Red Bird Danced

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!

As they navigate a season of change, can they find a way to heal themselves and their community?

• Dual POV: Follow both Ariel and Tomah as their individual stories of hope and hardship intertwine in this heartfelt narrative.
• Healing Through Tradition: When ballet no longer feels like flying after her aunt goes missing, Ariel discovers the profound healing power of the jingle dress dance.
• Finding Your Voice: Tomah uses humor to hide his struggles with a reading disability, but learns that his true strength lies in storytelling and asking for help.
• Social Justice for Young Readers: An age-appropriate exploration of the #MMIW crisis, showing how a community comes together to honor the missing and demand change.