''Firekeeper's Daughter'' is a

young adult In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...

novel by Angeline Boulley, published March 16, 2021, by

Henry Holt and Co. Henry Holt and Company is an American book-publishing company based in New York City. One of the oldest publishers in the United States, it was founded in 1866 by Henry Holt and Frederick Leypoldt. The company publishes in the fields of American ...

The book is a ''New York Times'' best seller and won the

Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Novel The Edgar Allan Poe Awards (popularly called the Edgars), named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America. They remain the most prestigious awards in the entire mystery genre. The award for Best Young Adult ...

in 2022. The sequel, ''Warrior Girl Unearthed'', was published in 2023. The book follows Daunis Fontaine, a half-native, half-white young adult who witnesses her friend's murder and becomes involved in an FBI investigation revolving around a new drug. Boulley, who is

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

, spent 10 years working on the novel as she researched "the intricacies of illegal drugs, to law enforcement, to hockey, to the ways of her own tribe, the Ojibwe people."

Reception

''Firekeeper's Daughter'' is a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' and

IndieBound The American Booksellers Association (ABA) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1900 that promotes independent bookstores in the United States. ABA's core members are key participants in their communities' local economy and culture, and to ...

bestseller. ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine named the book one of the "100 Best YA Books of All Time." It also received starred reviews from ''

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 ...

'' and ''

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 ...

.'' Kristina Pino, writing for ''Booklist'' highlighted how Boulley "doesn’t shy away from or sugar-coat the very real circumstances that plague reservations across the country." She concluded that ''Firekeeper's Daughter'' is "an incredible thriller, not to be missed." ''Publishers Weekly'' wrote, "Hitting hard when it comes to issues such as citizenship, language revitalization, and the corrosive presence of drugs on Native communities, this novel will long stand in the hearts of both Native and non-Native audiences."

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

called the novel "absolute powerhouse of a debut," saying the novel "is so, so much more than a thriller or a mystery. The author's love for and connection to her culture is so deeply engraved into the very heart of this book and it beats in rhythm with each new plot development. As a non-Indigenous reader, every depiction and explanation of Ojibwe philosophy and traditions felt like a gift, and every depiction of injustice felt like a call to action." ''

Kirkus ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, non ...

'' called the novel "a suspenseful tale filled with Ojibwe knowledge, hockey, and the politics of status." ''Firekeeper's Daughter'' was named to the Bank Street Children's Book Committee's Best Books of the Year List with an "Outstanding Merit" distinction and shared the Committee's 2022

Josette Frank Award The Josette Frank Award is an American children's literary award for fiction given annually by the Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College of Education. It "honors a book or books of outstanding literary merit in which children or young p ...

with

Matt de la Peña Matthew de la Peña is an American writer of children's books who specializes in novels for young adults. He won the Newbery Medal in 2016 for his book '' Last Stop on Market Street''. Biography A San Diego, California, native, Matt de la Peña r ...

and

Christian Robinson Christian Robinson (born August 2, 1986) is an American illustrator of children's books and an animator. He is based in Sacramento, California and has worked with The Sesame Street Workshop and Pixar Animation Studios. He graduated from the Calif ...

's ''Milo Imagines the World''.

Audiobook

The audiobook, narrated by

Isabella Star LaBlanc Isabella Star LaBlanc (born 2 January 1997) is an American actress and writer. Personal life LaBlanc is a citizen of the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota tribal nation. She was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota and attended St. Paul Academy. LaBlanc is ...

, received a starred review from ''

,'' highlighted how LaBlanc, who is Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota, handles the "Ojibwe phrases and traditions ... with ease." They further stated that "her voice is young and earnest and her fluency adds to the portrayal of Daunis ... LaBlanc’s sensitive reading will keep listeners plugged in."

Adaptation

Barack Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. Ob ...

and

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama ( Robinson; born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, being married to Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United Stat ...

's production company, Higher Ground, purchased the rights to adapt ''Firekeeper's Daughter'' into a TV series, which will be released on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. The book will be adapted by Mickey Fisher and Wenonah Wilms, who is also Ojibwe. In the production, Boulley has repeatedly stated that it is important to her that there are

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

individuals involved in the making of the series, both in front of and behind the camera.

References

{{Michael L. Printz Award Winners Henry Holt and Company books Novels set in Michigan 2021 children's books Children's books set in Michigan 2021 American novels Native American literature Native American children's literature Children's books about Native Americans Novels about Native Americans Edgar Award–winning works Michael L. Printz Award–winning works Novels about murder Novels about violence against women Novels about drugs Young adult mystery fiction American young adult novels First-person narrative novels Novels about substance abuse Algonquian peoples in popular culture