When Misko was just 4 years old, her mother disappeared without a trace, one of thousands of indigenous women and girls who go missing each year. Now 12 years old, Misko, a member of the Ojibway tribe, is sent to spend the summer with her Kokum (grandma) on the reservation after she escapes a kidnapping attempt in Winnipeg, where she now lives with her aunt. It's here that Misko connects with her ancestors, their customs, and her heritage. While there, Misko meets Thomas, the Caucasian boy next door whose cruel father trains and sells horses and they strike up an unlikely friendship, bonding over Mishtadim, a horse that Misko has an indescribable connection to.

This book was very enjoyable. As part of the backstory, we learn of this family's connection to the Canada's residential schools, "schools" where indigenous children were sent after they were forcibly removed from their homes, places filled with abuse and death, designed to break indigenous kids and kill the Indian in them. While heartbreaking, this only made the story that much more authentic. With themes such as racism, abuse, and discovering one's cultural identity, this book would be appropriate for middle school children and up.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. ( )

When Misko was just 4 years old, her mother disappeared without a trace, one of thousands of indigenous women and girls who go missing each year. Now 12 years old, Misko, a member of the Ojibway tribe, is sent to spend the summer with her Kokum (grandma) on the reservation after she escapes a kidnapping attempt in Winnipeg, where she now lives with her aunt. It's here that Misko connects with her ancestors, their customs, and her heritage. While there, Misko meets Thomas, the Caucasian boy next door whose cruel father trains and sells horses and they strike up an unlikely friendship, bonding over Mishtadim, a horse that Misko has an indescribable connection to.

This book was very enjoyable. As part of the backstory, we learn of this family's connection to the Canada's residential schools, "schools" where indigenous children were sent after they were forcibly removed from their homes, places filled with abuse and death, designed to break indigenous kids and kill the Indian in them. While heartbreaking, this only made the story that much more authentic. With themes such as racism, abuse, and discovering one's cultural identity, this book would be appropriate for middle school children and up.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. ( )