Not My Girl

by Christy Jordan-Fenton, Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, Gabrielle Grimard (Illustrator)

Overview

Margaret can’t wait to see her family, but her homecoming is not what she expected. 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554516247
Publisher:	Annick Press, Limited
Publication date:	01/09/2014
Pages:	36
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	680L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 7 Years

About the Author

Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton are the authors of Fatty Legs, A Stranger at Home and When I Was Eight. They live in Fort St. John, British Columbia.

Gabrielle Grimard is the illustrator of When I Was Eight and numerous other books for children. She lives in Quebec.

Editorial Reviews

Pokiak-Fentonvs emotionally honest writing is affecting and heartbreaking.

Readerly, National Reading Campaign - Linda Ludke

Not to be missed.

Canlit for Little Canadians

Transforms painful, unfortunate memories into another enduring story of resilience, tenderness, and unconditional love.

BookDragon - Terry Hong

For kids who are ready to tackle the not so sunny portion of history, this is a deeply felt exploration of identity and cultural crisis rendered as a deep, satisfying sigh appropriate for sharing aloud.

BCCB The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Boo

09/01/2014
Gr 2–5—A poignant picture book memoir about an Inuit girl reconnecting with her culture. When I Was Eight (Annick, 2013), based on author Pokiak-Fenton's experiences, introduced eight-year-old Olemaun, an Inuit girl growing up in Canada's Northwest Territories. She was sent by her family to an outsiders' school, where she learned to read and speak English. At her new school, which was run by nuns, Olemaun's long braids were cut short, she was given the name Margaret, and she grew thin from doing hard labor and eating poorly. This experience caused her to lose contact with her native Inuit language and culture. This sequel is the continuation of her story: two years later, Olemaun returned to her family and struggled to assimilate into her native culture. Olemaun's mother, greeting her as she arrived, barely recognized her daughter and shouted, "Not my girl!" However, her father embraced her with tenderness, and the family took to her once more. The transition Olemaun made back into Inuit culture proved difficult because while she was away, she "lost the skills [she] needed to be useful…[to] help feed the family…" but soon she relearned her family's customs and, in turn, aspired to honor her native traditions, and language. Clear and easy-to-read text is appropriately spaced, making this an ideal picture book for independent or prechapter book readers. Culturally relevant, accurate, and soft, painterly illustrations depict the sequence of events and reinforce the bittersweet and tender reunion of Olemaun with her family. Readers who haven't read the first book may be confused. However, this is an excellent illustrated biography, overall.—Natalie Braham, Denver Public Library

School Library Journal

★ 2014-05-28
Ten-year-old Olemaun describes her return from two years at the outsiders’ school and her slow re-entry into her family’s Inuit world.When Olemaun (co-author Pokiak-Fenton) returns to her family, both her mother and her father’s dogs fail to recognize her. She’s grown tall and skinny, her hair has been cut short, she has a different smell. She no longer understands the family’s language and finds the food inedible. Her best friend isn’t allowed to play with her anymore. Appropriately for the young audience, the authors deal gently with the child’s trauma, showing how, in every case, things get better. The skills Olemaun acquired at school help her nurse a puppy she mistakenly kept too long from its mother. And, she learns to drive a dog sled, making her own mother proud. As they did with Margaret’s boarding school years in When I Was Eight (2013), the authors have distilled the years covered in A Stranger at Home (2011) into a moving picture book. The first-person narrative is set against Grimard’s dramatic paintings, which depict family members shown in close-ups and wide-angle views that take in the dramatic scenery of northern Canada. The sky colors are particularly effective—the varying blues and orange of day and the reds and greens of the nighttime northern lights.Another compelling version of an inspiring story. (Picture book/biography. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews