years...
The Summer of Bitter and Sweet
Ferguson, Jen.
Paper Book
In this complex and emotionally resonant novel about a Métis girl living on the Canadian prairies, debut author Jen Ferguson serves up a powerful story about rage, secrets, and all the spectrums that make up a person--and the sweetness that can still live alongside the bitterest truth. A William...
Warrior girl unearthed
Boulley, Angeline
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times bestseller! A #1 Indies Bestseller! Six Starred Reviews! #1 New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper's Daughter Angeline Boulley takes us back to Sugar Island in this high-stakes thriller about the power of discovering your stolen...
Walking in Two Worlds
Kinew, Wab.
Paper Book
Bugz is a shy 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 massive multiplayer video game universe. Feng is a teen boy who has been sent from China to live with his aunt, a doctor on the...
Man made monsters
Rogers, Andrea L.
Ebook
18 illustrated horror stories follow one Cherokee family through the atrocities -- supernatural and manmade -- each generation encounters -- ALSO AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK! Imagine a chilling horror collection that weaves classic monsters like werewolves and vampires with the true...
Iz the apocalypse
Currie, Susan
Paper Book
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection! A fierce voice longs to break free. A spark ignites inside fourteen-year-old Iz Beaufort when she hears school music group Manifesto perform. Even though she hasn't written a song since That Place, she recognizes...
Elatsoe
Little Badger, Darcie
Paper Book
One of TIME Magazine's Top 100 Fantasy Novels of All Time -- Now in Paperback!  A Texas teen comes face-to-face with a cousin's ghost and vows to unmask the murderer. Elatsoe--Ellie for short--lives in an alternate contemporary America shaped by the...

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