Sweetgrass

In this award-winning historical fiction chapter book, fifteen-year-old Sweetgrass, a Blackfoot girl, faces the ultimate test of maturity and courage. Her father believes she isn't ready for the responsibilities of an adult wife, but a brutal winter brings a smallpox epidemic that decimates her tribe while the men are away at war. Sweetgrass must step up to protect her people from cold, hunger, and disease, proving her strength and leadership. This book offers a dramatic story of survival, cultural identity, and coming-of-age against a backdrop of Western Canadian history, making it a powerful read for older elementary and middle schoolers.

Can the whole tribe depend on her? Award-winning author Jan Hudson tells the enchanting story of a young Blackfoot girl caught up in the sweep of Western Canadian history. Being the oldest unmarried girl in her Blackfoot tribe is misery for fifteen-year-old Sweetgrass, but her father feels she’s not ready for the hard work and responsibility that come with being an Indian wife. Then, during the cold prairie winter, a smallpox epidemic breaks out. With the men away at war, Sweetgrass is one of the few women left to fight for the survival of her tribe. This is her chance to prove her maturity, but is she strong enough to fight the cold, hunger, and disease? “In a colorful, lyrical style evoking all the sense, Sweetgrass tells, with strength and tenderness, a dramatic story.”—Kirkus Reviews (pointer review) An ALA Notable Book, Booklist Editors’ Choice, and winner of the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Award.