Alternative texts to consider:
- Good-bye Buffalo Bay - Another book by Larry Loyie, this book offers a more in-depth exploration of the residential school experience by one student in his final year and his experiences upon leaving the school and attempting to re-integrate into his First Nations society. The writing level of the book fairly low so it is accessible to younger readers, but because this book talks specifically about the school experience, it’s a more difficult read for students and probably more suitable for older students. There is some violence directed toward children in the book which some may find distrubing; however, the violence is not sensationalized or dwelt upon for long so consider whether your readers would be able to handle it. Compared to what is on TV and videos in prime time, this book is quite tame.
- The Cross-Over - Another book by Kwame Alexander that weaves the love of basketball through the lives of twin brothers as they struggle with dramatic changes in their lives and loss. Written in Alexander's signature poetic style. This is really a fun book and will definitely appeal to kids who are into sports and maybe not so much into reading. It's a quick read (a couple of hours) and because of it's free verse style of writing, it's not too dense. The really uses the style to great advantage in moving the story quickly and emphasizing the drama and activity in the story. If you're never read a free verse novel before, this is a good entry point. The story is classroom safe. Even reading this book as an adult, I really enjoyed the story. I listened to it as a talking book and the performance of the book is very well done.