Residential Schools: Books for TeensLike this list

16 items

• Orange Shirt Day

  September 30th

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  Phyllis Webstad’s story inspired Orange Shirt Day, and this book shares that story for older child and teen readers. It is a powerful resource for anyone looking for more information about how to discuss the trauma that resulted from Residential…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Aggie and Mudgy

  the Journey of Two Kaska Dena Children

  Proverbs, Wendy,

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  Based on the true story of the biological mother and aunt of author Wendy Proverb (Kaska Dene), this middle-grade novel shares the terrifying journey of two Kaska Dena sisters as they are taken from their home to attend Residential School.

• Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action

  View on trc.ca

  For those searching for ways to address the wrongs in both Canada's past and present, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Calls to Action is a good place to start. These 94 Calls to Action were released back in 2015 and there is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Picking Up the Pieces

  Residential School Memories and the Making of the Witness Blanket

  Newman, Carey, 1975-

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  As a response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's call for projects to help tell the story of Residential Schools, author and carver Carey Newman (Hayalthkin'geme) made a Witness Blanket -- a massive "blanket" comprised of one artifact from…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Witness Blanket

  Truth, Art and Reconciliation

  Newman, Carey, 1975-

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  Newman (Hayalthkin'geme) has written a second book inspired by The Witness Blanket, his art piece comprised of artifacts from Residential Schools. This 2022 book is a collection of truths about what happened at the Residential Schools, but also a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Stranger at Home

  a True Story

  Jordan-Fenton, Christy

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  A Stranger at Home is the second instalment in Margaret-Olemaun Pokiak-Fenton’s (Inuvialuit) poignant memoirs, written with her daughter-in-law, Christy Jordan-Fenton. The first, Fatty Legs, focused on Margaret's time at a Residential School. In the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Speaking Our Truth

  a Journey of Reconciliation

  Gray Smith, Monique, 1968-

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  Written for school-aged children but engaging for teens and adults, Gray Smith (Cree, Lakota and Scottish) explains the history of the treatment of Indigenous people in Canada, and looks to reconciliation as a compelling, necessary, and hopeful…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Residential Schools

  With the Words and Images of Survivors

  Loyie, Larry, 1933-,

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  This anthology for teens and adults brings together many voices and perspectives from across Canada through anecdotes, archives, and imagery to demonstrate the damage the Residential School system inflicted on Indigenous communities. Readers get…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sugar Falls

  a Residential School Story

  Robertson, David, 1977-

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  Based on the true story of Betty Ross, a Cree Elder from Cross Lake First Nation in Manitoba, Robertson (New Norway House First Nation) writes an unflinching account of one girl’s resilience and resistance to Residential School. Eight-year-old Betty…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• UNeducation

  a Residential School Graphic Novel, Volume 1

  EagleSpeaker, Jason

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  In this series, intended for older teens and adults, EagleSpeaker (Blackfoot and Duwamish) unflinchingly depicts the trauma of "uneducation" that Residential Schools inflicted upon Indigenous children to sever them from their history, family, and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Firekeeper's Daughter

  Boulley, Angeline,

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  This brilliant, award-winning, page-turner of a novel introduces 18-year-old Daunis, a powerful young Anishinaabe woman helping to protect her community by going undercover and using her knowledge of chemistry and traditional medicine to crack a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• 7 Generations

  a Plains Cree Saga

  Robertson, David, 1977-

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  Originally published as a best-selling, four-part graphic novel series for teens (Stone; Scars; Ends/Begins; and The Pact), Robertson (New Norway House Cree Nation) compiles all four in this book, telling the unforgettable story of one Cree family…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Jim Thorpe

  Original All-American : a Novel

  Bruchac, Joseph, 1942-

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  Joseph Bruchac (Nulhegan Abenaki) has written a compelling biography of Jim Thorpe, an athlete who was accomplished at football, baseball, and track and won two gold medals in the 1912 Olympics. While Thorpe was lauded as a skilled athlete, his life…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Goodbye Buffalo Bay

  [a True Story of Life in a Residential School--and of Moving on]

  Loyie, Oskiniko Larry, 1933-

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  This book is the sequel to As Long as the Rivers Flow, and is aimed at younger teen readers. This memoir of Larry Loyie’s (Cree) teen years shows the challenges he faced reconnecting to his family and traditional ways when he returned home from…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Marrow Thieves

  Dimaline, Cherie, 1975-

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  In an apocalyptic future, Indigenous people are being hunted and harvested for their bone marrow, which carries the key to recovering something the rest of the population has lost: the ability to dream. From the Georgian Bay Métis Nation in Ontario,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Apple

  Skin to the Core : a Memoir in Words and Pictures

  Gansworth, Eric L.,

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  Eric Gansworth (Eel clan, enrolled Onondaga, born and raised at the Tuscarora Nation) has written a memoir that reads like a scrapbook, filled with illustrations and poems capturing moments from his life and his family's story. He reflects on how…Read moreRead more of this annotation