#BookReview: Warrior Girl Unearthed (Firekeeper's Daughter, #2) by @FineAngeline @HenryHolt

Synopsis: Perry Firekeeper-Birch was ready for her Summer of Slack but instead, after a fender bender that was entirely not her fault, she’s stuck working to pay back her Auntie Daunis for repairs to the Jeep.

Thankfully she has the other outcasts of the summer program, Team Misfit Toys, and even her twin sister Pauline. Together they ace obstacle courses, plan vigils for missing women in the community, and make sure summer doesn’t feel so lost after all.

But when she attends a meeting at a local university, Perry learns about the “Warrior Girl”, an ancestor whose bones and knife are stored in the museum archives, and everything changes. Perry has to return Warrior Girl to her tribe. Determined to help, she learns all she can about NAGPRA, the federal law that allows tribes to request the return of ancestral remains and sacred items. The university has been using legal loopholes to hold onto Warrior Girl and twelve other Anishinaabe ancestors’ remains, and Perry and the Misfits won’t let it go on any longer.

Using all of their skills and resources, the Misfits realize a heist is the only way to bring back the stolen artifacts and remains for good. But there is more to this repatriation than meets the eye as more women disappear and Pauline’s perfectionism takes a turn for the worse. As secrets and mysteries unfurl, Perry and the Misfits must fight to find a way to make things right – for the ancestors and for their community.



Goodreads | Amazon

Rating: 4 Stars
My Review: I didn't like this one as much as Firekeeper's Daughter as this one felt like it was written for lower young adult and juvenile readers.  As where FD felt more older YA.  That being said this story was still worth the read and wonderful.  I loved the characters and how their issues were my issues and you cant just help but feel for them.  The author did an amazing job making you care for what happened.  

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Perry Firekeeper-Birch wrecked the Jeep and had to join her twin sister, Pauline, in a summer internship offered by their tribe to pay for repairs. The summer is harrowing, with local Indigenous women going missing, and the murders of Black people by police that have the twins concerned for their father's safety. Perry's internship begins with Cooper Turtle, curator of the Tribal Museum. Perry is less than enthused, but after visiting a local college and seeing the bones and artifacts of her ancestors stored there, she finds her passion—to bring her ancestors back to Sugar Island. Cooper helps educate her on the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Impatient with the red tape involved with NAGPRA, Perry repatriates seeds from a college backlog collection and loses Cooper's trust. Bouncing around different tribal departments for the rest of her internship, Perry is encouraged by the sub-Chief to lead her sister and friends into a heist to repatriate a private collection. Their plan takes a dark turn, and Perry finds herself in the hands of a predator. Though a sequel to Firekeeper's Daughter, it can be read as a stand-alone. VERDICT Perry's dreams, desires, culture, traditions, and actions create a compelling narrative about one teen's attempt to undo some of the injustices her community and people have faced. Strong first buy.—Tamara Saarinen  --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

'Compellingly readable and deeply thought-provoking. A page-turning heist grounded in a nuanced exploration of critical issues of cultural integrity.' Kirkus, starred review

'A gripping novel with a strong protagonist who navigates injustice and cares about her community.’ Five Books, Best Books for Teens of 2023

'An incredible novel about family, the past and attempting to make amends, it feels honest and truthful and it is a delightful read.’ Good Reading Magazine

'With verve and not a little humour Angeline Boulley brings highly topical issues - cultural heritage, the purpose of museums, the legacy of the past - to a young audience.' Barnaby Phillips, author of Loot - Britain and the Benin Bronzes

'A riveting, culturally focused thriller... Boulley has become a must-read author for me.' NPR review by Caitlyn Paxson

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author

Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, is a storyteller who writes about her Ojibwe community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She is a former Director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education. Angeline lives in southwest Michigan, but her home will always be on Sugar Island. Firekeeper's Daughter is her debut novel.  --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

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Posted in: 4 Stars, Edelweiss, Henry Holt and Co., Review, Young Adult