Language: PG (5 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG (reference to sex) Violence: PG (hunting violence, bullying, fighting, bear attack with expected injuries)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
15yo Ezra is living in Minnesota with his dad when an altercation between Matt Schroeder and Nora, a girl Ezra likes, causes him to injure his hand defending her. That evening Matt's home catches fire, and Ezra is blamed. Although he knows he's innocent, Ezra's dad sends him to the reservation in Canada to spend the rest of the winter running traplines with his Ojibwa grandfather.
I thought this was going to be a murder mystery. Although the whodunit was always there, it was more a premise to get Ezra into the wilderness with his grandfather to learn the Ojibwa ways of hunting, setting traps, and caring about nature. Gently told, the hunting violence was mild. I loved witnessing Ezra's ceremonies. While certainly written for the indigenous teen, the story is universal and could be enjoyed by readers of any culture. Most of the characters are Ojibwe.
Lisa Librarian
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