''Jo Jo Makoons'' is a middle-grade chapter book series, written by

Dawn Quigley Dawn Quigley is an author and educator. She is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe, North Dakota. Her first book, '' Apple in the Middle'', was nominated for the American Indian Youth Literature Award and the WILLA Literary Aw ...

, illustrated by Tara Audibert, and published May 11, 2021 by

Heartdrum Heartdrum is a publishing imprint of the English-language publishing house HarperCollins that specializes in children's books by North American Indigenous authors. Audience Heartdrum was launched in 2019 and is an imprint of the American publi ...

. The series centers Jo Jo Makoons Azure, an Ojibwe girl, and consists of two books: ''The Use-To-Be Best Friend'' (2021) and ''Fancy Pants'' (2022).

Reception

''Jo Jo Makoons: The Use-To-Be Best Friend'' received starred reviews from ''

The Horn Book ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietres ...

,'' ''

Shelf Awareness Shelf Awareness is an American publishing company that produces two electronic publications/newsletters focused on bookselling, books and book reviews. Overview With offices in Seattle, Washington, and Montclair, New Jersey, ''Shelf Awareness' ...

,'' ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

,'' ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

'', and ''

Kirkus ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

,'' as well as positive reviews from ''

Quill & Quire ''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...

,'' ''CBC Books,'' ''Book Page'', and ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

''. The book was also selected by the

Junior Library Guild Junior Library Guild, formerly the Junior Literary Guild, is a commercial book club devoted to juvenile literature. It was created in 1929 as one of the enterprises of the Literary Guild, an adult book club created in 1927 by Samuel W. Craig and H ...

External links

In Their Own Words: What Native Author Dawn Quigley Wants You to Know

References

{{reflist 2021 children's books American children's book series American children's novels Children's books about Native Americans Native American children's literature