WHISPER TO THE SKY

Sydney is used to being at the top of the food chain as the big bully at her school on the White Earth Ojibwa Reservation.

However, after her parents’ divorce she moves with her mother to Minneapolis, where she finds out what it’s like to be on the other side. As one of the few Native kids in her new school, she is bullied by many peers. Trying to fit in, Sydney cuts her waist-length hair and avoids wearing anything that might indicate she is Native, but she continues to be ostracized and isolated. Eventually Sydney finds a kindred spirit in Finn, a boy who’s persecuted for being gay. As the story progresses, readers understand how the two friends are treated as outcasts just for being themselves and see how they learn from one another. Watching her new friend being tormented helps Sydney view her past actions in a new light and decide how she wants to behave going forward. The story also highlights the impacts of harsh behavior at home, as Finn’s mother thinks that being gay is a choice—one she disagrees with—while Sydney’s father makes her feel mediocre no matter how hard she tries, which is another piece of her journey to finding her voice. Sigafus (Ojibwa) has written a brief and accessible novel that will engage readers and help them understand that we all make mistakes but what truly matters is whether we can learn from them.

A compassionate story for reluctant readers.