Meet our Contributor:
| Dr. Cindi Koudelka (@cmkoudelka) is a former Curriculum Specialist and Teacher with National Board Certification in Adolescent Young Adulthood/English Language Arts. She is an Adjunct professor at Aurora University. Cindi is involved in multiple literacy research organizations and continues to present and publish on a range of educational topics. She is a youth advocate who strives to deepen her learning through research focused on critical adolescent literacies, educational equity, positioning, and youth participatory action research. Her greatest passion is supporting adolescents in reflecting critically and foregrounding activism, community, and love. |  |
Every Child Matters, Every Story Matters:
Honoring Orange Shirt Day with Indigenous YA Literature
by Cindi Koudelka
As students head back to school, many come in their new “back-to-school” outfits, lovingly selected in the days before that first day. Social media is filled with images of smiling children holding up signs to commemorate the moment. History reminds us that not everyone’s school experiences begin with special outfits and smiling faces. For Phyllis Webstad (Northern Secwépemc from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation), her memories are far less happy. In 1973, six-year-old Phyllis and her Grandmother excitedly shopped for her new school clothes before she was sent to St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School. Her family, like so many Indigenous families across Canada, believed the school would give her a chance at opportunities that generations of colonial oppression had worked to deny. In reality, residential schools were not about opportunity — they were instruments of continued oppression through forced assimilation. On her very first day, the beautiful orange shirt that she and her Grandmother had so thoughtfully picked out was stripped from her, never to be returned. Like the other students, she was provided a uniform, stripping not only her clothes but her entire identity as if her story didn’t matter. Although the shirt itself was never returned, Phyllis never forgot the trauma.
In 2013, she bravely shared her story for the first time, and from there, Orange Shirt Day was born. On September 30 of each year, people wear orange to remember Phyllis’ story and the stories of the many Indigenous children harmed by the legacy of the residential schools. The goal is to foster awareness of history through “truth and reconciliation”.
Although National Truth and Reconciliation Day (originally Orange Shirt Day) is only an official holiday in Canada, the US does use that date as a National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools. Whether we honor this tragic legacy officially or not, everyone needs to understand these past atrocities to avoid repeating history. One way that we can do that as readers and teachers of YA literature is to include Indigenous voices in our libraries, classrooms, and hearts. With that in mind, here are a few newer books!
Although National Truth and Reconciliation Day (originally Orange Shirt Day) is only an official holiday in Canada, the US does use that date as a National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools. Whether we honor this tragic legacy officially or not, everyone needs to understand these past atrocities to avoid repeating history. One way that we can do that as readers and teachers of YA literature is to include Indigenous voices in our libraries, classrooms, and hearts. With that in mind, here are a few newer books!
Some Indigenous Books to Consider
Words Spoken True by Anne Broyles (Cherokee Nation)
On shelves November 3, 2026
This first recommendation connects closely with Orange Shirt Day, as it tells the story of fourteen-year-old Jane Bushyhead, a girl who dreams of becoming a teacher until her family is forced from their Cherokee homeland at gunpoint. After months of imprisonment, Jane and her community are marched eight hundred miles toward "Indian Territory" during one of the deadliest winters of the 1800s — many without shoes, all without enough food, as illness spreads through the group. Broyles doesn't look away from the suffering, but she roots the story in Jane's resilience: her budding romance, the comfort of family, and her growing sense of purpose as she begins recording her people's stories along the way. As the journey wears on, Jane must reckon with a choice between love and the family she's determined to protect — a tension that mirrors the larger, unbearable choices forced onto Cherokee families during the actual Trail of Tears.
On shelves November 3, 2026
This first recommendation connects closely with Orange Shirt Day, as it tells the story of fourteen-year-old Jane Bushyhead, a girl who dreams of becoming a teacher until her family is forced from their Cherokee homeland at gunpoint. After months of imprisonment, Jane and her community are marched eight hundred miles toward "Indian Territory" during one of the deadliest winters of the 1800s — many without shoes, all without enough food, as illness spreads through the group. Broyles doesn't look away from the suffering, but she roots the story in Jane's resilience: her budding romance, the comfort of family, and her growing sense of purpose as she begins recording her people's stories along the way. As the journey wears on, Jane must reckon with a choice between love and the family she's determined to protect — a tension that mirrors the larger, unbearable choices forced onto Cherokee families during the actual Trail of Tears.
Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley (Ojibwe)
Another book that explores the oppression and inhumanity Indigenous people face is Angeline Boulley's third book in the Firekeeper series. It's been out for about a year, but it fits our theme perfectly. Set between Firekeeper's Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed, this compelling story is full of twists and turns, uncovering a web of secrets and reminding us what it means to belong to a family and a community. Eighteen-year-old Lucy Smith has been running from a foster system she never trusted, ever since her father's death left "home" feeling like something she would never know again. When Mr. Jameson (Yes, Jamie from the first book!) and Daunis track her down, Lucy is forced to decide whether to trust them when they share a secret her father had hidden from her all along: she's Ojibwe, with a sister, more siblings, and a grandmother who would love her. But first, she must outrun the other part of her past.
Another book that explores the oppression and inhumanity Indigenous people face is Angeline Boulley's third book in the Firekeeper series. It's been out for about a year, but it fits our theme perfectly. Set between Firekeeper's Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed, this compelling story is full of twists and turns, uncovering a web of secrets and reminding us what it means to belong to a family and a community. Eighteen-year-old Lucy Smith has been running from a foster system she never trusted, ever since her father's death left "home" feeling like something she would never know again. When Mr. Jameson (Yes, Jamie from the first book!) and Daunis track her down, Lucy is forced to decide whether to trust them when they share a secret her father had hidden from her all along: she's Ojibwe, with a sister, more siblings, and a grandmother who would love her. But first, she must outrun the other part of her past.
Fight Song by Kirk Van Brunt (Colville-Secwepemc)
On shelves September 15, 2026
As a hockey mom, I always love finding a good sports book about the game. I especially love that this one features an Indigenous female hockey player. The book also shines a spotlight on corruption within the foster care system. Nokes Lasley has a promising future as a right-winger star, and she dreams of going to the Olympics. Unfortunately, her home life is far from stable. When her father is arrested for murder, Nokes is thrown into the foster care system. She decides to run to pursue her dreams and find some stability. The past has a way of finding everyone, and it catches up with her. She must decide between a life on the run or facing her history and a reckoning with her own Indigenous heritage.
On shelves September 15, 2026
As a hockey mom, I always love finding a good sports book about the game. I especially love that this one features an Indigenous female hockey player. The book also shines a spotlight on corruption within the foster care system. Nokes Lasley has a promising future as a right-winger star, and she dreams of going to the Olympics. Unfortunately, her home life is far from stable. When her father is arrested for murder, Nokes is thrown into the foster care system. She decides to run to pursue her dreams and find some stability. The past has a way of finding everyone, and it catches up with her. She must decide between a life on the run or facing her history and a reckoning with her own Indigenous heritage.
Shards of Silence by Brian Lee Young (Diné)
This next pick connects directly back to where we started: the legacy of boarding schools and the silence so many survivors carried for decades. I also love how it honors the connection between two generations. Derrick is a Navajo teen navigating an elite East Coast prep school while his great-grandmother lives with buried memories of a federal Indigenous boarding school. Derrick has a great opportunity even though it means leaving his family behind and facing a world completely different than his own. His classmates vacation in Europe, while Derrick constantly faces microaggressions and comments about his hair and heritage. As a school assignment, he digs into his family’s heritage, and he discovers that his great-grandmother’s fear about his life at school is rooted in her own traumatic experience in a federal boarding school. Derrick begins to understand that carrying his great-grandmother's story forward could not only free her from the pain, but also break a silence that has shaped generations of his family.
This next pick connects directly back to where we started: the legacy of boarding schools and the silence so many survivors carried for decades. I also love how it honors the connection between two generations. Derrick is a Navajo teen navigating an elite East Coast prep school while his great-grandmother lives with buried memories of a federal Indigenous boarding school. Derrick has a great opportunity even though it means leaving his family behind and facing a world completely different than his own. His classmates vacation in Europe, while Derrick constantly faces microaggressions and comments about his hair and heritage. As a school assignment, he digs into his family’s heritage, and he discovers that his great-grandmother’s fear about his life at school is rooted in her own traumatic experience in a federal boarding school. Derrick begins to understand that carrying his great-grandmother's story forward could not only free her from the pain, but also break a silence that has shaped generations of his family.
An Expanse of Blue by Kauakanilehua Mahoe Adams (Kanaka Maoli)
When people think of Indigenous peoples, they may forget this includes a myriad of First Nations, including Kānaka Maoli, the Indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. This novel-in-verse tells the powerful story of a Native Hawaiian girl's fight to find belonging in a fracturing family, delivered with resounding emotional truth. Aouli Elizabeth Smith feels lost. She is unheard at home and an unbeliever at church, causing a rift with both her sister and her best friend. The only time she feels heard is when she writes in her song journal, the one place she can say what is truly in her heart. She also finds joy on the Saturday afternoons she gets to spend at her Aunty Ehu's house with her extended Native Hawaiian community in Western Washington. Then an unspeakable truth about her father shatters that one perfect corner of her world. As the world seems to close in around her, she struggles to find words to even put into her journal until she meets Nalu, a new boy who seems to see her for who she is and might be the key to giving her back her voice.
When people think of Indigenous peoples, they may forget this includes a myriad of First Nations, including Kānaka Maoli, the Indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. This novel-in-verse tells the powerful story of a Native Hawaiian girl's fight to find belonging in a fracturing family, delivered with resounding emotional truth. Aouli Elizabeth Smith feels lost. She is unheard at home and an unbeliever at church, causing a rift with both her sister and her best friend. The only time she feels heard is when she writes in her song journal, the one place she can say what is truly in her heart. She also finds joy on the Saturday afternoons she gets to spend at her Aunty Ehu's house with her extended Native Hawaiian community in Western Washington. Then an unspeakable truth about her father shatters that one perfect corner of her world. As the world seems to close in around her, she struggles to find words to even put into her journal until she meets Nalu, a new boy who seems to see her for who she is and might be the key to giving her back her voice.
Like Glass By Jen Ferguson (Métis)
On shelves October 6, 2026
Not every story on this list needs to center a struggle with Indigenous identity to matter. Like Glass proves that families' struggles cross all cultural lines. It is a moving, grief-soaked story about a fractured family in which the protagonist just happens to be Métis, like her author. When Tatum Nova Lambert boards a plane to Chamonix, a small town in the French Alps, she has one half-formed plan: to drag her Michelin-star-winning dad home. Since her older sister Bronwyn's death a year ago, Tate and her dad barely speak, so she is surprised to learn that he is living in her sister’s old apartment. When she gets there, she is particularly unnerved to learn that she is expected to sleep in the very bed where her sister died. While she tries to untangle the secret life her sister left behind, Tate falls in with an unlikely pair — Agatha, a schedule-obsessed Olympic ski-jump hopeful, and Beetle, a pickpocket and general teenage dirtbag — bringing her own particular brand of chaos into their world, all while she wrestles with whether she can forgive her father and her sister for leaving her behind.
On shelves October 6, 2026
Not every story on this list needs to center a struggle with Indigenous identity to matter. Like Glass proves that families' struggles cross all cultural lines. It is a moving, grief-soaked story about a fractured family in which the protagonist just happens to be Métis, like her author. When Tatum Nova Lambert boards a plane to Chamonix, a small town in the French Alps, she has one half-formed plan: to drag her Michelin-star-winning dad home. Since her older sister Bronwyn's death a year ago, Tate and her dad barely speak, so she is surprised to learn that he is living in her sister’s old apartment. When she gets there, she is particularly unnerved to learn that she is expected to sleep in the very bed where her sister died. While she tries to untangle the secret life her sister left behind, Tate falls in with an unlikely pair — Agatha, a schedule-obsessed Olympic ski-jump hopeful, and Beetle, a pickpocket and general teenage dirtbag — bringing her own particular brand of chaos into their world, all while she wrestles with whether she can forgive her father and her sister for leaving her behind.
Children of Owl by Darcie Little Badger (Lipan Apache) and Illustrated by Abigail Rajunov
On shelves October 6, 2026
This next book looks at the world of death and family a little differently. In this book, Darcie Little Badger and Abigail Rajunov collaborate to create four intertwining stories and accompanying comics featuring three cousins, creatures, ghosts, and murderers in their trailer park. When Big Owl's son warns sixteen-year-old Maisie that tragedy is coming for someone she loves, she isn't told when, or what, or who—only that she has to stop it. That impossible task sends her scrambling to protect everyone in her orbit: a cousin haunted by a real ghost, another cousin jailed for a murder he didn't commit, a cat that isn't quite what it seems, and the rest of her extended family, all while a vengeful monster closes in. Told through a mix of first- and third-person narration, letters, diary entries, and comic-panel pages, the story draws on Lipan Apache storytelling traditions.
On shelves October 6, 2026
This next book looks at the world of death and family a little differently. In this book, Darcie Little Badger and Abigail Rajunov collaborate to create four intertwining stories and accompanying comics featuring three cousins, creatures, ghosts, and murderers in their trailer park. When Big Owl's son warns sixteen-year-old Maisie that tragedy is coming for someone she loves, she isn't told when, or what, or who—only that she has to stop it. That impossible task sends her scrambling to protect everyone in her orbit: a cousin haunted by a real ghost, another cousin jailed for a murder he didn't commit, a cat that isn't quite what it seems, and the rest of her extended family, all while a vengeful monster closes in. Told through a mix of first- and third-person narration, letters, diary entries, and comic-panel pages, the story draws on Lipan Apache storytelling traditions.
Medicine Wheels by Byron Graves (Red Lake Ojibwe and Lakota)
The final pick doesn’t feature any ghosts, but it is a powerful story of grief and family. There are some very heavy themes as it includes alcoholism, grief, domestic abuse, terminal illness, death of a parent, drug use, and self-harm. When Bryce's mom leaves her abusive boyfriend and lands back in jail for a probation violation, he ends up at his grandparents' house on the Wolf Creek reservation, where he reunites with old friends Robbie and Mikayla at the local skate park. Rather than the boring summer he was expecting, Bryce finds himself drawn to the same sport of skateboarding that his late father had once loved. As Bryce works to master the board and life, he's pulled into a fight against a pipeline threatening tribal land. This lovely coming-of-age novel once again reminds us about the oppression faced by Indigenous communities as they must continue to fight for land that was stolen from them, sovereignty over their identity, and the right to their orange shirts.
The final pick doesn’t feature any ghosts, but it is a powerful story of grief and family. There are some very heavy themes as it includes alcoholism, grief, domestic abuse, terminal illness, death of a parent, drug use, and self-harm. When Bryce's mom leaves her abusive boyfriend and lands back in jail for a probation violation, he ends up at his grandparents' house on the Wolf Creek reservation, where he reunites with old friends Robbie and Mikayla at the local skate park. Rather than the boring summer he was expecting, Bryce finds himself drawn to the same sport of skateboarding that his late father had once loved. As Bryce works to master the board and life, he's pulled into a fight against a pipeline threatening tribal land. This lovely coming-of-age novel once again reminds us about the oppression faced by Indigenous communities as they must continue to fight for land that was stolen from them, sovereignty over their identity, and the right to their orange shirts.
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