PB: Not My Girl - Ages 6+
Margaret can’t wait to see her family, but her homecoming is not what she expected.
Two years ago, Margaret left her Arctic home for the outsiders’ school. Now she has returned and can barely contain her excitement as she rushes towards her waiting family—but her mother stands still as a stone. This strange, skinny child, with her hair cropped short, can’t be her daughter. “Not my girl!” she says angrily.
Margaret’s years at school have changed her. Now ten years old, she has forgotten her language and the skills to hunt and fish. She can’t even stomach her mother’s food. Her only comfort is in the books she learned to read at school.
Gradually, Margaret relearns the words and ways of her people. With time, she earns her father’s trust enough to be given a dogsled of her own. As her family watches with pride, Margaret knows she has found her place once more.
Based on the true story of Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, and complemented by evocative illustrations, Not My Girl makes the original, award-winning memoir, A Stranger at Home, accessible to younger children. It is also a sequel to the picture book When I Was Eight. A poignant story of a determined young girl’s struggle to belong, it will both move and inspire readers everywhere.
Awards
- Short-listed, da Vinci Eye Award 2015
- Commended, Eric Hoffer Award, Honorable Mention 2015
- Joint winner, USBBY Outstanding International Books Honor List 2015
- Short-listed, Chocolate Lily Award 2015
- Commended, Skipping Stones Honor Award 2015
- Short-listed, Information Book Award, Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada 2015
- Joint winner, Storytelling World Award 2015
- Joint winner, Best Books for Kids & Teens, starred selection, Canadian Children’s Book Centre 2015
Christy Jordan-Fenton lives in Fort St. John, British Columbia. Margaret Pokiak-Fenton is her children’s grandmother. Jordan-Fenton practices traditional ceremonies with the Kainai Blackfoot.
Margaret-Olemaun Pokiak-Fenton is an Inuvialuk elder and artisan who spent her early years on Banks Island in the high Arctic. She now lives in Fort St. John, British Columbia.
Gabrielle Grimard has illustrated over 30 picture books, including When I Was Eight and Not My Girl for Annick Press. She is the author and illustrator of Lila and the Crow. She lives in Quebec, Canada.