RAVEN, RISING

A girl struggles with loss while making friends, dealing with bullying, and facing down injustice in this debut by Hartman Derr (Cherokee).

Following the deaths of her Cherokee dad and English-Scotch mom, 12-year-old Raven Miller and her paternal Aunt Coral move to a new town, where her aunt has a new job. There, she hopes to move on from the mistake that “cleanly split [her] life into Before and After” and the things—like baking—that remind her too much of her parents. At her new school, Raven quickly runs afoul of the popular crowd, but she manages to make some friends. Navigating all these changes isn’t easy, and as Raven learns more about life in small-town Bear Creek Falls, she grapples with being one of the few Native students and with the unfair power structures upheld by the adults around her. Together with her friends—and the little bit of magic that they nurture amongst themselves—Raven is ready to take a stand, though not without some missteps along the way. Raven’s journey, which addresses grief, stereotypes, identity, agency, and more, unfolds with warmth and depth and is told in a way that respects young readers’ intelligence. The narrative addresses some darker realities, while leaving space for Raven and her friends to shine, demonstrating the difference that collective voices can make and the healing that can be found in community.

A heartfelt and relevant story that’s brimming with hope.