We Still Belong

Starred review from July 3, 2023
During a “rough patch,” 12-year-old Wesley Wilder and her mother move into her maternal grandfather’s house in an Indigenous community outside of Seattle, which he shares with Wesley’s aunt, uncle, and baby cousin. Seeking a place to fit in at her new school, Wesley joins the Native/Indigenous Student Union and the Gamer’s Club, where she meets and crushes hard on white classmate Ryan. But when a teacher harshly criticizes a poem she writes celebrating Indigenous People’s Day, and she discovers that Ryan is attending an upcoming school dance with another girl, Wesley struggles with feelings of inadequacy. These emotions amplify when she learns that she can never formally belong to the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe; because her verbally and physically abusive father, who left her mother before she was born, is white, Wesley’s “blood quantum is too low to gain citizenship.” Upper Skagit author Day (The Sea in Winter) presents Wesley’s multilayered emotions, as well as myriad facets of Native life (including citizenship parameters), with crystal-clear prose. Via Wesley’s self-aware and astoundingly perceptive first-person voice, Day highlights everyday tween conflicts about fitting in alongside experiential concerns surrounding identifying with one’s heritage in this warmhearted approach to searching for—and finding—community and inclusion. Ages 8–12. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary.

July 1, 2023

Gr 5 Up-Wesley Wilder, whose family are members of the Upper Skagit Tribe, is about to have a big day. Not only is it Indigenous People's Day, but her poem celebrating the occasion has been published in the school newspaper and will be discussed in her seventh grade English class. She has also prepared the perfect card referencing her favorite online game to ask blond-haired, green-eyed, suntanned, good-smelling Ryan to the school dance. The school day does not go according to plan, and though comforted by her best friend Hanan, she arrives home in tears. Things only get worse as her grandpa and mom have a fight about her job, and Wesley learns her aunt and uncle might move out of the house with her baby cousin. In the midst of all this, Wesley makes a new friend and by the time the family arrives at the local powwow, she is looking forward to the dancing and food. Her day has turned completely around and ends on the highest note. Wesley is a believable seventh grader who struggles with family, social, and identity issues as an Indigenous student in Washington state. All of that and more happening in just one day might stretch believability, but there is enough background from past scenes to provide context, and readers will get a well-rounded view of her life. There is also context of Upper Skagit tribal culture and politics to provide even unfamiliar readers an understanding of this central theme. The text realistically touches on discrimination by dismissal, lack of understanding, and complete ignorance, encouraging tweens to consider why Wesley had to write a poem called "We Still Belong." VERDICT A creative peek into the life of a relatable gamer girl who is finding her place in the social and emotional world of middle school while dealing with the ways Indigenous peoples are ignored and celebrated.-Clare A. Dombrowski

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2023
Twelve-year-old Wesley Wilder is excited to have her poem, "We Still Belong: An Indigenous People's Day Poem!" published in the school paper. When the time comes, she's unprepared for some of the reactions she receives, for better or worse. The story takes place during one day -- Indigenous People's Day -- with well-timed extended flashbacks and first-person rumination rounding out the characters, setting (Everett, Washington), and main narrative. Wesley lives with her single mother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, and baby cousin; her matrilineal tribal affiliation is Upper Skagit, though she does not qualify for enrollment. She has a supportive best friend, Hanan, and wants to ask a cute fellow gamer to the school dance. Readers learn these details organically as the day unfolds; it's an effective, relaxed way for Day (The Sea in Winter, rev. 3/21) to convey information and endear readers to her protagonist. As Hanan says, when Wesley's poem is discounted by a teacher for not having a "clear thesis statement": "You are enough...You always have been. You have nothing to prove...You're a gamer and a poet and a good friend. You're kind and funny and nerdy and weird." This is a story of quiet determination and triumph, with well-defined characters who push each other and are there for each other, and which culminates in sweet heart-to-heart conversations at a powwow in a high-school gym. An appended author's note provides further detail about the story's setting, tribal citizenship (Day is a tribal citizen of the Upper Skagit Tribe), and names and naming. Elissa Gershowitz

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

August 1, 2023
Grades 4-7 Wesley--seventh-grader, gamer, and member of the Upper Skagit tribe--has two important things in her backpack: the poem she wrote for Indigenous People's Day and a card for Ryan from Gamer Club asking him to the school dance. But the school's reception to her poem is lackluster at best, and her perfect plan to reach Ryan keeps getting interrupted by girls she barely knows. Why can't she celebrate her heritage in the way that feels right, not however other people expect her to? And will she ever get to talk to Ryan? Award-winning author Day (Upper Skagit) writes with compassion and precision in this story that digs into the magnitude of small moments. Readers will root for levelheaded Wesley as she navigates familiar adolescent curveballs: family changes, unexpected allies, and the frustration of not being seen. Cozy descriptions, likable characters, and teachable moments animate this occasionally didactic but ultimately heartwarming story about belonging. Acutely relatable and contemporary, this snapshot of a single day in Wesley's life authentically captures the struggle of being 12 and of finding--and using--your voice.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from June 1, 2023
A coming-of-age story bringing awareness to Indigenous Peoples' Day, "a holiday no one in this school seems to care about." Seventh grader Wesley Wilder, an Upper Skagit Indian Tribe descendant living just north of Seattle, proudly awaits the publication of her celebratory work, "We Still Belong: An Indigenous Peoples' Day Poem!" But when her English teacher doesn't mention her poem, despite always giving extra credit and class discussion time to students who are published in the school paper, she feels hurt and confused. Later, Wesley's plans to ask the boy she's crushing on to the school dance are derailed, adding to her emotional roller coaster. Day (Upper Skagit) crafts believable, complex characters: Wesley lives in a multigenerational Native family, is an outstanding student, a musician, and a gamer. She is kind and helps others in need. Her grandfather's words--"the things that scare us the most in this world are usually the most worthwhile things in our lives"--help ease her vulnerability and self-doubt. This story, which weaves diversity into the supporting cast, incorporates layers of Native identity throughout, as Wesley connects with a new friend who is a young Native activist, learning more about Christopher Columbus. The triumphant ending shows Wesley raised up by family, friends, and community. A rich, captivating story that will resonate with readers. (author's note, note from Cynthia Leitich Smith of Heartdrum, We Need Diverse Books statement) (Fiction. 9-12)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2023

Gr 5 Up-Twelve-year-old Wesley, descended from the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, starts Indigenous People's Day with exciting expectations: seeing her commemorative poem published in the school paper; discussing it in English class; and (the main reason for sleep deprivation) asking Ryan to the school dance. By that evening's celebratory powwow, the day's events will have veered far and wide from Wesley's careful planning. Day adds plenty of backstory to ensure Indigenous (Cherokee and Chicasaw) narrator Rich has a memorable cast to channel. Rich is especially empathic voicing Wesley's quick-changing emotions-nervous, disappointed, bewildered, joyful-and switching effortlessly between middle schoolers and adults; she's incisively affecting as Wesley's wise Grandpa and her unpredictable biofather. Day's treatment of Wesley's "blood quantum," further explicated in her author's note, is notably informative. VERDICT "We Still Belong, " the title of Wesley's poem, becomes an essential invitation for children of all backgrounds.

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2023
Twelve-year-old Wesley Wilder is excited to have her poem, "We Still Belong: An Indigenous People's Day Poem!" published in the school paper. When the time comes, she's unprepared for some of the reactions she receives, for better or worse. The story takes place during one day -- Indigenous People's Day -- with well-timed extended flashbacks and first-person rumination rounding out the characters, setting (Everett, Washington), and main narrative. Wesley lives with her single mother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, and baby cousin; her matrilineal tribal affiliation is Upper Skagit, though she does not qualify for enrollment. She has a supportive best friend, Hanan, and wants to ask a cute fellow gamer to the school dance. Readers learn these details organically as the day unfolds; it's an effective, relaxed way for Day (The Sea in Winter, rev. 3/21) to convey information and endear readers to her protagonist. As Hanan says, when Wesley's poem is discounted by a teacher for not having a "clear thesis statement": "You are enough...You always have been. You have nothing to prove...You're a gamer and a poet and a good friend. You're kind and funny and nerdy and weird." This is a story of quiet determination and triumph, with well-defined characters who push each other and are there for each other, and which culminates in sweet heart-to-heart conversations at a powwow in a high-school gym. An appended author's note provides further detail about the story's setting, tribal citizenship (Day is a tribal citizen of the Upper Skagit Tribe), and names and naming.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)