Red Bird Danced, Dawn Quigley
Red Bird Danced, Dawn Quigley
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
Club: $13.99

Red Bird Danced

Author: Dawn Quigley

Narrator: Jennifer Bobiwash, Darrell Dennis

Unabridged: 1 hr 14 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Heartdrum

Published: 06/04/2024

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

With lyrical verse and powerful emotion, Dawn Quigley (Ojibwe) tells the story of urban Native kids who find strength in connection with those who came before and in the hope that lets them take flight. 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!Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

About Dawn Quigley

Dawn Quigley is a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe, North Dakota. The first three books in her Jo Jo Makoons series, and her debut YA novel, Apple in the Middle, were awarded American Indian Youth Literature Honors. She is a PhD education university faculty member and a former K–12 reading and English teacher, as well as an Indian Education program codirector. You can find her online at dawnquigley.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bookishrealm on March 05, 2025

This was such a fascinating read and one definitely worth checking out. CW: death of family member, health complications of main character. 3.5 Stars What Worked: I've read Dawn Quigley before so it's great getting the opportunity to explore her first middle grade novel. Red Bird Danced is a great in......more

Goodreads review by Cherlynn | cherreading on October 05, 2024

Too bare bones for my liking or enjoyment as it felt like a lot of important issues were glossed over when they should have been explored in greater depth. Then again, this is a middle-grade book so I'm not the target audience. I usually enjoy free verse novels but don't think the format worked well......more

Goodreads review by Holly on September 09, 2024

5 stars. Dawn is coming to Evergreen along with Cynthia Leitch Smith later this month. And this books is powerful and well worth the hour or so it takes to read. It's a novel in verse told in two voices. It's about a boy and girl who live in a Native project in a city. Their auntie has gone missing.......more

Goodreads review by BooksAsDreams (Tiffany) on April 02, 2024

This middle grade novel in verse is such an important addition to any reading collection. Missing Indigenous women … wow. The awareness. The insights. The dual story lines. Absolutely stunning in content and images elicited. Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC!......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer on April 22, 2025

This short, but powerful, novel-in-verse switches between two points-of-view: Ariel, an 11-year-old Indigenous dancer whose aunt has gone missing, and Tomah, her neighborhood friend who is struggling with reading and has a strong desire to protect his people. Both of them share the human need to be......more