Buffalo Dreamer by Violet Duncan
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
An illuminating novel about the importance of reclaiming the past, based on the author’s family history
Summer and her family always spend relaxed summers in Alberta, Canada, on the reservation where her mom’s family lives. But this year is turning out to be an eye-opening one. First, Summer has begun to have vivid dreams in which she’s running away from one of the many real-life residential schools that tore Native children from their families and tried to erase their Native identities. Not long after that, she learns that unmarked children’s graves have been discovered at the school her grandpa attended as a child. Now more folks are speaking up about their harrowing experiences at these places, including her grandfather. Summer cherishes her heritage and is heartbroken about all her grandfather was forced to give up and miss out on. When the town holds a rally, she’s proud to take part to acknowledge the painful past and speak of her hopes for the future, and anxious to find someone who can fill her in on the source of her unsettling dreams.
Violet Duncan is Plains Cree and Taino from Kehewin Cree Nation. As an accomplished author, educator, dancer, and storyteller, she has toured both nationally and internationally, sharing her talents and promoting wellness and cultural education across the US, Canada, and Europe.
After becoming a mother of four and seeing the need for greater Native representation in literature, Violet has authored three picture books: I Am Native, When We Dance, and Let’s Hoop Dance! Her next children’s book, Life is a Dance will arrive in fall 2025.
Most recently, she released her middle school novel, BUFFALO DREAMER, under Nancy Paulsen’s imprint at Penguin Random House. This exciting work has already received acclaim, making it onto the Longlist for the 2024 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.
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