The Powwow Dog

The second book in a mystery series features a dog who swipes buffalo burgers from the Seneca Chef’s stand at the powwow. Marie and Jamie, twin siblings, come to the event with their grandparents. They pass an old house on the edge of the reservation and the stage is set for the unfolding of the mystery. Bruchac, a storyteller and Abenaki author, tells a gentle story about the strong relationships between grandparents and children, the inviting atmosphere of the powwow grounds, and the mystery-solving ability of children. Deforest’s colorful illustrations convey the feelings the characters experience: joy, excitement, fear, sadness, and relief. Marie, Jamie, and their grandparents are Native, but their specific nation is not revealed. The book is divided into short chapters, creating a sort of picture book/graphic novel hybrid, which should appeal to emerging and/or reluctant readers.