
By Arnolda Dufour Bowes, Karlene Harvey (Illustrator)
Book #1 in the Maggie Lou series
A spirited girl learns boxing, builds a dog hotel, and hunts, all while navigating family chaos.
Maggie Lou, known as Firefox, is always stirring up excitement. Her grandpa finally teaches her boxing, but she insists on wearing a tutu to the gym. On her dad's construction crew, she discovers a knack for building, creating a dog hotel from scrap wood. As she turns thirteen, Maggie ingeniously crafts camouflage for her first deer hunt, embracing a family tradition. Amidst her chaotic, loving family, and guided by strong women, Maggie learns perseverance and gains new skills without losing her vibrant spirit. Can she balance her wild ideas with the wisdom of her elders?
Maggie Lou’s grandpa doesn’t call her Firefox for nothing. She’s always finding ways to make life more interesting – even if this means getting into big trouble. When her grandfather Moshôm finally agrees to teach her how to box, she decides that the rank odors, endless drills and teasing won’t stop her from wearing a tutu to the gym. Joining her father’s construction crew uncovers a surprising talent – besides learning how to use a broom – and a great source of scrap wood to build a canine hotel for her dogs. And when she turns thirteen, she figures out an ingenious way to make some smokin’ good camouflage to wear on her first deer hunt, where she joins a long family tradition. Through it all she is surrounded by her big extended gumbo soup of a family, pestered by annoying younger siblings, and gently guided by her strong female relatives - her mother, her kohkom and her ultra-cool cousin Jayda. “Keep taking up space,” Maggie’s mother says. “You’re only making room for the girls behind you.” A heroine for today, Maggie Lou discovers that with hard work and perseverance she can gain valuable new skills, without losing one iota of her irrepressible spirit. Key Text Features author’s note biographical note chapters dialogue epigraph illustrations
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