Ariel, 11, and Tomah, 12, have been friends for years, growing up in the same intertribal apartment complex. Ariel’s Auntie Bineshiin, who lives with her and her mom, is missing, an absence that casts worry and sadness in their home and inspires Ariel (Ojibwe) to do a school project on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). Tomah is a born observer of nature who loves sitting on a bench in front of his apartment and watching birds, and a born storyteller who loves learning and sharing traditional stories. But Tomah can’t read. Although he uses humor, especially at school, to hide this fact, his teacher, Ms. Begay, has caught on and wants to help him. When Auntie Bineshiin is found dead, it isn’t just Ariel and her mom who mourn her. The loss spurs Tomah to a symbolic act that draws their intertribal Native community together. Ariel, who has been reluctant to learn jingle dancing (she loves ballet but they can no longer afford lessons) embraces the healing dance for her aunt, and for Tomah, who is diagnosed with a heart condition. In the process, she discovers it is also a gift to herself. This emotionally compelling novel-in-verse alternates between Ariel and Tomah’s points of view and offers a powerful exploration of loss and healing, in addition to illuminating the cause of MMIW, and the deep sense of community among the diverse Native peoples.

With lyrical verse and powerful emotion, Dawn Quigley (Ojibwe) tells the story of urban Native kids who find strength in connection with those who came before and in the hope that lets them take flight.

Ariel and Tomah have lived in the city’s intertribal housing complex all their lives. But for both of them, this Dagwaagin (Autumn) season is different than any before.

From his bench outside the front door of his building, Tomah watches his community move around him. He is better at making people laugh than he is at schoolwork, but often it feels like his neighbor Ariel is the only one who really sees him, even in her sadness. 

Ariel has always danced ballet because of her Auntie Bineshiinh and loves the way dance makes her feet hover above the ground like a bird. But ever since Auntie went missing, Ariel’s dancing doesn’t feel like flying.

As the seasons change and the cold of winter gives way to spring’s promise, Ariel and Tomah begin to change too as they learn to share the rhythms and stories they carry within themselves.

This first middle grade novel by Dawn Quigley is a tour de force. She is known for her American Indian Youth Literature Award–winning Jo Jo Makoons chapter book series and young adult novel Apple in the Middle.

Give Red Bird Danced to readers who love Jasmine Warga and Christine Day!