I have not read very many graphic novels. I liked the sound of Lost at Windy River when I saw the description of it, so requested it—and then I realized what format it was. One evening I was home alone for awhile, so I opened this book, and half an hour later I had finished it. Quite an interesting story!

Lost at Windy River is a great story of survival in the wilderness. Ilse was not doing anything she shouldn’t have been when she got lost; she was merely trying to reach home, but with young, untrained dogs. She had been doing what she could to help her family earn their living, and, through no fault of her own, got separated from them.
I liked most of this book. There were bits here and there that I didn’t appreciate so much, things that hinted of spiritualism. Though there was a mention of praying for Ilse’s father when he was searching for her, there didn’t seem to be any real concept of the God I know. Instead, a number of Indigenous beliefs were referenced. Rather than giving God the glory for her survival, Ilse states several times that she survived because of the knowledge she had before this happened. If my children want to read this book, I will let them—but I will make sure they think about that.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
WARNING: Pages 57 and 58 describe a village of people disappearing. See also last paragraph of review.

A book where I can't fault the intentions, even if I don't have to like them. This is concerning a true-life drama of survival, when a young girl and her first team of sled-dogs get separated in a snow storm and have to get by on their own for days, but it's been done to correct what the author (and subject) might see as wrongs. For someone of my culture has written about the events already, but without the right inside knowledge and understanding, apparently. Without going into the whole 'lived experience' argument, which that pretty much boils down to, I certainly agree with the author that she has every right to tell her grandmother's story and correct anything that was iffy – and the first book probably wasn't an engagingly created graphic novel for young readers, either.

But there are still difficulties in this. There's the framing device first, as the girl – more recently an old woman, of course – goes to a school, gets asked to respond to the book but tells her true story her own way. There's the preamble, the traditional kind of fairy folk of the region in a bedtime story, there's a joke about yellow snow… None of this is dreadful, but it does steal us away from the actual heart of this, the girl being stuck out in the wilderness, with a pocket full of food, if that. It's also a touch awkward that the first pages when she is definitely stuck on her own are from the point of view of the males who will eventually be looking for her – we are here for her unique insight, and lose her completely too for a short spell.

This then is this story, for that specific culture, told as that specific culture would want it told, packed full of the lessons that specific culture needs to consider when travelling in storm season across 'the land of little sticks'. But it could have been told in a way that was more friendly for all cultures, mine as well as the subjects' and creators'. That would prove the original telling to be inferior, and to keep all this on record for the greater Canadian history. As it is it feels a touch baggy, a bit too insular, and a bit too reactive against the first book. It might actually have gained by possibly following some of its approach. Three and a half stars.

Thank you so much to Orca Book Publishers and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Ilse Schweder a thirteen year old girl living in the northern most of Canada got lost in a snow storm whilst out trapping with her brothers, separated and alone she survives for 9 days, with no food, frostbite all over and no direction obvious for how to get home, her story is finally told.

What an utterly incredible story, I’m so happy that her granddaughter was the one to truly share her story of survival. It was beautifully told with so much care and precision. It’s sad that a man used her story within his book but didn’t even begin to capture her story, at least now her story is correctly shared.

This whole story you’d think unbelievable, you’d never think someone could survive such harsh conditions. Reading this you learn how it was possible, with how smart she was, how resourceful, how much she had managed to learn from her native culture, from her brothers and from her mother, she used all these pieces of knowledge and survived such a harrowing ordeal.

I was gripped into the story as soon as it started to be shared, it was fascinating to me, I hadn’t read anything quite like this at all before and I loved it. I loved how her native roots helped her the most with her connection to the night stars, the northern lights, the wolf, her families stories that she held onto and most important the Caribo who helped protect her and guided her where she need to go. It was so extrordinary to read and as she kept getting worse each day, with no food and severe frost bite, she went on and on until she found safety she didn’t give up, she’s such a strong young woman and so inspiring to read about.

I am not the most drawn into graphic novel style books, but I’m so glad that I read this one the illustrations on every single page really enhanced the story seeing the harrowing journey she went on, seeing the animals, the night time ancestors that helped her with her struggling journey. It was created in such an incredible way and I’m so glad it was done in a graphic novel form now as it helped share the story perfectly.

This was an incredible read and an incredible story, you’ll learn so so much reading this so I highly recommend it. She was such an inspiring and wonderful young woman and now her story is finally told in book form.

This was a wonderful graphic novel that tells the story of a young girls survival during 9 days alone during a winter storm in Canada's north in 1944. The author tells her grandmother's story well, and the graphic novel format made it an even better reading experience than straight prose. The story has been told by other authors, but this is the first time it was told as the main character wanted it told, and even though she passed before the book was released, her granddaughter has told a wonderful story of resilience and resourcefulness in the middle of a very challenging situation. I would recommend this book to the young people in my life and teachers looking for indigenous focused books for their classrooms.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

When Ilse Schweder was a young teenager, she set out by doglsed with her brothers to return home from checking the trapline. What should have taken perhaps a few hours became a nine-day ordeal as a storm blew in, Schweder was separated from her brothers—and she found herself lost in the wilderness, in the winter.

Schweder's story has been told before: Farley Mowat wrote about it in "People of the Deer". But Mowat is known to have passed off a great deal of his fiction as nonfiction, and it always bothered Schweder that it was his (fictionalized) version of events that endured. And so Schweder's granddaughter set out to correct the record, with "Lost at Windy River" as a result.

This is an absolutely fantastic tribute to a beloved grandmother, and it does a brilliant job of encapsulating how smart and resourceful Schweder was, even as a teenager. She'd grown up in the remote wilds of Canada, the daughter of a German trapper and a First Nations mother, and she'd survived Canada's residential schools (one of her sisters hadn't). You never want a child to be lost in a winter storm, but if any child could survive that, it was Schweder—she'd been learning from her family since before she could read. Relying on her knowledge of snow and the skies and animal movements, to say nothing of survival skills like how to make a snow cave and how to protect a wet foot in the bitter cold, she made her way slowly, slowly back to safety.

The art is a slightly simpler style than I prefer, but it is consistently and cleanly done. There are also small informational asides—relevant to the story—that teach the reader a bit about life in the time and place and context. They, and the occasional side stories, add an additional depth to the story. And don't miss the dialogue-poem at the end, sourced from "The Barren Ground of Northern Canada".

4.5 stars. I'm afraid I'm guilty of wanting to read Mowat's fictional version now, but if I do I'll at least do so with the knowledge that Mowat's character wouldn't have survived, because he—and thus she—did not have Schweder's skill or lived experience.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

At only 13 years old, Ilse Schweder gets lost in the wilderness of northern Canada. She spends 9 days walking, looking for the way back home, relying on her own strength and bravery as well as indigenous knowledge.

This graphic novel was written by Schweder's granddaughter and tells her true story of survival. The illustrations are super cute and the story very interesting, even for an older audience. Not only is Ilse's story told very well, the author also includes some Inuit knowledge and cultural referances. I definitely learned new things.

The atmosphere in this story is perfect for a quick, cozy read in the colder months - perfect timing with the middle of October release date!

It was meant to be a three day, 80 mile journey to check the traplines. Thirteen year old Ilse Scheweder would lead her own dogsled and travel with her brothers who were experienced trappers and fur traders. Their narrow sleds each contained a compartment called a cariole (for carrying people and supplies). On the way, they passed “a human-made pile of stones…a caribou boundary used to help direct herds of caribou where hunters want them to go.”

The Scheweder family consisted of father, Fred and his five children. Their outpost, at the mouth of the Windy River, was near Manitoba and the Northwest Territories Border. In 1944, Fred Scheweder frequently traded with the Inuit, Chipewyn and the Cree.

A seemingly typical journey went awry when a sudden, fierce winter storm was threatening. They would try to reach home at their Windy River Post. With whiteout conditions, it was impossible to see. Ilse’s sled was attached by rope to that of her brothers so they would all stay together. When the rope snapped, Ilse was all alone. The wind blew in all directions. The north wind could not be used as a compass.

Using Indigenous knowledge and cultural tactics, Ilse would try to navigate her way home.

-Built a snow cave- dig into a drift of hard packed, crusty snow to carve out a space to provide warmth and shelter from the wind.

-Talk to the Cree Spirit (tipiskawi-pisim), caretaker of the Moon. Listen to the wind and hear the voices of the ancestors- Keep going granddaughter.

-Learn from the caribou- ”Caribou had sacrificed themselves to ensure the survival of the tribes”.
Seeing a caribou is a sign you’re on the right path.

In this non-fiction graphic novel, Ilse Scheweder tells her story of surviving for nine days in the barrens in Canada’s Northwest in 1944, as recorded by her granddaughter. There are many important lessons to be learned from this story. “Open your eyes and mind up wide, watch and learn from your elders, from nature and even animals.”

An excellent, beautifully illustrated read to be enjoyed by both children and adults.

Thank you Orca Book Publishers and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In the 1940s, a young Indigenous girl got lost in a snowstorm in an area called the barrens. She managed to survive by what she had learned by living with her family, in northern Canada, for 9 days. She had no food, and only had her pack of dogs, and her sled. Her story was retold by a white author, in the 1950s, but it wasn’t his story to tell, and he didn’t tell it the right way.

This bothered Ilse, but it was what it was, and the story was told to her children and grandchildren, until one of her grandchildren, the author of this story, asked her grandmother if she could interview her about it, and so she did.

This is an amazing graphic novel, with lots of Cree words for things that she sees while she is lost such as Inukshuks, piles of rocks set up to mark things for fellow travelers. They can mean a warning, or this is a good spot to fish.

We also learn about frostbite, and snow blindness, as we mark each day that she is out.

This is an amazing story, and I really appreciate all the additional research the author did to get her grandmother’s story out in the world. It is amazing to see how she did survive, and what she remembered from her teachings. I loved the art, and loved the asides.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is being published on the 15th of October 2024.