Powwow Summer

River is teased about her Indigenous heritage as a young girl, and she struggles with her identity. When she travels to spend the summer with her Indigenous father and grandmother, she finds out what it means to be an urban Indian. On her family's nearby reserve, she learns about the lives of Indigenous people. River discovers a deep respect for and connection with the land and her cultural traditions. The highlight of her summer is attending the annual powwow with her new friends. After the powwow, River drinks too much and posts photos online that anger people, and she has her right to identify as an Indigenous person called into question.

Nahanni Shingoose is Saulteaux. She is an elementary teacher and author of Indigenous content, including teacher resources, picture books, graphic novels, and fiction for teens and young adults.