Tag Archive | hunting

W is WHERE WOLVES DON’T DIE, where a Native young man seeks safety and himself, by Anton Treuer (YA fiction) #AtoZ

Apr26
Book cover of Where Wolves Don't Die, by Anton Treuer. Shows red and black bear drawn in Ojibwe iconic style, title and author written on its body, mouth open in a snarl, claws swiping at the pair of wolves attacking its belly and back.

Noise, dirty snow, crowds,
prejudice, bully at school –
he longs to escape the city!

After Ezra defends his friend Nora against white bully Matt at their Minneapolis school, and then Matt’s house is set ablaze, the Native teen and his dad head quickly to his grandparents for winter break, on the First Nations rez in the Canadian forest where Ezra truly feels at home.

When Nora visits her grandma there, the Ojibwe teens decide to solve the mystery so Matt will leave them alone forever. Nora heads back to school, Dad goes back to teach at college, and the fifteen year old goes far into the woods with Grandpa Liam to run the winter trapline for the first time.

Lots of snow, lots of very hard work setting traps for lynx, marten, fox, and beaver. Checking and resetting the traps each day, offering tobacco in honor of each animal’s life taken. Staying alert for scavengers and predators that would steal their harvest. Doing homework every night, listening to Grandpa read aloud.

Why did Grandpa raise Dad up here on the trapline for so many years?
Will Rose discover who set the fire and trapped Matt’s uncle and dad inside?
Can Ezra forgive his dad for not keeping his mom away from the workplace that caused her cancer?

And in these remote woods is Chi, the biggest black bear, so large that a wolf pack won’t attack him as they would a normal black bear… may he stay sleeping as they finish trapline season!

A strong story of heritage, self-knowledge, friendship, love, and family history.

The first fiction book by Dr. Anton Treuer, professor of Ojibwe, whose Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians, But Were Afraid to Ask (Young People’s Edition) I recently recommended: https://booksyalove.com/?p=14672.

Today is Independent Bookstore Day, so visit https://www.indiebound.org/indie-store-finder to locate the one nearest you! Or use https://bookshop.org/ to have books shipped directly to you, with your favorite independent bookstore as the seller.

How far away would you go to escape an enemy?
**kmm

Book info: Where Wolves Don’t Die / Anton Treuer. Levine Querido, 2024. [author site https://antontreuer.com/] [publisher site https://www.levinequerido.com/where-wolves-dont-die] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Can he shoot a deer or not? It’s HUNTER’S CHOICE, by Trent Reedy (MG book review)

Nov15
book cover of Hunter's Choice, by Trent Reedy. Published by Norton Young Readers | recommended on BooksYALove.com

Family tradition,
careful practice,
fear of failing!

He has been waiting so long – taking hunter safety classes, getting his deer hunting license, practicing and practicing – because even if this is his very first hunting trip, twelve-year-old Hunter knows you get just one good shot at a deer.

Hunter’s granddad built a lodge on their property in the mountains above their Idaho town, so his family knows the streams where deer like to drink and where a bear might hang out.

His cousin Yumi brings their classmate Annette for the weekend so she can write about hunting for the school newspaper and give Yumi a buffer between her dad and his post-Afghanistan war PTSD.

Hunter might have a little crush on Annette, so his nerves about this important milestone get worse. On their first night, Grandpa, Dad, and Uncle Rick tell stories about past hunts and time here together – reminders that hunting is more than getting venison for the freezer.

“For the time that we’re hunting, everything else, all the frustrations and bull crap from the outside world don’t matter,” (pg.101) Grandpa says as they head out for the evening hunt.

Can Hunter let go of his worries and focus on spotting a deer?
Can Yumi understand what her dad is struggling with?
Will Hunter actually choose to kill a deer?

The author’s experiences fill this book with authentic details, from safe gun handling to field-dressing a deer, as he shares the decisions every hunter must make.

First of three interconnected books set on McCall Mountain – great for fans of Hatchet, hunting, fishing, and the woods.

What’s your favorite outdoor activity with family?
**kmm

Book info: Hunter’s Choice / Trent Reedy. Norton Young Readers, 2021 hardcover, 2022 paperback. [author site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.