25 YA Books for Indigenous Peoples Day
With only 2 exceptions, the books below are written by indigenous authors. (Tree Girl is written by a white American born in Bolivia, but takes place during the Mayan genocide of the 1980s; Golden Kamuy is written by a non-Ainu Japanese, but is one of the few books about this culture)
For brevity and diversity, I did not include all the North American Native books I found - feel free to post your favorites in the comments! If anyone can suggest more Latin American indigenous stories (which were difficult to find from Latine authors) or especially Hawai’ian native stories (which I couldn’t find any of), please let me know.
Australia
The Things She’s Seen by Amebelin & Ezekiel Kwaymullina The Boy from the Mish by Gary Lonesborough Becoming Kirrali Lewis by Jane Harrison Swallow the Air by Tara June Winch
Canada
The Missing by Melanie Florence Sorrow’s Knot by Erin Bow Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline A Girl Called Echo by Katherena Vermette Surviving the City by Tasha Spillett
Japan - Ainu
Golden Kamuy by Satoru Noda
Latin America
Saints of the Household by Ari Tison Tree Girl by Ben Mikaelsen The Huaca by Marcia Argueta Mickelson Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta
New Zealand - Maori
The Whale Rider, Witi Ihimaera Falling into Rarohenga by Steph Matuku
United States
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley Trail of Lighting by Rebecca Roanhorse Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith Rain is Not My Indian Name by Cynthia Leitich Smith
