Warrior Girl Unearthed

Angeline Boulley

From the award winning author of Firekeeper’s Daughter comes this blistering sequel.

16 year old Perry Firekeeper-Birch, niece of Aunt Daunis, does not want to spend her summer doing an internship at the local university. However when she meets Warrior Girl, a Native American ancestor whose bones are locked away in an archive, Perry’s sense of injustice and rebellious spirit leads her to try and recover and repatriate items which have been taken from her tribe.

This is a superb novel about identity. It involves crime, both historic and contemporary; it examines trust between adults and teenagers and, as with so many YA novels, friendship is a strong theme. However, what makes this such a standout novel is the explanation and exposure to the issue of Native Americans and their traditions. Through Perry and her friends the reader is able to learn so much about a culture at risk of disappearing. This is a book which will see you wanting to find out more about people who are rarely written about.

Published by Rock the boat/Oneworld Publications, 4th May 2023 (400 pages)

Reviewed by Rachel Bolton