Books with Indigenous Representation from the Americas for Middle Grade Readers

Native American Heritage Month, celebrated each November, honors the knowledge, traditions, languages, beliefs, and stories of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and affiliated Island communities. Indigenous communities in the Americas have been fighting for generations to preserve their peoples and identities in the face of colonization, broken treaties, residential schools, and other injustices. Native American Heritage Month helps to raise awareness of the continued struggles that Indigenous communities face, support Native people reconnecting with their cultures and languages, and brings visibility to the continued presence of Native and First Nations peoples.

Learn more about Native American Heritage Month, Orange Shirt Day, Land Back, and other Indigenous-led movements at the links below. Or scroll down to find a collection of books for middle grade readers with Indigenous representation from the Americas organized by genre. Other resources will cover books for children and young adult readers. Where possible, I have included the Indigenous community represented (example: Seminole, Anishinaabe, etc.) in parentheses.

Please note: I have not read all these books for myself. I encourage you to use this resources as a "jumping-off point" and to conduct your own research when deciding which book is right for you. Some books will appear in multiple categories. This is because they fit into more than one genre.