Not My Girl is technically a sequel to When I Was Eight, but it's not necessary to first read When I Was Eight; this one stands on its own quite well.

I have to admit the story brought tears to my eyes. Poor Margaret returns home after 2 years of school to be called "not my girl!" by her momma and snarled at by her family's dogs. What a disappointing return home! I cheered for Margaret as she re-integrated with her family and once again adapted to their lifestyle and food.

The illustrations are gorgeous, especially those of the northern lights.

Note: I received a digital copy of this book through NetGalley. ( )

The story is of an Inuit girl who returns home to her family after being sent to a First Peoples/Native American boarding school, probably forcibly by the government. These acts of cultural genocide tore families apart, killed Native/Indigenous languages, cultures, and communities. This children's story aptly tells of a child's experience and how hard it was to return to her family. In the story, the protagonist steps off a boat and hears her mother's shock in the words "Not My Girl" and the story talks about how she has to relearn how to join her community.

The story is an important one to be shared with children and adults today. The last Native American boarding school only closed about 30-40 years ago which means there are still parents and grandparents who remember this horrific time period. This book should be read and talked about and included in school libraries and classrooms. I hope it doesn't end up in clearance bins, sweeping aside inconvenient history is how racism survives. ( )

In this sequel to When I Was Eight, Margaret returns home to her Inuit family after two years in a residential school and feels like an outsider among her own people. ( )

"As usual I received this book free for the purposes of review. Also as usual I give my candid thoughts below.

The story, as you can tell from the description, is that of a young Inuit girl who returns home from what is essentially boarding school only to be rejected by her friends and family because she is now an outsider.

To the positive side, the story is a pretty moving and complex one. It raises some serious and deeply difficult questions about what it means to belong to a group and the divide between native cultures and the outside world. As an adult I really feel for the main character because she's representative of all those who find themselves in a modern world yet tied to an earlier time by family bonds.

The negative side, unfortunately, is that I can't imagine any child wanting to read this book. The point is strongly made on me but there's no way I could ready this to my own kids and make them understand the complicated issues this book is trying to address. This is just too deep and too emotional for any 5-7-year-old to really get it. Add to that the fact that the illustrations are at times rather warped and abstract and you get a book that I just wouldn't take a chance on.

In summary, I love the point this book is trying to make but this is just the sort of children's book that will end up in the clearance bin. It's trying to say too much to the wrong sort of audience. It's a pity because it's a good message. Just not aimed at the right crowd." ( )