Cherie Dimaline

WOW Dozen: Global Adaptations of Classics

By Aika Adamson, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Adaptations of classic stories breathe new life into familiar literature. Bringing in a global focus allows readers to revisit the themes of these stories with a fresh perspective that can help them connect with the narrative on a deeper level. Beloved works such as Peter Pan, The Secret Garden and Alice in Wonderland are reimagined with new contexts to invite readers into a world that is both familiar and brand new. Adaptations of longer, more complicated works such as Les Misérables and Frankenstein, or even the works of Shakespeare, introduce modern middle and high school readers to these influential works of literature in a more engaging setting.

This list of books is just a starting point for the growing number of titles that reimagine, retell or remix classics. From middle grade to young adult and even into graphic novels, authors and illustrators are publishing global adaptations and introducing new generations to the literature that has been celebrated for decades. Continue reading →

WOW Recommends: Book of the Month

WOW Recommends: Hunting by Stars

Night sky with title superimposed and pine trees silhouetted against an orange horizonHunting by Stars, a YA novel by Métis writer Cherie Dimaline, was released as a sequel to The Marrow Thieves, which was honored with many awards. The protagonist, French, of the new novel never expected to see his brother, Mitch, again. After witnessing his brother’s abduction by the Recruiters at the beginning of The Marrow Thieves, French thinks surely they had taken Mitch to die at the new kind of residential school, where Indigenous peoples are harvested for their bone marrow. That’s where the dreams live, and in this dystopian future, the only people who are still able to dream are Indigenous peoples of North America. All others suffer a sickness because of their lack of dreaming. Mitch survives because he becomes one of them after capture, a Recruiter, working on the side of those abducting and harvesting Indigenous peoples. When French and Mitch reunite, it is not a happy reunion, as French has himself been abducted and taken to the school, where he realizes his beloved brother is alive but also, in a sense, his enemy. French has to grapple with the pain of choosing who to fight for, who to protect and support – family by blood or by bond – and how to escape from the school and reunite with his chosen family. Continue reading →

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Uplifting Indigenous Literature

By Celeste Trimble, St. Martin’s University, Lacey, WA

Daniel Heath Justice’s new book Why Indigenous Literatures Matter is a marvelous look at the the critical issues within and surrounding Indigenous Literature in Canada and the United States. Justice, Colorado born Cherokee citizen, now also a Canadian citizen, holds the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Literature and Expressive Culture at the University of British Columbia. The work is academic, but personal and poetic. It highlights contemporary Indigenous authors writing for adults and children and touches on fiction, poetry, personal essay, and memoir.

Indigenous Literature Continue reading →