About this item
Highlights
- "This compelling novel will introduce young readers to the complexities of modern indigeneity and resilience.
- 9-12 Years
- 7.4" x 5.5" Paperback
- 192 Pages
- Juvenile Fiction, People & Places
Description
About the Book
"A young Indigenous girl searching for a sense of home finds strength and courage in her gifts, her deepening connection to the land, and her own cultural awakening in this moving coming-of-age story. The last thing that twelve-year-old Misko wants to do is to move away from the city to spend time on the rez with her grandmother. She feels strangely compelled to go to the place where her dreams have been tugging at her to come home. Maybe she can finally find out what happened to her mother, who mysteriously disappeared when she was four years old. Misko discovers her unique ability to connect to a spirited horse named Mishtadim who is being violently broken in by the rancher next door and his son, Thomas. Although Misko and Thomas challenge one another, their friendship is forged through the taming of the wild horse. In the process, she realizes the true meaning of belonging and that you can never truly leave home. She Holds Up the Stars is a powerful story of reconciliation and the interwoven threads that connect us to family, to the land, and to our own sense of self."--Book Synopsis
"This compelling novel will introduce young readers to the complexities of modern indigeneity and resilience."--Eden Robinson, author of Monkey Beach and Son of Trickster.
A young Indigenous girl searching for a sense of home finds strength and courage in her gifts, her deepening connection to the land, and her own cultural awakening in this moving coming-of-age story.
The last thing that twelve-year old Misko wants to do is to move away from the city to spend time on the rez with her grandmother. And yet she feels strangely compelled to go, drawn by a pull that she feels in her dreams. Maybe she can finally find out what happened to her mother, who mysteriously disappeared when Misko was four years old.
Misko's relationship to the rez shifts when she encounters a spirited horse named Mishtadim. But Mishtadim is being violently broken by the rancher next door and his son Thomas. Misko and Thomas clash at first, only to find themselves drawn together by the wild horse. As Misko slowly discovers her unique bond with Mishtadim, she feels a sense of belonging and comes to understand the beauty of the world all around her.
She Holds Up the Stars is a powerful story of reconciliation and the interwoven threads that tie us to family, to the land, and to our own sense of self.
Review Quotes
"This heartfelt story of self-discovery and personal strength is told
in language filled with evocative imagery and Anishinaabemowin
sprinkled throughout ... A tale of strength and determination rooted in
the ancestral pull of home and family."
"Enjoy and savor this instant classic. I love this book."--Richard Van Camp, author of The Lesser Blessed, Little You, and When We Play Our Drums, They Sing!
"This compelling novel will introduce young readers to the complexities of modern indigeneity and resilience."--Eden Robinson, author of Monkey Beach and Son of Trickster.
About the Author
SANDRA LARONDE is originally from the Teme-Augama-Anishinaabe (People of the Deep Water) in Temagami, Northern Ontario. An accomplished arts innovator and cultural leader, Sandra has conceived, developed, produced, and disseminated many award-winning productions. She is the founder, and Executive and Artistic Director, of Red Sky Performance, www.redskyperformance.com, a leading company of contemporary Indigenous performance worldwide.