Title: Warrior Girl Unearthed
Author: Angeline Boulley
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co., May 2, 2023
Pages: 388
Genre: YA Fiction
Perry Firekeeper-Birch has always known who she is - the laidback twin, the troublemaker, the best fisher on Sugar Island. Her aspirations won't ever take her far from home, and she wouldn't have it any other way. But as the rising number of missing Indigenous women starts circling closer to home, as her family becomes embroiled in a high-profile murder investigation, and as greedy grave robbers seek to profit off of what belongs to her Anishinaabe tribe, Perry begins to question everything.
In order to reclaim this inheritance for her people, Perry has no choice but to take matters into her own hands. She can only count on her friends and allies, including her overachieving twin and a charming new boy in town with unwavering morals. Old rivalries, sister secrets, and botched heists cannot - will not - stop her from uncovering the mystery before the ancestors and missing women are lost forever.
Sometimes, the truth shouldn't stay buried.
In order to reclaim this inheritance for her people, Perry has no choice but to take matters into her own hands. She can only count on her friends and allies, including her overachieving twin and a charming new boy in town with unwavering morals. Old rivalries, sister secrets, and botched heists cannot - will not - stop her from uncovering the mystery before the ancestors and missing women are lost forever.
Sometimes, the truth shouldn't stay buried.
I was already fully invested in this book before it ever started. I wanted to check back in on Daunis and her family. I have a lot of feelings about what her future looks like, mostly they're good!!!
Perry Firekeeper-Birch was another joy to get to know. She is looking forward to her hot girl summer. Driving her jeep, fishing with her dog, and just enjoying the sunshine. But when she gets in an accident to avoid hitting a bear cub, she crashes those plans as well. Her Auntie Daunis (YAY) signs her up for an internship program in order to pay off the repair costs. Bye bye, carefree summer.
Hello, Community Museum and weird old Cooper Turtle. Also, hello, Warrior Girl. Perry meets the Warrior Girl when she accompanies Cooper Turtle, her first internship supervisor, to the museum of a local university. On this trip we learn a bit about NAGPRA, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Cooper is attempting to work with the university to identify and catalog their archives, so that he can ultimately file for Repatriation of their ancestors and funerary objects. This trip also lights a fire under Perry. She is appalled at the careless treatment of her ancestors, and she promises herself to do anything it takes to get them back.
Perry has many lessons to learn and many mentors to learn from over the course of this summer. Her first instinct is to do whatever it takes, and she believes that the ends will justify the means. It doesn't take her long to learn that it's more important to accomplish your goals within the limitations of the rules, than it is to just rush to the final goal. Yet, she manages to brush right over this lesson many times before it really sinks in.
This book covers some very dark themes. The author is so talented and honest in her handling of these very sensitive themes. It's amazing how dark the book can be, and yet still overall have a hopeful and inspiring feel throughout. The strong, imperfect women that she writes are so easy to read and root for. I look forward to any more glimpses into the Firekeeper family that she's willing to give me.
Ratings
Stars: 5/5
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