NOWHERE TO HIDE

An Ojibwa girl learns to rely on tradition and family support to tackle modern problems.

Autumn Dawn loves her home on the White Earth reservation in Minnesota, it’s just that nothing else in her life seems to be going right: Schoolwork is a struggle, a speech impediment leads to bullying, and her divorced, overworked mother is handing over more and more household responsibilities to her daughter. Autumn’s Aunt Jessie comes for a visit in the nick of time, tangles successfully with a bully, and enlightens a classroom teacher—modeling for her niece how to set aside her role as a victim and show some grit. Sigafus’ (Perilous Choices, 2017, etc.) Ojibwa background brings authenticity and accuracy to this #ownvoices book. Unfortunately, the hurried telling of a complicated plot leaves readers with flat characters and a predictable ending, as problems are solved too quickly and easily. The potential reconciliation of Autumn’s parents and the remediation of her learning disability are described in unrealistically simple sequences. Autumn’s story had the potential to be culturally authentic, strong literature, but the tell-don’t-show writing leaves readers with a linear tale in a world that is anything but. Autumn’s mother is white; the remaining main characters are Ojibwa.

This novel for reluctant readers presents rather than explores complex topics.