Firekeeper's Daughter - by Angeline Boulley

About the Book

Daunis, who's part Ojibwe, defers attending the University of Michigan to care for her mother and reluctantly becomes involved in the investigation of a series of drug-related deaths.

Book Synopsis

A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB YA PICK

An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller

Soon to be adapted at Netflix for TV with President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground.

"One of this year's most buzzed about young adult novels." --Good Morning America

A 2021 Kids' Indie Next List Selection
An Amazon Best Book of the Month for March Selection
An Entertainment Weekly Most Anticipated Books of 2021 Selection
A PopSugar Best March 2021 YA Book Selection

With four starred reviews, Angeline Boulley's debut novel, Firekeeper's Daughter, is a groundbreaking YA thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption in her community, perfect for readers of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange.

Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi's hockey team.

Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. At the same time, she grows concerned with an investigation that seems more focused on punishing the offenders than protecting the victims.

Now, as the deceptions--and deaths--keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she'll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she's ever known.

Review Quotes

This is one bold, uncompromising and elegantly crafted debut. --Courtney Summers, New York Times-bestselling author of Sadie

Intricate and moving. Boulley takes the reader on an incredible journey with the assurance of a veteran novelist. --Tochi Onyebuchi, award-winning author of Beasts Made of Night and Riot Baby

"A rare and mesmerizing work that blends the power of a vibrant tradition with the aches and energy of today's America. This book will leave you breathless!" --Francisco X. Stork, acclaimed author of Marcelo in the Real World and Illegal

[An] absolute powerhouse of a debut. --NPR

"Another YA novel that's absolutely page-turning required reading for adults...Our heroine is so smart, so thoughtful, and so good." --Glamour

Raw and moving. . . Boulley has crafted a nuanced and refreshing protagonist. --Cosmopolitan

Sure to be on one of the year's best YA novels --POPSUGAR

A gorgeous insight into Anishinaabe culture and a page-turning YA thriller with a healthy dose of romance thrown in, Firekeeper's Daughter hits all of the right notes. --Hypable

Immersive and enthralling, Firekeeper's Daughter plunges the reader into a community and a landscape enriched by a profound spiritual tradition. Full of huge characters and spellbinding scenes, it gives a fascinating insight into life on and off the reservation, with Daunis as a tough and resourceful heroine through every vicissitude. --Financial Times

Hitting hard when it comes to issues such as citizenship, language revitalization, and the corrosive presence of drugs on Native communities, this novel will long stand in the hearts of both Native and non-Native audiences. --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Though Firekeeper's Daughter contains gripping action sequences and gasp-inducing twists, it's Daunis' mission of self-discovery, which begins as a low and steady growl and grows to a fierce, proud roar, that has the most impact... Though it both shocks and thrills, in the end, what leaves you breathless is Firekeeper's Daughter's blazing heart. --BookPage, Starred Review

Boulley, herself an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, writes from a place of love for her community and shares some key teachings from her culture, even mixing languages within the context of the story. She doesn't shy away from or sugar-coat the very real circumstances that plague reservations across the country, and she tackles these through her biracial hero who gets involved in the criminal investigation into the corruption that led to this pain. An incredible thriller, not to be missed. --Booklist, Starred Review

This suspenseful upper-YA novel will keep readers wondering who Daunis can trust. --Horn Book, Starred Review

A suspenseful tale filled with Ojibwe knowledge, hockey, and the politics of status. --Kirkus Reviews

A character-driven crime thriller packed with Ojibwe culture and high-stakes tension with themes of identity, trust, and resilience. --School Library Journal

A perfectly calibrated pace and a constantly shifting list of suspects keep the tension high. --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

About The Author

Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, is a storyteller who writes about her Ojibwe community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She is a former Director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education. Angeline lives in southwest Michigan, but her home will always be on Sugar Island. Firekeeper's Daughter is her debut novel.