Rez Dogs

By Joseph Bruchac

A girl learns her heritage and protects her family during a pandemic lockdown.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 4,712 ratings

192 pages· 13,553 words· Est. 2 hour read

$17.99Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

Malian finds herself unexpectedly quarantined with her grandparents on a Wabanaki reservation as a pandemic sweeps the globe. As travel halts, she embraces her Penacook heritage, learning from her elders' stories and adapting to new ways of connecting. With a loyal dog by her side, Malian navigates the challenges of isolation, discovering strength in community and tradition. How will she balance the weight of the past with the uncertainty of the present? This verse novel explores resilience and the enduring bonds of family and culture in the face of a global crisis.

From the publisher

From the U.S.’s foremost indigenous children’s author comes a middle grade verse novel set during the COVID-19 pandemic, about a Wabanaki girl’s quarantine on her grandparents’ reservation and the local dog that becomes her best friend Malian loves spending time with her grandparents at their home on a Wabanaki reservation. She’s there for a visit when, suddenly, all travel shuts down. There’s a new virus making people sick, and Malian will have to stay with her grandparents for the duration. Everyone is worried about the pandemic, but Malian knows how to keep her family and community safe: She protects her grandparents, and they protect her. She doesn’t go outside to play with friends, she helps her grandparents use video chat, and she listens to and learns from their stories. And when Malsum, one of the dogs living on the rez, shows up at their door, Malian’s family knows that he’ll protect them too. Told in verse inspired by oral storytelling, this novel about the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the ways Malian’s community has cared for one another through plagues of the past, and how they keep caring for one another today.