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Review Quotes: "17 Indigenous writers create a web of entertaining, intertwined stories in this uplifting and unusual anthology, ideal for the YA reader who longs for connection and authenticity. Themes of displacement and loneliness, as well as the importance of connection to family, friends, and tribe, permeate the entries, making the collection relevant and accessible for teen readers of any background. As Cheryl Isaacs says in "Heart Berry," "One way or another, Sandy June's never fail[s]." - Shelf Awareness "Welcome to the best-kept secret on Turtle Island! A mixture of award-winning authors and new voices use this liminal space in surprising and inventive ways, creating a microcosm of the interconnectedness of modern Indigenous life, one in which community and family, past and present, encourage its young visitors to inhabit their truest selves as they look toward the future. It is also simply a terrific collection of entertaining stories--full of laughter, music, delicious food, friendship, and romance--that will appeal to teen readers across age ranges, identities, and interests." - Booklist (starred review) "The literary conceit that unifies these stories is a magical "NDN Country" frybread drive-in that serves up Native comfort food and wisdom, a "collective dream" where young people in need of connection or healing find themselves among an intertribal community of all ages...many stories mention historical events and all of them touch on family heritage, they also feel quite of-the-moment." - Horn Book Magazine "There's a lot of warmth and gratitude to revel in...Various characters thread through each other's stories, allowing many of the players more depth and nuance had they only been in one tale, and encouraging the readers to make the thematic connections in cultural identities that are both individually specific and community-wide." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "Superlative." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "This reverent compendium provides the setting for 17 loosely linked stories about Indigenous teens navigating evergreen concerns about love, life, and identity. Smith's uplifting poem "Open Mic at the Drive-In" closes this liminal-feeling collection, which pays tribute to the Native traditions and intergenerational relationships preserved by the "run-down, neon" drive-in." - Publishers Weekly "As readers take in the stories, they will be transported time and time again to Sandy June's, where the protagonists get more than just frybread. Each teen gets exactly what they need--and readers do too. Hand this collection to any reader who is looking for a place made for them; they will find it between these pages." - School Library Journal (starred review) Publisher Marketing: Michael L. Printz Award Winner Review Citations:
Contributor Bio:Smith, Cynthia Leitich Contributor Bio:Little Badger, Darcie Darcie Little Badger is an award-winning Lipan Apache author with a PhD in oceanography. Her critically acclaimed debut novel, Elatsoe, was featured in Time Magazine as one of the best 100 fantasy novels of all time. Elatsoe also won the Locus award for Best First Novel and is a Nebula, Ignyte, and Lodestar finalist. Her second fantasy novel, A Snake Falls to Earth, received a Nebula and Ignyte Award, as well as a Newbery Honor, and is on the National Book Awards longlist. Darcie lives with her husband in Texas. You can visit her online at darcielittlebadger.com. Contributor Bio:Iceberg, Karina Karina Iceberg holds an MFA in writing for children and young adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her debut picture book, A Good Hide, publishes with Heartdrum in January 2026. Her work has appeared in two anthologies: Legendary Frybread Drive-In, edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith, and Onward: Climate Fiction to Inspire Hope, edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter. Karina is a member of the Aleut (Unangax^) and Alutiiq (Sugpiaq) Nations of Alaska. Contributor Bio:Isaacs, Cheryl Cheryl Isaacs can often be found running through the Carolinian forest of southwestern Ontario, where she has fearlessly enjoyed the trails for years. Her Kanyen'kéha culture often appears in her writing, including her first horror duology, The Unfinished and The Others. Contributor Bio:Rogers, Andrea L Andrea L. Rogers is from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She graduated from the Institute of American Indian Arts with an MFA in creative writing. Andrea lives and writes in the Boston Mountains in Arkansas. Contributor Bio:Derr, Christine Hartman Christine Hartman Derr is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. She's a graduate from VCFA's Writing for Children MFA program, where she was selected as a DEI Fellow and a Center for Arts and Social Justice Fellow. Her work includes themes on identity, belonging, and sharing the Cherokee language. Originally from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Christine lives in Tennessee with her spouse, children, and a rambunctious crew of lovable pets. Contributor Bio:Young, Brian Author and filmmaker Brian Young is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. He grew up on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. Brian earned his BA in film studies at Yale University and his MFA in creative writing at Columbia University. Brian currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. Contributor Bio:Cobell, K A K. A. Cobell, Staa'tssipisstaakii, is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation. Her debut novel, Looking for Smoke, was a Reese's Book Club Pick. She currently lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she spends her time writing books, chasing her kids through the never-ending rain, and scouring the inlet beaches for sand dollars and hermit crabs. Contributor Bio:Ferguson, Jen Jen Ferguson is Michif/Métis and white, an activist, a feminist, an auntie, and an accomplice armed with a PhD. She believes writing, teaching and beading are political acts. She also has strong opinions about pastries and could essentially live off of pain au chocolat. Jen is a citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation. Contributor Bio:Graves, Byron Byron Graves is Ojibwe and Lakota and was born and raised on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota, where they played high school basketball. When they aren't writing, they can be found playing retro video games, spending time with their family, or cheering on their beloved Minnesota Timberwolves. Rez Ball was their debut novel; Medicine Wheels is their second book. Contributor Bio:Robertson, David A DAVID A. ROBERTSON is a two-time Governor General's Literary Award winner and has won the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award and the Writer's Union of Canada Freedom to Read Award. He has received several other accolades for his work as a writer for children and adults, podcaster, public speaker and social advocate. He has been honoured with a doctor of letters from the University of Manitoba and a doctor of laws from the University of Lethbridge. He is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and lives in Winnipeg. |
