Great follow-up to FireKeeper's Daughter, it will appeal even more to the teen audience. This novel reads fast and informs the reader in a way that is not heavy-handed but interesting.

Amazing, of course. I love the way she brought the current MMIW2SP issues together with the museum/archeology issue. This will be a great addition to my curriculum, especially because Perry is an Alternative school kid for whom the regular school system just didn't fit. I also appreciated how it was really Perry's story, not Daunis's sequel.

3.5, rounded up. I love that this story was steeped in modern Native American culture. When the focus of the story was revealed, I was invested…but for most high school readers, it took WAY too long to get there. Her debut gripped readers right away, and this story took too long to build. I also found the mystery aspects to again be chaotic and messy, which was my knock on her debut. I used to be annoyed when “the plan” in a mystery was glossed over…until “the plan” was a step by step numbered list in this book. Doesn’t make for interesting writing. I did enjoy the character development & cultural aspects.

This is another great book by this author. I learned a lot about repatriation of Native American artifacts and how important it is that these artifacts need to returned to the rightful tribes. This is such an important book to have in school libraries.

Thank you Henry Holt and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I read the first one as a book club book for we book and we brunch also known as book brunch repeat and they recently read this book as a book club book as well. It's been awhile since I've read this book but I know I really enjoyed it. I hope to be better about reading books when they are published and making sure to review them on netgalley when I finish them. Thank you for understanding.

Obsessed with this author. Her stories are filled with characters that come alive off the page and I love how she is bringing light to contemporary indigenous Americans culture and life on reservations. Some of the best YA writing I have read in a really long time.

This was an excellent follow up to Boulley's outstanding debut. It felt raw and would resonate with a lot of people. I had one patron tell me that this people helped her open up to her daughter about her own sexual assault and made her realize that maybe it more women opened up about their experiences and trauma we might be able to warn more women or the signs to look out for. Absolutely fantastic and I can't get enough of this author's work.

Again, I requested a book which was the sequel and I haven’t read the first book. So of course I had a really first and then I had to read the second book. And all I have to say I expected more. Something was missing. I don’t know what, but something was missing. And that’s all I’m gonna say.

*With news of The American Museum of Natural History (amongst others) closing Native American exhibits in response to new policies regarding Indigenous artifacts and remains, I find myself thinking of the warriors, like Perry, who never gave up on bringing their ancestors home. (January 2024)

Many thanks to my friends at @macmillanusa @mackidsbooks and @macmillan.audio

Riveting. Powerful. Important.

“Everything is connected. The past. The future. The beginning and ending.”

There’s a deep respect and abiding love found in the way Anishinaabe author, Boulley, writes about her culture. There’s an equally powerful passion found in the way she amplifies the horrifying issues that continue to plague the Indigenous nations.

As 16-year-old Perry relentlessly fights to bring home Warrior Girl and other Anishinaabe ancestors, Boulley constructs a riveting narrative focused on stolen Indigenous artifacts and remains. But when Perry’s friend goes missing, it becomes apparent that the fight for repatriation isn’t just one for ancestors, highlighting the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).

This book was an immersion into the beauty of Ojibwe beliefs and the honor they bestow upon ancestors. It was also a riveting examination on the effects of colonialism and the ongoing injustices Native Americans face.

The storytelling is poignant and powerful, and the writing is poetic and vivid. Boulley skillfully weaves this gripping tale together with a strong voice, crafting an unforgettable read that I could not put down.

This is my favorite kind of read: one that challenges as well as it entertains. A true must read.

🎧 Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota narrator, Isabella Star LeBlanc took on this role for a very personal reason. “I want my Ojibwe relatives to hear themselves in this.” (Bookpage). And that is apparent all the way through her narration. LeBlanc brings authenticity and passion to this performance. There’s a lyrical rhythm to the way she incorporates Oijbwemowin and English. Her performance effortlessly breathes life into this story.

This was a really excellent book. I enjoyed Firekeeper's Daughter, so I was really excited for this one. It did not disappoint! Boulley finds a really nice balance between a compelling story and an informative one. I learned a lot about NAGPRA and I definitely plan to continue learning more. I hope to see more great things from the author!

I was blown away by this book, particularly after her debut. I learned so much and will definitely be teaching selections of this book (if not the whole thing) in my young adult literature course.

I loved the Firekeeper's Daughter so was looking forward to this book! Unfortunately, for me it did not live up to the previous book's quality. Part of it was that the main character, Perry, was a lot less mature than Daunis (main character of the previous book) and she grated on me, however realistic she might be as a teenager. In my review of Firekeeper's Daughter I said that the book won me over because it was not a typical YA book. This book isn't exactly typical YA, with its mystery plot, but the main character was a smart ass girl who only wanted to go fishing instead of doing anything else and was forced to step up into some summer work after she crashed the new jeep her Aunt Daunis had gotten her and she needed to pay for the repairs.

Part of the book deals with the need to return remains and artifacts to Indigenous people. I agree with this entirely. The author tries to get the emotional weight of this issue across, but if I hadn't already been on board the writing in this book wouldn't have gotten me there. Somehow all of Perry's feelings on the matter didn't feel real to me, perhaps because she cared about so little else.

I almost didn't know what to say to review this book, which is almost certainly one of the best novels of 2023. Just as thrilling as Firekeeper's Daughter, it is interesting to see the themes from that novel carry through to this sequel/companion and other, new themes introduced. The narration is strong - authentic and thrilling - and always grounded in issues facing an Indigenous community.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Angeline Boulley is an amazing writer, and her sophomore novel is just as compelling as her debut. Warrior Girl Unearthed follows Perry Firekeeper Birch, who was a young child in Firekeeper’s Daughter, but is now 16 years old and trying to figure out how she can spend her summer the way she wants to, and not the way her family wants her to. After crashing her Aunt Daunis’s car, Perry becomes a summer intern where she learns about tribal remains being held by shopkeepers and the local university. Perry’s tribe want the remains to be returned, but continues to face bureaucratic challenges. So, throughout many of her assignments as an intern, Perry begins to devise a way to get the remains back.

Boulley crafts her characters with such depth and care that the reader cannot help but root for Perry and her friends. The pacing of the story will keep you on the edge of your seat as Perry discovers there may be a more sinister plot unfolding throughout the summer. Boulley addresses NAGPRA, which is the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, as well as the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women which has been and is still occurring across America and Canada. NAGPRA is an important piece of legislation designed to help tribes reclaim any significant objects, funerary objects, other objects, and remains to be returned to tribes. Many items and remains have been repatriated to tribes, but there is much more work to be done to ensure that all objects, associated objects, and remains are reunited with the tribes they were taken from. This book is so powerful, and will stay with you for a long time.

Boulley’s debut novel “The Firekeeper’s Daughter” was one of my favorite books of 2021, and her second novel lives up to its predecessor. “Warrior Girl Unearthed” revisits the same community in Michigan but moves the focus to Perry Firekeeper-Birch as she learns about the abuse and theft of Native Americans’ artifacts and the struggle to get collectors and museums to return stolen tribal artifacts. Boulley creates the same strong, well-developed characters from her first novel. They are strong and opinionated but, also flawed and, a delight to read about. Also, Boulley created a mystery that, like in Firekeeper’s Daughter, turned her simple YA book into a thriller. The novel was a fun read, and I can’t wait to read Boulley's next novel.

While I didn't LOVE this story, it was an engaging story and i very much respect the need for indigenous stories in the ya market.

Angelina Boulley is a marvel—I loved this new novel from her, with the twists and high stakes, the nuanced character-building, and the deep connection to the community and setting. Another triumph!

Posted on Forever Young Adult blog:

Cover Story: Bold And Beautiful

While it doesn’t have quite the same impact as the gorgeous cover of Boulley’s first book, this is still beautiful. I love the colors and the drawing of the warrior girl.

The Deal:

(If you’re wondering where this book fits in with Firekeeper’s Daughter and if you need to remember anything from that book before diving in, let me assure you that it’s easy to pick this up as a standalone. Perry Firekeeper-Birch was only about six-years-old in Daughter, and it’s now ten years later. She is the “niece” to Daunis, our former protagonist—who is now an adult and a minor but awesome character in this novel—and while plenty of former characters pop in, their roles in Perry’s lives are fully explained without needing any prior knowledge (but, PLEASE, go read that book too).)

In the summer between Perry’s sophomore and junior year, all she has planned for herself is to relax and go fishing whenever possible. But a minor car accident means she has damage to pay off, and so now she’s stuck with her over-achieving twin sister, Pauline, working as a summer intern for the Tribal Council. Coming in late to the program means she’s been paired with the reservation’s oddball-loner museum curator, Cooper Turtle.

Perry is fully prepared to hate-work every second of these next twelve weeks. But as she learns more about the museum’s goals of reappropriating Ojibwe artifacts/remains and returning them to their native soil, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery that will change the way she looks at the world for the rest of her life.

BFF Charm: Yay

If I only knew Perry from the outside, we probably wouldn’t ever interact long enough for us to become friends; she’s impulsive and kind of a loner, with an obsession for fishing that I definitely do not share. But being inside her head allowed me to learn that she’s also incredibly brave and has a strong sense of justice, and she feels quite deeply. I loved watching her take an interest in more than her own little bubble and begin to really understand the weight of her people’s history.

Swoonworthy Scale: 3

Perry’s eye is caught by one of her fellow interns, and their romance is sweet, although not the main point of the novel. Boulley takes a more “realistic” approach to teen romances than many YA novels, and I appreciated that the hurdles and issues that cropped up were realistic and resolved in authentic ways.

Talky Talk: Learned

Boulley’s debut novel was a slow grower for me, but by its end I was so immersed in her characters and setting I didn’t want it to end. I was so excited to hear we had another novel coming so quickly, and she didn’t disappoint. Warrior Girl Unearthed is a bit more tightly plotted, which is a good thing, but it still gave the characters and the knowledge it was trying to impart lots of room to breathe outside of the main plot. I don’t think the pacing / style are necessarily going to appeal to everyone, but it would be a shame not to give the story a chance because the love Boulley has for the subject matter and her characters just shines through every page. And, thankfully, her writing chops are equally as wonderful!

Bonus Factor: Strong Women

I loved this about Firekeeper’s Daughter, and Boulley didn’t let me down in this book either. There are beautiful, strong, and empathetic souls littered all over this novel, and it’s hard to pick a favorite. That court scene may have brought a few tears to my eyes.

Bonus Factor: Anthropology

Kind of a bonus and anti-bonus factor, depending on the kind of anthropology we’re talking about. Cooper tasks Perry to learn about NAGPRA, a law that allows tribes to petition museums to return stolen artifacts and remains. In doing so, she also begins to understand just how shitty people and museums can be as they twist themselves into knots to avoid giving any of their collections back. If you’ve never contemplated the ethical and moral quandaries regarding museums and anthropological practices before, you certainly will now.

Bonus Factor: Teaching Through Fiction

I’m sure Boulley’s priority is to write a great and entertaining novel, but a no-less important, secondary goal is to teach her readers about indigenous culture, past and present, and the successes and issues that concern modern tribes and reservations. I know sometimes that can come off almost “preachy”, and will likely turn off some readers, but if you like learning new things about cultures you don’t know enough about, then fiction is great way to capture minds and sow the empathy that—let’s be real—should already be there but is often absent.

Anti-Bonus Factor: Kidnapping

Aside from the Tribal Council and museum plotlines, there’s also an underlying issue that has the community concerned: local indigenous women are going missing.

Anti-Bonus Factor: Misogynists

There are some wonderful depictions of gentle, loving, and admirable men in this novel. And, unfortunately, plenty of shit-birds too.

Relationship Status: Student-Teacher

We spent a short time together, Book, but you taught me so much, and did so in a way that didn’t feel like I was “learning” in that boring “classroom” sense. I admire the care you give your subject matter, and that you’ve opened my eyes to things I should have already learned. Miigwech.

"Warrior Girl Unearthed" is a riveting mystery that keeps young readers on the edge of their seats. As a middle school principal, I'm thrilled to recommend this captivating page-turner. The author seamlessly integrates the rich tapestry of indigenous culture into the story, offering a unique and enlightening experience. Strong female characters take center stage, providing empowering role models for our students. The suspenseful plot not only keeps readers guessing but also sparks an appreciation for cultural diversity.