  | Buffalo dreamer Author: Duncan, Violet | |
| Price: $23.08 | ||
Summary:
Summer and her family always spend summers in Alberta, Canada, on the reservation where her mom's family lives. Summer begins to have dreams in which she's running away from one of the real-life residential schools that tore Native children from their families and tried to erase their Native identities. When she learns unmarked children's graves have been discovered at the school her grandpa attended as a child, she's heartbroken about all her grandfather was forced to give up and miss out on.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.90 Points: 3.0 Quiz: 556594 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (08/15/24)
School Library Journal (+) (08/16/24)
Booklist (06/01/24)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/07/24)
The Hornbook (00/09/24)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 08/16/2024 Gr 3–7—An important middle grade novel about a family reunion, as well as the histories of the Indian residential schools that were set up across the U.S. and Canada. Summer, 12, and her little brother Sage have traveled from their home in Arizona to visit their grandparents in Canada. Summer's mother is Cree and her father is Apache Indian. Upon arrival at Kokom and Mosom's (her grandma and grandpa) home, Summer is reunited with beloved family members including her favorite cousin Autumn. While on her travels, Summer has been dreaming about Buffalo Dreamer, a girl who is running to escape the horrors of residential school. Summer is puzzled and ponders their relevance to the excavation that is currently happening at the site of the old residential school that her grandfather attended as a child. When unmarked children's graves are unearthed at the site, it devastates Summer while leading to more people in her life opening up about their experiences at these traumatic institutions. Based on Duncan's family history, this novel balances an exploration of painful events with idyllic scenes of intergenerational love and connection. Beautiful descriptions of traditional Native American culture and dress make scenes vivid for readers as Summer's family rides horses, picks berries, prepares meals, and shares stories, even ones that have remained unspoken. VERDICT A powerful addition to all middle grade library shelves highlighting a time in history that has been hidden and often forgotten in both Canada and the U.S.—Tracy Cronce - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 06/01/2024 Past and present converge in Duncan's novel about an extended Canadian Cree family spending vacation time together. Summer, from the U.S., has traveled to her mother's homeland, where she's looking forward to being with her cousin, collecting sweetgrass and wild berries, swimming, and riding her horse. However, just after crossing the border, she locks eyes with an elderly Cree woman and begins having disturbing dreams of a girl running away from a residential school that Indigenous children were once forced to attend, cutting them off from family and culture. The dreams blend, and reflect on, local and family history. Nearby is an old school whose grounds are being dug up as a gruesome secret is exposed. Using Summer's dreams to spur them toward learning about the school and their grandfather's youth, the girls also join a protest of what the school represents, and Summer once again crosses paths with the woman, Buffalo Dreamer, who has haunted her sleep. This story of maturation and involvement in community will appeal to readers interested in the past and in present-day social action. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.
