As the Covid-19 pandemic stretched on, I was interested when TV commercials and programs began showing evidence of the times as characters began wearing masks and mentions were made of social distancing and other of the many changes in our world. REZ DOGS by Joseph Bruchac is the first book I've read where the pandemic is front and center. I'm hoping there will be more.
Malian is visiting her grandparents on the Wabanaki reservation when travel is suspended. Her parents are back in Boston, and she must stay where she is. They are able to stay isolated and safe which is especially important since Covid-19 is proving to be a devastating illness for Indigenous people.
Malian deals with the challenges of missing her parents, trying to stay connected online with her school despite the intermittent Internet connections on the reservation, and helping her grandparents as much as she can. Some positives of her experience include befriending a rez dog she calls Malsum and listening to stories of her ancestry as told by her grandmother and grandfather.
Author Joseph Bruchac, well-known for his book CODE TALKER, takes readers along for the journey as Malian learns about some of the painful memories of her people's past as well as stories of their beliefs. REZ DOGS is written in verse and is a must have for middle school and high school collections.
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