(2) YA Edwardson sets her ambitious novel in 1960–1965 Alaska, primarily at a Catholic boarding school drawing indigenous children from all over the state. She juggles a large cast of characters and addresses a host of issues, from racism to the institutional abuse of Native Alaskan children to the ingrained animosity between Eskimo and Indian students. The story is powerful and poignant.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2012

(2) 4-6 In 1989, Blessing and her brother are placed in the custody of their aaka (grandmother). The siblings discover their past through Inupiaq family stories. Readers are primed for these by the novel's first section, where Aaka's mother recounts the events of 1917 in which the Spanish influenza wiped out virtually the entire village. Authentic imagery, details, and language pervade this memorable story. Glos.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2009

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Annie Patterson & Annie Patterson. Along the Arctic coast of Alaska, an Inupiaq boy celebrates a successful whale hunt with his family and friends. Every time adults refer to "the spirit-of-the-whale," the boy seeks to understand what they mean, creating a trite unifying motif that runs throughout the story. Watercolor illustrations in shades of blue and purple paint a cozy, yet wintry, atmosphere. Glos.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire