I have conflicting thoughts about this book. On the one hand, I love that this book engages middle grade readers with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit (MMIWG2S+) epidemic. Having Wren with a red hand over her mouth on the front cover makes a powerful statement. I loved Wren and her maternal grandmother, Elisi. Elisi stole the show! Her relationship with Wren was lovely. I liked how Wren found a friend in Brantley at a time when they both needed each other.

But I was also deeply uncomfortable (and not the helpful kind of discomfort) with the prominence and depiction of the police. Wren's white father is the Fort Gibson police chief, and except for one point when Wren was aggravated with her father's lack of forthcomingness around her mother's case, the narrator speaks about the police in mostly positive terms. The same goes for Child Protective Services.

Take this quote from the uncorrected proof, for example: "Now that the chief of police, the principal, and CPS were involved—and Brantley was no longer afraid to speak up—Mr. Sims was much less likely to lose his temper." While this wraps up the child abuse storyline neatly, for a book that trusts kids to handle the sad realities of MMIWG2S+ epidemic, this feels too generous to CPS. If anything, CPS getting involved can make things worse for children. The narrator doesn't say that if Brantley's dad weren't white, he probably would have had his child taken away, even without the abundant evidence CPS had on him.

Wren talks about possibly wanting to be a cop in the future, too, and that was unsettling to me. I recommend reading this article from the Yellowhead Institute (an Indigenous-led research and education center) for an overview on the inextricability between MMIWG2S+ and the failures of policing: https://yellowheadinstitute.org/2023/02/14/mmiwg2s-policing/

I don't think the bullying subplot with M.J. was necessary or added anything to the story. I wasn't satisfied with the resolution and didn't see it as "justice."

The book started off slow but picked up after around 40 percent (in my opinion). Then I couldn't put it down because I wanted to know who was hurting the animals!

I don't know if I'd recommend this book. But I'm curious to read whatever Ginger Reno writes next.

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy!