Member Reviews
Another fantastic novel by Angeline Boulley. A fictional tale with real information and stakes. I loved the characters and the messages and themes are so important and impactful. Boulley is excellent!
I truly could not put this book down. I fell in love with the characters, especially Perry, of course, but the other Misfits as well. I truly appreciated learning about NAGPRA. The turn the book took at the end was completely unexpected and just a "wow" moment but also sooo tense! I 100% recommend this book and can't wait to get it in the hands of our patrons.
After reading and loving Firekeeper's Daughter, I was so thrilled to find out that Angeline Boulley had another book on the way, especially after finding out the story returns to Sugar Island! We join our friends from Sugar Island years after the events of Firekeeper's Daughter, where revisit twins Perry and Pauline (who were so little during the first book and are now in HIGH SCHOOL!). We follow Perry as her summer of "slack" is sabotaged by a small fender bender that results in her having pick up a summer internship to pay back our girl auntie DAUNIS for repairs to the jeep!! (So excited to see her character again). During her summer internship at the local museum with the quirky Cooper Turtle, Perry learns about the remains of Warrior Girl. Warrior Girl is an ancestor, who is stored in museum archives and split from her community and traditions, and Perry becomes determined to bringing her back, along with the artifacts and items of many other Anishinaabe ancestors being stored in museums, archives, and other unsavory places where they certainly should not be. Adventure and thrills ensue as Perry, Pauline, and the gang of Misfit Toys take on a heist to end all heists and bring their ancestors home to Sugar Island.
One of the things I loved most about Firekeeper's Daughter was Boulley's way of seamlessly interlacing incredible characters and stories with real world learning moments about Ojibwa language, customs, and tradition. Warrior Girl does this very same thing incredibly well, along with highlighting incredible relevant issues within the community, as Firekeeper's Daughter did. We learn about NAGPRA and the complicated process indigenous communities go through in order to repatriate stolen cultural items, and we also get a nod towards the MMIW crisis that continues to harm communities and women across the country. Reading about NAGPRA was particular impactful for me as someone who has worked in archives and spent a lot of time considering the ethics of storing and collecting material, to see the way characters in the story grossly mishandled cultural items made me feel even fervently that indigenous objects have no place in collections outside of their communities.
Boulley serves us a combination of heavy but incredibly important topics, along with representation for strong and smart and independent characters like Perry and Shense ( who I love soo much). I felt that even with the complicated array of topics that were addressed in Warrior Girl Unearthed, it all synthesized well, and made for an incredible story. As I mentioned before, I was really pleased to learn about how some of the folks on Sugar Island had been doing since the events of the last book, particularly Daunis. It was so special to see Perry and Pauline grow along with Daunis in her adulthood, and just see where she ended up! I really loved this story, and hope that Boulley continues writing books with powerful messages like these! We all need to read Firekeeper's Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Firekeeper's Daughter is a 5-star read for me, so I was super excited for a chance to return to Sugar Island. Once again, Boutley's writing is beautiful, painting a picture of Ojibwe life, struggles, and pride. Another phenomenal book by an author who is quickly becoming a go-to author. I will definitely recommend this book to students and adults alike!
I was so excited to read this book and I wasn't disappointed. I love that it occupies the same universe as Firekeeper's Daughter. The fast pace and intriguing mystery are supported by a lot of factual information that wove neatly into the story. Great book.
First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of Warrior Girl Unearthed. I loved Firekeeper's Daughter, so I had high expectations for Warrior Girl Unearthed. Let's just say I was not disappointed. Set approximately 10 years after the events of Firekeeper's Daughter, Warrior Girl Unearthed follows one of Daunis's relatives, Perry, as she learns about the history of her people, the repatriation process, and the unfairness of the systems around her. Set against a wave of missing Indigenous women, this novel takes readers on an impetuous ride of discovery alongside Perry. Highly recommend.
WOW!!!!!! I liked Warrior Girl Unearthed even more than Firekeeper's Daughter, which I loved loved loved. Ms. Boulley's writing has sharpened. Perry is a character who lives life with gusto. Though she appears calm and mellow of the surface, she cares deeply and passionately. The story kept me guessing, and I didn't see the twist coming at the end., I couldn't put the book down. My only question is, WHAT HAPPENED TO JAMIE?!!!
What else can be said about this author and their books that hasn’t already been said. A masterful storyteller telling a narrative that everyone needs to hear. Books that speak to the world we live in and the atrocities committed that society ignores need to be written and Boulley is doing a Oscar worthy job
Fast paced, exciting and steeped in indigenous culture and issues of critical importance.
The story has plenty of twists and turns and a few "hold your breath while reading a fast as you can" moments.
Components I liked best include the following (not an exhaustive list):
*very strong female lead protagonist. Perry displays bravery and vulnerability, joy and sorrow, tenacity balanced with wisdom, impulsiveness that becomes tempered with patience and maturity.
*Descriptions of the physical region transport the reader perfectly to place.
*The echoes of history that no one can (or should) avoid were beautifully interwoven, along with setting the stage for challenging work to be done in the future.
*the strength of family, culture, belonging and interconnectedness of us all.
This is an important book, one I'll be handselling all summer.
This is another amazing book by Angeline Boulley! This one is told through the eyes of Perry and how she learns more about her ancestors and how to bring them back home where they belong.
We still see Daunis, who Perry and her twin Pauline call Auntie. In the first book they were younger and now they are 16. They are doing internships over the summer with tribal council and other tribal members and businesses throughout the island and mainland.
This is a deep look into returning ancestors of indigenous peoples back to their lands and their tribes.
Just read this book, it's amazing!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
A great companion book to the Firekeepers Daughter that again invites you into the world of this community through characters that are committed to their home. This thriller had multiple mysteries all equally engaging and I could not put it down. I loved it recommend to teens and adults.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for my ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book. As I reflect on my reading, I am left conflicted on my feelings for this book. Every day, I was excited to continue Perry's story but I felt there were storylines abandoned and ending felt a bit rushed for me. I found Daunis Fontaine to be an awesome narrator. As she explained Ojibwe culture to Jamie, she explained it to the readers and Boulley set up a perfect way of educating her audience. This is a lacking a bit in Warrior Girl Unearthed. While I am grateful for the education in national laws such as the 1990 NAGPRA that pertain to Native American remains & burial objects, I did find Boulley at times was heavy handed and very didactic for a YA book.
At first, I thought the mystery would be Perry "stealing" back Warrior Girl but that is not what Boulley had in mind for Perry. I wish Perry would have questioned a bit more her constant movement during her internship. I wish she would have questions Lockhart & Claire's relationship a bit more. While I was glad that Grant Edwards received what he should have gotten a 10 years ago but I would like more attention paid to who. The end and the heist just kept changing and evolving and at times I was struggling to keep breathing. But it came fast and sometimes I was left confused. I had to go back and make sure I had not accidentally skipped a paragraph. The hidey hole just seem to come from no where BUT she had laid the groundwork for it to be found by Perry. BUT the person behind it seemed to much of convenience but again not so much.
I wish that Bouelly will write a parallel book/novella for Pauline and Lucas. I would like to see the two of them together when Perry is not with them. Could there be a reconciliation for them in the future?
My favorite new characters are Elvis Junior and Shense. Not going to lie since 6:30 in Lessons in Chemistry, I would have loved to see a chapter in the end from him. How proud is he that he lead the search party to the hidey hole? I would love to also see a time jump book with Shense and her daughter where she solves some other mystery surrounding Sugar Island.
Of course, my love for Firekeeper's Daughter would recommend this book to kids in Contemporary Lit and Modern Novel class to see how Boulley continue the storyline on for Sugar Island and strong Anishinaabe women. For my at the end of the day, I would say this book was a B reading for me.
Gripping, fast-paced, illuminating in terms of teaching about native American bodies and artifacts. The ending is somewhat abrupt, but a worthy read.
Warrior Girl Unearthed was incredible. Angeline is an instant buy author for me and let me tell you why: she has the incredible talent of weaving actual history into an incredibly moving and exciting fictional novel. I absolutely love the use of the indigenous language and the writing that is accessible and makes you want to learn more. And each story is filled with characters who feel so very real. Perry has a younger voice than Daunis and yet she has just as much of her auntie’s fiery spirit. I’m so sad that I read this book because who knows how long I’ll have to wait for the next one. But seriously you don’t want to miss out on this series!!
I couldn't put this book down. Perry was a great character - I loved the way she didn't take anything from anyone. Learning about NAGPRA was fascinating. Again, Boulley put a lot into this book - NAGPRA, missing girls, a murder mystery, a heist, and internship, glimpses into characters lives from Firekeeper's Daughter - and again, it would have benefitted from some of of being removed.
There were a lot of characters in this book and the nerdy person in me would've benefitted from a map.
Overall, it was a satisfying read and a great companion to Firekeeper's Daughter.
This book was so special and so so heartbreaking. I read Firekeepers Daughter last year and immediately became obsessed. This book did not let me down. I appreciated reading about the same tribe and reading about STRONG women. It’s hard not to root for the main character, Perry. It also made me realize that there is so much that is still going on with Native Americans, especially women. This is a must read for everyone.
A follow up novel to Firekeeper's Daughter. Angeline Boulley takes us back to Sugar Island in this thrilling and moving tale of discovery (in more ways than one).
Angeline Boulley does it again! What an amazing story! Warrior Girl Unearthed is centered around Perry, one of Daunis Fontaine's twin nieces, 10 years after Firekeeper's Daughter. Perry is (unwillingly) participating in a summer internship program at a local museum. When she encounters "Warrior Girl", a Native ancestor that is being kept in a university's anthropology lab archive, she decides to help reclaim her for their tribe, but soon learns there are many hoops to jump through to repatriate the remains. In her quest to return "Warrior Girl" to the tribe, In her quest, Perry uncovers an even darker secret and sets in motion a daring plan to return a larger collection of Native ancestors to their proper burial home. Unknowingly, during the heist, Perry uncovers the shocking mystery to missing local Indigenous girls. Boulley does a fantastic job of interspersing Native culture, racial injustice, familial relationships, romance, friendship, mystery and more into her stories. Warrior Girl Unearthed is a "can't put it down" book, that will leave you yearning for more.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
Boulley has done it again! She has written another thrilling book that simultaneously engages the reader from the start and makes the reader think about and confront the violence and Indigenous people; from the past to the present, both the living and the dead. Just as in Firekeeper’s Daughter, any predictions I made while reading were usually way off, so I was still shocked at all of the twists and reveals! I loved that we got to revisit the world/characters we first met in Firekeeper’s Daughter! I think this book is meant to be reread, which I look forward to doing once it officially comes out. I would definitely recommend this book!
The Firekeeper’s Daughter has been my #1 recommended book since it came out so I was thrilled to read the next book! It focuses on Perry, Daunis’s cousin, as she spends her summer doing an internship and finding her path. I absolutely loved this book and learned so much! I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, but all opinions are my own.