Malian was visiting her grandparents at their home on the Wabanaki reservation when she got the news that everything was closing down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now she’s with them indefinitely until travel can be resumed, but that’s fine with her. She can keep up with her online classes (when the internet connection is working) and spend much-cherished time with her elders, who tell her stories about their past and their people and enjoy watching movies with her on Netflix. She befriends a stray dog that shows up one day, and the same dog figures into her grandparents’ stories of past times. Has the dog always been here as a protector of Malian’s family? There’s just enough mystery about the dog to add tension to an otherwise idyllic story in verse about a young girl embracing and being embraced by her family’s Native traditions. (Ages 8-11)

Rez Dogs is a timely verse novel set during the coronavirus pandemic on the Wabanaki reservation about a girl named Malian, her grandparents, and a dog that becomes her best friend. Bruchac illustrates how American history has silenced the stories of indigenous people, including forced sterilization, boarding schools, family separation, and colonization. Malian is vocal and confident in her indigenous identity, thinks deeply, and makes hard choices. She challenges her teacher to recognize her own racist beliefs, providing a clear and hopeful message that all people can change when they acknowledge their own biased beliefs and commit to rejecting bigotry and embracing diversity.