Where Wolves Don’t Die

Ojibwe teen Ezra Cloud hates his Northeast Minneapolis home; he’s tired of the bullying he endures from his peers regarding his heritage (“White people didn’t have to live that kind of fear,” Ezra thinks). He much prefers the surroundings of Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation, his reservation on the other side of the U.S.-Canada border. The taunting becomes more personal for Ezra when bully Matt torments Ezra’s Ojibwe friend. That night, Matt’s father and uncle die in a house fire, and Ezra is the prime suspect. To escape police suspicion, Ezra’s father sends him to Nigigoonsiminikaaning, where he will work the winter trapline with his grandfather. While navigating the snowy wilderness, he learns about the animals of the area, as well as his grandfather’s past. He also struggles with unresolved anger at his father over his mother’s death while working at a dangerous lumber company. This leisurely paced novel by Ojibwe author Treuer (Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but Were Afraid to Ask, for adults) contains immersive detail about trapping methods as well as Indigenous tales about the natural world, making for an intriguing if meandering adventure. Ages 12–up. (June)