She Holds Up the Stars

"This compelling novel will introduce young readers to the complexities of modern indigeneity and resilience.”—Eden Robinson, author of Monkey Beach and Son of Trickster.

A young Indigenous girl searching for a sense of home finds strength and courage in her gifts, her deepening connection to the land, and her own cultural awakening in this moving coming-of-age story.

The last thing that twelve-year old Misko wants to do is to move away from the city to spend time on the rez with her grandmother. And yet she feels strangely compelled to go, drawn by a pull that she feels in her dreams. Maybe she can finally find out what happened to her mother, who mysteriously disappeared when Misko was four years old.

Misko’s relationship to the rez shifts when she encounters a spirited horse named Mishtadim. But Mishtadim is being violently broken by the rancher next door and his son Thomas. Misko and Thomas clash at first, only to find themselves drawn together by the wild horse. As Misko slowly discovers her unique bond with Mishtadim, she feels a sense of belonging and comes to understand the beauty of the world all around her.

She Holds Up the Stars is a powerful story of reconciliation and the interwoven threads that tie us to family, to the land, and to our own sense of self.

• CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Indigenous language, culture, and storytelling.
• TIMELY AND IMPORTANT THEMES: introduces the reality of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in a way that is appropriate for middle-grade readership.
• UNIVERSAL THEMES: the story also includes coming of age, belonging, coming home/cultural discovery.
• INDIGENOUS WORLDVIEW: the story introduces concepts of Indigenous worldview (respect for nature, interconnectivity of all beings) and spirituality (Jibaykana [Milky Way] as the pathway for souls journeying home).
• HORSES: the ever-popular horse-driven story!
• ADVOCATE AUTHOR: Author Sandra Laronde is well-known and connected in the Canadian arts community as a speaker and arts advocate.

• CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Indigenous language, culture, and storytelling.
• TIMELY AND IMPORTANT THEMES: Introduces the reality of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in a way that is appropriate for middle-grade readership.
• UNIVERSAL THEMES: The story also includes coming of age, belonging, coming home/cultural discovery.
• INDIGENOUS WORLDVIEW: The story introduces concepts of Indigenous worldview (respect for nature, interconnectivity of all beings) and spirituality (Jibaykana [Milky Way] as the pathway for souls journeying home).
• HORSES: The ever-popular horse-driven story is a favorite with young readers!
• ADVOCATE AUTHOR: Author Sandra Laronde is well-known and connected in the Canadian arts community as a speaker and arts advocate.

• LEVELLING INFO: F-P Guided Code: Q - Grade Four I Lexile Code: 700L

• Adapted from the hit play Mistatim