Tuesday, November 15th at 4:30 p.m.
Click here to register for our Book Bunch.

Join Caroline and Donna for a book discussion and trivia game for 4th through 8th graders! We will be reading Sisters of the Neversea by Cynthia Leitich Smith. This is a perfect read to celebrate Native American Heritage Month.

Sisters of the Neversea is a retelling of Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. Lily and Wendy were friends long before they became step-sisters. As summer approaches, Wendy, who is English, is going to stay with her father in New York City. Lily, who’s Muscogee Creek, is staying in Tulsa. The girls are not thrilled to be spending their summer apart. A boy, who calls himself Peter Pan, has been watching them, and plans to kidnap the girls to a mysterious island. The island is full of pirates, mermaids, and fairies. Wendy and Lily will have to escape the island to find their way back home.

The Trove will provide a free copy of the book for the first eight individuals to register for the discussion. When the books are available, we will email to arrange pickup; please list an email address and phone number when registering. You can place a hold on the book using our catalog. If you prefer the eBook, you can find it on Libby here.

Here are some other related reading suggestions:

Ancestors Approved by Cynthia Leitich Smith
For grades 4-8
Library Collection: Print
Libby: eBook

“Readers can join the fun in this collection of 18 contemporary stories and poems about loving families from various parts of the U.S. and Canada who travel to meet, dance, sing, socialize, and honor Native traditions at an intertribal powwow. The entries tell of the personal struggles, family joy, belief systems, and stunning regalia of various nations, including the Cree, Ojibwe, Choctaw, Cherokee, Navajo, Abenaki, and Haudenosaunee, through the eyes of the young protagonists. Enrollment issues, Indian wannabes, and veterans’ histories are just a few of the serious themes addressed in these entertaining stories written by familiar and lesser-known writers alike. Senses of goodwill and humor pervade the book as well as the spirit of community, intersection, resilience, and a desire to remember the past. Whether engaging with the quiet spiritual strength displayed in ‘Fancy Dancer’ by Monique Gray Smith or the profound point of view of Brian Young’s ‘Senecavajo,’ the stories are full of surprises. Rebecca Roanhorse writes from a dog’s vantage point, and Dawn Quigley asks about the nature of intelligence. Many other original tales complete this anthology of modern Natives celebrating their diversity together. An especially winning feature is the glossary in which various Indigenous vocabulary words in the stories are defined.”–Kirkus Review

Healer of the Water Monster by Brian Young
For children grades 5-8
Library Collection: Print
Libby: eBook

“On the surface, 11-year-old Nathan is like many other boys. His parents are divorced, and he’s a little upset with his father. His paternal grandmother, Nali, is supportive, and he’s eager to spend the summer with her on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico, working on his science fair project. Nathan moves into her rural home, expecting a quiet summer. Instead, he has the adventure of a lifetime when he discovers something is eating Nali’s heirloom seeds. Wandering into the desert, he encounters Pond, an ailing water monster. Adults cannot see Holy Beings from the creation stories, but as a child, Nathan can; with the help of a communication stone, he enters a world of Navajo cosmology. He brings a message to his grandmother about the Enemy Way and helps his Uncle Jet, a traumatized Marine veteran skeptical about his family’s traditional ways, who is haunted by the shadow voice of an Ash Being. Healing—for the earth, the water monster, and Uncle Jet—is on the line as Nathan travels to the Third World to meet the most sacred Holy Being of all. The deeply grounded and original perspective of this story brings readers into both the worlds of Navajo blessing songs, rain songs, and traditional healing and everyday family relationships. Hands readers a meaningful new take on family love.“–Kirkus Review