Boulley has welcomed her readers back to Sugar Island and the community that calls this island home. In this sophomore novel, Perry plans to spend her summer vacation lounging on a fishing boat, but finds herself enrolled in the community internship program. Shuttled across a few assignments, Perry and the reader gets to understand the overlapping complexities and barriers to reclaiming culturally significant artifacts and the lengths people on both sides of the argument go to retain when the view as rightfully theirs. The pace lags slightly in the third act, but the mystery heats up and Perry finds herself in real danger, leaving the reader continuing late into the night to reach the shocking climax.

WARRIOR GIRL UNEARTHED by Angeline Boulley (author of award-winning Firekeeper's Daughter) is an exciting young adult novel which has elements of mystery and romance while also dealing with the serious issues surrounding return of artifacts to indigenous people and their tribes. Main character is Pearl Mary Firekeeper-Birch (call me Perry) who is generally laid back and relaxed, looking forward to a fun summer of fishing between high school years. However, she gets into some scrapes and ends up having to earn money through a local internship program. It's there that she becomes much more attuned to the legal situation involving indigenous artifacts and human remains. Perry has a twin sister, Pauline, a good friend Lucas, and fellow interns, like Erik, a possible boyfriend and Shense, a single Mom. Together, this group plans a heist, believing the ends justify the means. It is one of the lessons which Perry confronts as she and others grow throughout the story. With her rebel spirit, Perry is a brave warrior, but she also rarely hesitates to bend or break rules (e.g., supplying weed gummies or stealing heirloom seeds and traditional baskets because they should belong to the tribe) which will make her appealing (if not a great role model) for teen readers. Boulley, member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, looks beyond questions of repatriation to those involving discrimination and colorism, as well as law enforcement's mixed reaction to missing and murdered indigenous women. WARRIOR GIRL UNEARTHED received starred reviews from Kirkus ("compellingly readable .... a nuanced exploration of critical issues of cultural integrity"), Publishers Weekly ("a thrilling and empowering read"), and School Library Journal. Highly recommended.

If you asked me in 2021 for a book recommendation, chances are I would have told you all about Firekeeper's Daughter, which I still recommend as often as I can.

But with the release of her latest YA thriller, Angeline Boulley has given us another gift. And it is just as amazing.

From the publisher: "Perry Firekeeper-Birch has always known who she is - the laidback twin, the troublemaker, the best fisher on Sugar Island. Her aspirations won't ever take her far from home, and she wouldn't have it any other way. But as the rising number of missing Indigenous women starts circling closer to home, as her family becomes embroiled in a high-profile murder investigation, and as greedy grave robbers seek to profit off of what belongs to her Anishinaabe tribe, Perry begins to question everything.

In order to reclaim this inheritance for her people, Perry has no choice but to take matters into her own hands. She can only count on her friends and allies, including her overachieving twin and a charming new boy in town with unwavering morals. Old rivalries, sister secrets, and botched heists cannot - will not - stop her from uncovering the mystery before the ancestors and missing women are lost forever."

With a continued focus on the right of Indigenous people both in the past and in the present, with it's powerful spotlight on the indifference so many have when yet another Indigenous woman goes missing, and with its emphasis on power, leadership, and community - this newest book is a must add to your collection, lit circles, and discussions.

Sure to suck even the most reluctant reader into its pages and leave us asking questions, I cannot recommend this book enough.

Angeline Boulley did it again! Warrior Girl Unearthed is a masterfully written story following Perry Firekeeper Birch, an impulsive and spirited 16-year-old indigenous woman of the Ojibwe community. Perry plans to spend the summer fishing, but her plans quickly change when she is in a car accident racking up a hefty mechanic bill. She is forced to join her Tribe’s summer internship program and ends up working at the Cultural Center Museum. Despite her initial disappointment, Perry learns about the Native Americans Protection and Repatriation Act and becomes determined to return her ancestors to their people. While planning a heist with other intern friends, the “Misfit Toys”, young Native women keep disappearing within the community. When one of Perry’s friends unexpectedly goes missing, she begins to fear the worst.

I went into this book knowing I would love it, and I was not disappointed. Boulley artfully incorporates important messages into a work of fiction. She exposes the reader to the injustices indigenous people continue to experience with their stolen history, the crimes against women, and the tedious process of reclaiming artifacts and remains of their people. Our main character, Perry, is a fiery teen that is in the midst of forging her own path while being forcefully passionate about her community and their traditions. She is a relatable character for many, a little misunderstood, a little bit of a troublemaker, but full of love and compassion for the people she holds close. Warrior Girl Unearthed is a standalone novel, but I recommend reading Firekeeper’s Daughter first to be able to enjoy some updates on characters you would be previously introduced to.

A special thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this amazing book!

For a sophomore novel, this one did not disappoint. I did not love Warrior Girl Unearthed as much as Firekeepers' Daughter but it was an easy 4 star read for me. Warrior Girl Unearthed is set in the same universe as Firekeepers' and is about ten years later. We follow Perry who crashes her car right at the beginning of the novel, and her aunt, Daunis, (yes that Daunis), pays for it, while making Perry intern with other indigenous kids for the summer.

Initially, Perry is placed in a museum, where she learns about repatriation of their ancestors. As the plot unfolds, she moves around to various tribal entities but everything all comes down to repatriation of ancestors back to the tribe. I loved the educational component of this novel, as it should come as a shock to no one that much of Indigenous culture and history has been erased and not a focus in a typical Western education. Perry and her friends, embark on a heist to reclaim their ancestors. How Angeline Boulley writes such captivating novels, while packing emotional depth and education in a book has now blown me away twice. Definitely recommend and will encourage many to read this summer!

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillanusa for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

Perry Firekeeper-Birch is a bit of a rebel and a bit misunderstood. To payback the cost of fixing the car she shares with her twin sister, Perry is assigned to work an internship with Cooper Turtle, the curator of the local museum. He encourages her to learn about the reparation of tribal artifacts from universities and museums. In her mission to recover artifacts in her own way, she starts to uncover clues to help find missing Indigenous women.

I loved Firekeeper’s Daughter by @angelineboulley, so I knew I had to read her latest book Warrior Girl Unearthed. I just love how Boulley writes and the way she tells a story. She weaves together cultural history with modern day issues to make her YA novels relevant and informative.

5 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #macmillanusa #macmillianaudio #ltbreaderteam #warriorgirlunearthed #angelineboulley

Angeline Boulley’s debut novel Firekeeper’s Daughter was my favorite book of 2021, so I absolutely could not wait to jump into another book featuring the Firekeeper family of Sugar Island, this time set in 2014. The protagonist of Firekeeper’s Daughter, Daunis Fontaine, has a smaller role in this novel, as her cousin Perry Firekeeper-Birch takes center stage in a tale of repatriation, heists and, ultimately, murder.

Perry is used to being known as the bad twin, in contrast with her sister Pauline’s usual labels of “smart” and “nice.” While the academically-focused Pauline is excited about padding her resume for college with a summer internship in the local Kinomaage program, Perry is looking forward to a summer of fishing and relaxing before knuckling under for another year at her alternative high school. A vehicular accident puts paid to this projected Summer Of Slack, as Perry’s livid Aunt Daunis signs Perry up for the last open internship spot so that Perry can earn money to repay her for car repairs.

Unlike her twin, Perry isn’t much of a book learner. While she respects her sister’s accomplishments, she also believes in honing her less mainstream skills, as she explains to her young cousin Waab:

QUOTE
[“]The water, wind, trees, birds, critters…they all speak if you pay attention. They leave clues for you to figure out.”

“Does Auntie Pauline listen too?”

“She listens, but she doesn’t hear everything,” I say.

“But she reads more books than you,” he points out.

I’m known for saying exactly what’s on my mind. But when I’m talking with my little cousin, I choose my words carefully. He’s a deep thinker, and I don’t want to warp him.

“Waab, books are wonderful. But so is learning directly from Gichimanidoo. Creator gave us helpers to teach us things even before books were invented. We learned from stories told from person to person. And we learned that we are helpers too. We are connected to every single creature, tree, and river.[“]
END QUOTE

As such, Perry is hoping for an outdoorsy assignment so she can at least have some semblance of her dream summer while interning. Her hopes are dashed when she’s assigned to the museum part of the Sugar Island Learning Center instead. It doesn’t help that her mentor is “Kooky” Cooper Turtle, whose eccentric nature is well known in their community. He has her doing so much manual labor indoors – polishing, dusting, vacuuming – that she becomes desperate enough to beg for a transfer to any other department. But when he brings her along with him to a meeting with the trustees of Mackinac State College – Pauline’s safety school and the local institution of higher learning – Perry discovers things that change her view of the museum’s work forever.

Mackinac State possesses a large collection of Indian artifacts, including the bones of many of the people once buried on the island. Perry is appalled and infuriated at this desecration of her ancestors’ remains, which are kept in display boxes at best instead of being allowed to rest in the earth as they should be. Cooper has been trying for some time to get the college to return the skeletons, including one known as Warrior Girl, so that their Ojibwe tribe may rebury them in accordance with their religion and traditions. While his efforts have been helped by federal legislation, the college has been dragging its feet about properly identifying and authenticating its inventory. After all, if there’s no official “proof” that the remains belong to a particular tribe, then they can’t be claimed by any tribe.

At first, Perry is happy to try things Cooper’s way. But as the levels of disrespect and stonewalling continue to rise, Perry decides to take matters into her own hands. With a group of other independently-minded interns, she begins to mastermind a heist to forcibly repatriate stolen remains. When murder enters the mix, however, will she be able to honor the dead while also protecting the lives of her nearest and dearest?

I loved this smart, moving Young Adult thriller that doesn’t hesitate to turn its critical eye on anyone acting foolishly in relation to American Indian rights and responsibilities. Ms Boulley has a gift for cutting through the noise and focusing on what’s important, thereby getting readers unfamiliar with the topics she raises to understand where she’s coming from. I hadn’t really understood or even thought about the repatriation movement myself until I read this book. Now I’m fully on board. She also clarifies her stance on a topic brought up in this novel’s predecessor concerning who gets to belong, via this description of a Tribal Council sponsored picnic:

QUOTE
[T]he picnic is just for tribal citizens and registered guests, mostly family members who aren’t enrolled citizens.

There used to be different colored wristbands for guests, until a council member said their unenrolled grandchildren were made to feel like freeloaders. Granny June says we just gotta wait until there’s enough council members with unenrolled relatives, and then Tribal Council will vote to lower the blood-quantum requirement. Pops says only three things still have pedigrees: dogs, horses, and Indians. His tribe avoids all that by using lineal descendancy, which still involves a family tree but without any colonizer blood-quantum nonsense.
END QUOTE

Ms Boulley does a wonderful job of reminding readers both that American Indians are not a monolith, and that their issues are very much issues other citizens of the United States should care about and work on with them together. Her fiction is always enlightening and entertaining, making for some of the best contemporary novels out there. Each book feels like a gift to us readers, and I’m eagerly looking forward to more.

This was one of my most anticipated releases this year. It unfortunately fell a bit short for me. The storyline was confusing at times, I was getting the characters confused multiple times. The references back to Daunis’s story also made me feel like I was missing aspects for the book I read two years ago. It was still great. It was still such a great insight into the Indigenous community and the hardships and unfair practices they still face to this day.

Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

400 Pages
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Henry Hold and Co. (BYR)
Release Date: May 9, 2023

Fiction, Multicultural, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Indigenous People, Teens, Young Adult

Perry Firekeeper-Birch is a twin to Pauline. Where Pauline is academic and outgoing, Perry is the complete opposite. She wants to be with the land and is known to be the best at fishing. She even kisses the worms. She was planning to have a slack summer but after a close call with a bear and the Jeep, she is the latest summer intern. Her assignment is working with Cooper Turtle, the curator of the local museum. He wants her to learn about reparation of Tribal artifacts and the laws involved. She does something to lose his trust and is reassigned to the Tribal Council. Now she is working with the MMIW (Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women) database to help find the women.

The book has a fast pace, the characters re developed and it is written first person point of view. The information about the MMIW is well researched. The statistics are staggering and needs to be addressed by the government. Things certainly need to be done to correct this miscarriage of justice. If you are interested in First Nation / Indigenous people, with a mysterious twist, you will enjoy this book.

Thank you NetGalley for ARC in exchange for review.

Firekeepers Daughter is one of my favorite books of all time. I hesitated with Boulley's 2nd novel because I knew it couldn't be as good as the first. I'm happy to say I was SO WRONG.

Perry is a bit of a rebel. When she's pulled in to do a summer intern program, she's not all that excited. Until she sees museum collectors and universities with her ancestors - ancestors that are sacred and supposed to be with their people. Why doesn't her tribe have rights to these ancestors? And who committed the murder that Perry stumbled upon.

I adored this book and recommend wholeheartedly for grades 9+

This book begins 10 years after Firekeeper’s Daughter, with Daunis taking on the role of one of the aunties in the story and her niece Perry becoming the main character. Perry and her twin Pauline are a part of a summer internship program which has them learning about the reclamation of their ancestors and artifacts. Perry is so drawn to these items that rightfully belong to their tribe, that she is willing to risk everything to get them back from private owners and universities. While this book doesn’t have the same amount of suspense and death as Firekeeper’s Daughter, there is a small focus on the MMIW (missing and murdered indigenous women) which along with the impending heist, makes the story a page-turner to find out how it all ends. The author is a masterful storyteller, and I look forward to reading more by her.

Yet again Angeline Boulley writes a compelling novel about a bad ass girl who fights for her friends and family. Twists and turns and lots of action, this book is so well written and showed me a culture I didn't know a lot about. I'm excited to put this in my library!

I was thrilled to get to spend more time in the Firekeepers-of-Sugar-Island world that Indigenous author Angeline Boulley created with her debut novel, Firekeeper's Daughter!

Set ten years after the first book, this YA novel once again shares a compelling, Indigenous-focused mystery through the eyes of a strong, smart, dynamic teen--in this case Perry Firekeeper-Birch, the niece of Firekeeper's Daunis. It's as educational, engaging, and emotional as Boulley's first novel. I loved it.

After getting into an accident in her Aunt Daunis's car, Perry is forced to work off damages at the Sugar Island Ojibwe Tribe’s summer internship program. She starts off as the tribal museum intern & is immediately immersed in the plight of her Anishinaabe tribe to reclaim the remains of their ancestors from a local university, which abuses the laws to keep them. Perry's snark and her love of family shine through as she uses her intelligence and fearlessness to stand up for what's right, even against a society that is racist and misogynistic at almost every turn.

In the midst of a heist where she plans to steal back stolen remains, Perry also must deal with the reality of Indigenous women going missing. I was listening to this on May 5, which is the Nat'l Day of Awareness for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women, so it was especially relevant.

Boulley once again smartly mixes information about Indigenous culture and social plights with the everyday struggles of teen girls. Perry is as strong-willed as Daunis but instead of a carbon copy, you get a fully fleshed out character in her own right. This attention to detail makes Boulley a star in the genre.

Indigenous narrator LaBlanc once again narrates a Firekeeper story with heart, passion, and joy. She's perfect for this work and elevates Boulley's words with her talent.

This is a YA book that's great for teens AND adults!

First=t's always hard to follow up such a beloved one of kind book--like Firekeeper's was. Boulley does her best in this sophomore effort, but it indeed falls a little short of her debut. Maybe I had too high of hopes based on my past reading experience. Don't get me wrong this is totally "readable," but the mystery really didn't feel all that compelling, the characters as a whole are not as well developed and there's a bunch of really heavy things addressed without any levity like the sassy aunties of the original. I do recommend the audiobook. I feel like that adds to the novel/setting even though I generally prefer not to listen.

Absolutely stunning! Boulley's voice rings true and the universe feels just as authentic as it did in Fire Keeper's Daughter. Stunning!

Angeline Boulley does it again! I loved Firekeeper’s Daughter, and Warrior Girl Unearthed is a fantastic followup.

WGE takes us back to 2014, though it’s 10 years after the events of Firekeeper’s Daughter, and let’s us peer into the life of Daunis’ niece, Perry. Despite wanting a “summer of slack,” Perry ends up finding herself stuck in an internship she doesn’t want at the tribal museum. But after a rough start, she learns something that changes her whole perspective on the internship, and gives her something to fight for. She’s going to repatriate her tribe’s ancestors.

Boulley’s writing is at once conversational and profound, and gives us a glimpse at what it’s like to be a part of Sugar Island. Even so, you can tell that she shares just enough and no more about tribal life, because it’s not ~for~ everyone. She strikes a beautiful balance of sharing her culture and protecting it. And in the process, you come away with so much knowledge about NAGPRA (and to a lesser degree MMIW), including a reading list and other resources for self-study.

The characters of Warrior Girl Unearthed are brilliant, and one of the highlights of the book. Boulley is a master at creating compelling, complicated characters. Perry is funny, laid-back, and cares way more than people give her credit for. She’s willing to do whatever it takes for her tribe, including becoming a Lara Croft-esque figure. Yes, that means sometimes she goes to questionable lengths to do what is ultimately the right thing. I love that Boulley allows her characters to be as messy as they are loveable (and that’s all part of the charm). Perry is ready to take action at the drop of a hat, but at the end of the day, she is still a teenager, and doesn’t always make perfect choices.

The side characters are just as good. I loved seeing Daunis again, especially as much more of an adult figure. And then there’s Shense—she’s one of my favorites!

I’d recommend this book to any teen, there’s so much good.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Warrior Girl Unearthed is a story about the twin nieces of Daunis. The main story revolves around Perry who is Perry is bold, outspoken, and impulsive, due to which she always gets into trouble.

She’s an intern at a summer program and is tasked throughout the summer with a series of different group and individual projects on and off the island. Although working a job was not her original plan for her summer break, it introduces her to several issues that are affecting her community.

I feel that the first part of the book was a little slow compared to the rest of it; however, after reading half of it I was unable to put it down. The plot well is narrated and interesting. I love Perry's friends and family, she has a strong support system.

For older YA and adult readers, this book is a must-read. Now I can’t wait to read Firekeeper’s Daughter.

Warrior Girl Unearthed is Angeline Boulley's second YA novel and it attempts to do a lot. I enjoyed all of the details of Ojibwe cultural but the plot felt disjointed at times simply because it was trying to do so much. Perry's relationship with Erik, in particular, seemed like an after thought and I didn't feel like Erik was a fully formed character, nor did he add much to the overall story. I felt similarly about Pauline - I kept waiting to get more from this character and it never came. As Perry's twin, I wish we could have seen things from her perspective, too. Overall, I would recommend this book simply because of it's accurate and fascinating portrayal of modern day Ojibwe life on Sugar Island but the overall arc of the story left something to be desired.

Of course this book is phenomenal, but it's STAGGERINGLY phenomenal. As a follow-up to Boulley's first book/companion novel, it's wonderful to revisit characters who are now older, and the new characters are expertly drawn too.

“I stare at random tourists and wonder how they would react to their ancestors being stolen for research. I’m guessing they would see it as sacrilege. So why were my relatives fair game?”

Firekeeper’s Daughter was one of my favourite books so I was so excited to read Warrior Girl Unearthed and it did not disappoint! It’s set 10 years after Firekeeper’s Daughter though both can be read as a standalone.

I loved the characters so much, Perry is an incredible passionate girl who loves deeply and will fight for her people. She is also the niece of Daunis, the MC of Firekeeper’s Daughter and we get glimpses of her as an adult which I loved seeing.
This book is steeped in the Ojibwa culture and traditions they follow. I thought it was so beautifully written and you can feel just how much love it was written with.

There are some incredibly difficult but important discussions throughout the book from how the tribes are treated to how their ancestors history is erased and their lives seen as less.
The fight to get back the remains and important items of their ancestors and how Perry feels angry about their treatment had me enraged and rooting for Perry.
There is a great group of characters that help Perry and I loved how tight knit the community and family is.

The story builds up until we get to that explosive ending. While the focus is on unjust treatment of the Ojibwa people we also see Perry grow and work out how she can best help to fight the injustices.

This book is quite different to her first but still amazing and such an important read. Everyone need to go buy this book!