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A Stranger at Home
Traveling to be reunited with her family in the arctic, 10-year-old Margaret Pokiak can hardly contain her excitement. It’s been two years since her parents delivered her to the school run by the dark-cloaked nuns and brothers. Coming ashore, Margaret spots her family, but her mother barely recognizes her, screaming, “Not my girl.” Margaret realizes she is now marked as an outsider. And Margaret is an outsider: she has forgotten the language and stories of her people, and she can’t even stomach the food her mother prepares. However, Margaret gradually relearns her language and her family’s way of living. Along the way, she discovers how important it is to remain true to the ways of her people—and to herself. Highlighted by archival photos and striking artwork, this first-person account of a young girl’s struggle to find her place will inspire young readers to ask what it means to belong.
112 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2011
40 people are currently reading
871 people want to read
About the author
Christy Jordan-Fenton
7 books46 followersChristy Jordan-Fenton was born on a farm in rural Alberta. Her only dreams were to be a cowgirl, to dance with Gene Kelly and to write stories. As a youngster, she barrel-raced, rode on cattle drives, witnessed dozens of brandings, and often woke up on early spring mornings to find lambs, calves, and foals taking refuge in the bathroom.
Her parents divorced when she was seven, and she moved to town. She remembers the strange noise of the traffic at night and would describe the experience like moving to a foreign country. Luckily, she was blessed with a stepfather who loved the outdoors and often took her and her brother on day-long bike rides, and fishing and camping trips. From a young age, she was very aware of how his experiences as a Native affected both his life and the lives of her step-siblings. She has been passionate about Native rights ever since.
Christy attended a rural high school in Ontario with a population of 500 students collected from six different communities. She preferred a dance studio to the classroom and composed volumes of poetry during math classes. She also managed to read nearly every book by Mordecai Richler before graduating. Most of these were read by stealth during lectures.
Having had her head filled with too many lost generation romantic notions, she joined the infantry reserve and spent the next few years traveling from base to base. She was then accepted to Norwich University (VT) in the Corps of Cadets to study Peace, War and Diplomacy. While there, she was part of the Mountain Cold Weather Special Operations Company, played rugby, and often rode crazy carpets down the school’s ski hill.
She was awarded a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship and used it to study at the University of Queensland in Australia. She then returned to the United States where she worked developing a leadership challenge program for disadvantaged youth, and taught wilderness survival; however, unable to shake the travel bug, she left to spend a year in South Africa. Her fondest memories are of reading stories to street children at night.
Western Canada called her home and she traveled across the prairies working in the oil patch and riding bucking horses, before meeting her husband and settling down. They now live on a farm outside of Fort St. John, B.C., and have three small children, a handful of chickens, two rabbits, three dogs, a llama, and enough horses to outfit a small town.
A desire to raise her children with a healthy sense of self-esteem brought her back to her passion for Native issues. She is eternally grateful to her Inuvialuit mother-in-law for sharing her residential school experiences and was thrilled when the opportunity came for her to write about them in Fatty Legs (Fall 2010).
For Christy, dreams do come true. She is a student of natural horsemanship, is a performing cowgirl poet, and her work has appeared in Jones Ave., a quarterly devoted to poetry and reviews. She is currently working on several children’s stories, a novel for adults, and a short story collection. She has yet to dance with Gene Kelly.
Her parents divorced when she was seven, and she moved to town. She remembers the strange noise of the traffic at night and would describe the experience like moving to a foreign country. Luckily, she was blessed with a stepfather who loved the outdoors and often took her and her brother on day-long bike rides, and fishing and camping trips. From a young age, she was very aware of how his experiences as a Native affected both his life and the lives of her step-siblings. She has been passionate about Native rights ever since.
Christy attended a rural high school in Ontario with a population of 500 students collected from six different communities. She preferred a dance studio to the classroom and composed volumes of poetry during math classes. She also managed to read nearly every book by Mordecai Richler before graduating. Most of these were read by stealth during lectures.
Having had her head filled with too many lost generation romantic notions, she joined the infantry reserve and spent the next few years traveling from base to base. She was then accepted to Norwich University (VT) in the Corps of Cadets to study Peace, War and Diplomacy. While there, she was part of the Mountain Cold Weather Special Operations Company, played rugby, and often rode crazy carpets down the school’s ski hill.
She was awarded a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship and used it to study at the University of Queensland in Australia. She then returned to the United States where she worked developing a leadership challenge program for disadvantaged youth, and taught wilderness survival; however, unable to shake the travel bug, she left to spend a year in South Africa. Her fondest memories are of reading stories to street children at night.
Western Canada called her home and she traveled across the prairies working in the oil patch and riding bucking horses, before meeting her husband and settling down. They now live on a farm outside of Fort St. John, B.C., and have three small children, a handful of chickens, two rabbits, three dogs, a llama, and enough horses to outfit a small town.
A desire to raise her children with a healthy sense of self-esteem brought her back to her passion for Native issues. She is eternally grateful to her Inuvialuit mother-in-law for sharing her residential school experiences and was thrilled when the opportunity came for her to write about them in Fatty Legs (Fall 2010).
For Christy, dreams do come true. She is a student of natural horsemanship, is a performing cowgirl poet, and her work has appeared in Jones Ave., a quarterly devoted to poetry and reviews. She is currently working on several children’s stories, a novel for adults, and a short story collection. She has yet to dance with Gene Kelly.
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February 10, 2012
Story Description:
The powerful memoir of an Inuvialuit girl searching for her true self when she returns from residential school.
Traveling to be reunited with her family in the Arctic, 10-year-old Margaret Pokiak can hardly contain her excitement. It's been two years since her parents delivered her to the school run by the dark-cloaked nuns and brothers.
Coming ashore, Margaret spots her family, but her mother barely recognizes her, screaming, "Not my girl." Margaret realizes she is now marked as an outsider.
And Margaret is an outsider: she has forgotten the language and stories of her people, and she can't even stomach the food her mother prepares.
However, Margaret gradually relearns her language and her family's way of living. Along the way, she discovers how important it is to remain true to the ways of her people -- and to herself.
Highlighted by archival photos and striking artwork, this first-person account of a young girl's struggle to find her place will inspire young readers to ask what it means to belong.
My Review:
Olemaun Pokiak was named for a stone that sharpens a knife and it is an Inuit name.
In Tuktoyaktuk Olemaun is looking for her family who she hadn’t seen for a long time. As she disembarks from the boat she recognized her mother’ voice and looked up. She saw her two-year-old brother, Ernest, strapped to her mother’s back and her sisters, Mabel age 7, and Elizabeth age 8. Her father wasn’t with them. Her mother didn’t recognize Olemaun and refused to come toward her, she hadn’t seen her for two years.
Olemaun and her family lived on Banks Island in the Arctic. Olemaun has been away at school in Aklavik. She was desperate for her mother to recognize her and stared at her but her mother kept repeating: “Not my girl. Not my girl.” Olemaun blamed the brothers, priests and nun at the school she was attending for her mother’s non-recognition for they had turned her from a: “…plump, round-faced girl her mother knew into a skinny gaunt creature” through the chores she did and the type of food she had to eat. They had also cut her long hair short. Olemaun was now ten-years-old and taller than when she left. Suddenly her father showed up in the crowd, recognized her, and hugged her tight. Her father called her Olemaun, it was the first time she’d heard her name in two years as the teachers at the school called her Margaret.
Once home in their tent Olemaun realizes she is no longer “Olemaun” but “Margaret” the English speaking girl from the school. She has forgotten her mother language and doesn’t seem to fit in with her family anymore. She can’t communicate with them, can’t eat the food she grew up with, no longer has any friends, and struggles to regain all that she has lost.
This is a wonderful memoir for children. They will learn a lot about the people of the North. Even in my 50’s I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the book. At only 126 pages it was a quick read complete with illustrations and about ten pages of actual photographs at the end of the book.
The powerful memoir of an Inuvialuit girl searching for her true self when she returns from residential school.
Traveling to be reunited with her family in the Arctic, 10-year-old Margaret Pokiak can hardly contain her excitement. It's been two years since her parents delivered her to the school run by the dark-cloaked nuns and brothers.
Coming ashore, Margaret spots her family, but her mother barely recognizes her, screaming, "Not my girl." Margaret realizes she is now marked as an outsider.
And Margaret is an outsider: she has forgotten the language and stories of her people, and she can't even stomach the food her mother prepares.
However, Margaret gradually relearns her language and her family's way of living. Along the way, she discovers how important it is to remain true to the ways of her people -- and to herself.
Highlighted by archival photos and striking artwork, this first-person account of a young girl's struggle to find her place will inspire young readers to ask what it means to belong.
My Review:
Olemaun Pokiak was named for a stone that sharpens a knife and it is an Inuit name.
In Tuktoyaktuk Olemaun is looking for her family who she hadn’t seen for a long time. As she disembarks from the boat she recognized her mother’ voice and looked up. She saw her two-year-old brother, Ernest, strapped to her mother’s back and her sisters, Mabel age 7, and Elizabeth age 8. Her father wasn’t with them. Her mother didn’t recognize Olemaun and refused to come toward her, she hadn’t seen her for two years.
Olemaun and her family lived on Banks Island in the Arctic. Olemaun has been away at school in Aklavik. She was desperate for her mother to recognize her and stared at her but her mother kept repeating: “Not my girl. Not my girl.” Olemaun blamed the brothers, priests and nun at the school she was attending for her mother’s non-recognition for they had turned her from a: “…plump, round-faced girl her mother knew into a skinny gaunt creature” through the chores she did and the type of food she had to eat. They had also cut her long hair short. Olemaun was now ten-years-old and taller than when she left. Suddenly her father showed up in the crowd, recognized her, and hugged her tight. Her father called her Olemaun, it was the first time she’d heard her name in two years as the teachers at the school called her Margaret.
Once home in their tent Olemaun realizes she is no longer “Olemaun” but “Margaret” the English speaking girl from the school. She has forgotten her mother language and doesn’t seem to fit in with her family anymore. She can’t communicate with them, can’t eat the food she grew up with, no longer has any friends, and struggles to regain all that she has lost.
This is a wonderful memoir for children. They will learn a lot about the people of the North. Even in my 50’s I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the book. At only 126 pages it was a quick read complete with illustrations and about ten pages of actual photographs at the end of the book.
December 9, 2017
A Stranger at Home is the sequel to Fatty Legs. In Fatty Legs, we hear about Olemaun (Margaret) Pokiak who attends a residential school, and her experiences while she was there. In A Stranger at Home, Olemaun tells us of her time following the residential school.
I've never actually read a book specifically dealing with the traumatic aftermath of the Indian Residential School system, and this was honestly eye-opening for me. It is one thing to read that the aftermath brought further trauma, but it's different to read someone's account of the difficulties they faced. The illustrations are beautiful, and the writing is accessible for older children. Fatty Legs was an incredible read, but it managed to be just as incredible to read A Stranger at Home.
I definitely recommend this book, along with the previous book Fatty Legs. It's worth a read whether you are looking for more information as an adult, or are looking to introduce children to a very serious issue. If you are looking for something more appropriate for a younger child, there is also a picture book adaptation of both Fatty Legs and A Stranger at Home, called When I Was Eight and Not My Girl respectively.
I've never actually read a book specifically dealing with the traumatic aftermath of the Indian Residential School system, and this was honestly eye-opening for me. It is one thing to read that the aftermath brought further trauma, but it's different to read someone's account of the difficulties they faced. The illustrations are beautiful, and the writing is accessible for older children. Fatty Legs was an incredible read, but it managed to be just as incredible to read A Stranger at Home.
I definitely recommend this book, along with the previous book Fatty Legs. It's worth a read whether you are looking for more information as an adult, or are looking to introduce children to a very serious issue. If you are looking for something more appropriate for a younger child, there is also a picture book adaptation of both Fatty Legs and A Stranger at Home, called When I Was Eight and Not My Girl respectively.
October 1, 2018
In the sequel to Fatty Legs we see the devastating effects of cultural genocide via the assimilationist policies of residential school.
This memoir strips bare the harsh reality of returning to your family and community having had your language and culture stripped from you.
This past week I’ve immersed myself in residential school stories to better understand this trauma that survivors experience. In my opinion, the work of Christy Jordan-Fenton has helped immensely in that pursuit.
This memoir strips bare the harsh reality of returning to your family and community having had your language and culture stripped from you.
This past week I’ve immersed myself in residential school stories to better understand this trauma that survivors experience. In my opinion, the work of Christy Jordan-Fenton has helped immensely in that pursuit.
August 7, 2015
After returning from two years at a residential school, Margaret now faces the challenge of no longer fitting in within her community. A moving true story about how the school changed her and her struggle to be accepted again.
November 23, 2025
I actually read this for my October novel study so it counts….
July 19, 2011
Artwork by Liz Amini-Holmes
Published by Annick Press
This book is the life of author, Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, the sequel to "Fatty Legs" by the same authors. It is also the life of Canada's shame, the story of how the government took the children away from all aboriginal nations and sent them to Catholic residential schools. "A Stranger at Home" tells the true story of Margaret's return to her parents in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories and how she was snubbed by family, friends, and townspeople. I have not read "Fatty Legs", but must because it will take me into her years in school.
The boat bringing home the children is arriving in Tuktoyaktuk, or Tuk as they call it. Parents and siblings are waiting for the arrival, but when Margaret approaches her mother, she says "Not my daughter!" Margaret's hair has been cut, she is in clothing supplied by the school, and all tradition is gone. She can not even remember how to speak her language, Invialuktun. She is unable to understand her mother and her mother does not understand her. Her siblings look at Margaret as though she were an alien. She is now an "outsider" and is devastated. The book is well named because Margaret is indeed "a stranger at home". Her father does speak English, fortunately, and he is her only strength.
Margaret can no longer eat the food her mother prepares. She can't eat and loses weight. Even the food at the Hudson Bay store doesn't appeal to her. She is horrified when the family eats without saying grace, and is terrified that her family will go to Hell. This is what she has been taught, and that it is her responsibility to convert her family. Margaret's best friend Agnes can no longer play with or see her, because she only knows English. Agnes kept her language by telling herself stories in her mind and occasionally naming things in her room, but she is punished when she is caught. Margaret's only happiness is playing with the dogs and reading. She particularly likes "Gulliver's Travels", relating to it in a way.
Through her father's attention and help, and her mother trying to find communication, Margaret finally finds a way to be a part of her family again. She is once again Olemaun Pokiak, her Inuvialuit, or Inuit name. She is able to eat the food her mother prepares. She remembers how to skin caribou, and she is able to drive a team and sled. But still she misses her home on Banks Island where she was so happy growing up. Tuktoyaktuk still seems like a stopover, and soon it will prove to be just that when the government people come and tell them that the children must go to the school, and that includes Margaret's siblings.
This is a book everyone should read. It is written for school-age, but I feel it should be read and explained by adults who can remember this time, or who understand this time, so the children and young adults will understand what happened, how it affected the families, and how so many languages almost went extinct.
Kudos to those who have worked hard to restore the languages, beliefs and teach their children of the old ways. That is not the whole story, though. Through the efforts of people like Margaret, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the aboriginal renewal has been underway for the past several years and now many languages have been retrieved and spoken, old customs have been returned, although now updated.
Published by Annick Press
This book is the life of author, Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, the sequel to "Fatty Legs" by the same authors. It is also the life of Canada's shame, the story of how the government took the children away from all aboriginal nations and sent them to Catholic residential schools. "A Stranger at Home" tells the true story of Margaret's return to her parents in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories and how she was snubbed by family, friends, and townspeople. I have not read "Fatty Legs", but must because it will take me into her years in school.
The boat bringing home the children is arriving in Tuktoyaktuk, or Tuk as they call it. Parents and siblings are waiting for the arrival, but when Margaret approaches her mother, she says "Not my daughter!" Margaret's hair has been cut, she is in clothing supplied by the school, and all tradition is gone. She can not even remember how to speak her language, Invialuktun. She is unable to understand her mother and her mother does not understand her. Her siblings look at Margaret as though she were an alien. She is now an "outsider" and is devastated. The book is well named because Margaret is indeed "a stranger at home". Her father does speak English, fortunately, and he is her only strength.
Margaret can no longer eat the food her mother prepares. She can't eat and loses weight. Even the food at the Hudson Bay store doesn't appeal to her. She is horrified when the family eats without saying grace, and is terrified that her family will go to Hell. This is what she has been taught, and that it is her responsibility to convert her family. Margaret's best friend Agnes can no longer play with or see her, because she only knows English. Agnes kept her language by telling herself stories in her mind and occasionally naming things in her room, but she is punished when she is caught. Margaret's only happiness is playing with the dogs and reading. She particularly likes "Gulliver's Travels", relating to it in a way.
Through her father's attention and help, and her mother trying to find communication, Margaret finally finds a way to be a part of her family again. She is once again Olemaun Pokiak, her Inuvialuit, or Inuit name. She is able to eat the food her mother prepares. She remembers how to skin caribou, and she is able to drive a team and sled. But still she misses her home on Banks Island where she was so happy growing up. Tuktoyaktuk still seems like a stopover, and soon it will prove to be just that when the government people come and tell them that the children must go to the school, and that includes Margaret's siblings.
This is a book everyone should read. It is written for school-age, but I feel it should be read and explained by adults who can remember this time, or who understand this time, so the children and young adults will understand what happened, how it affected the families, and how so many languages almost went extinct.
Kudos to those who have worked hard to restore the languages, beliefs and teach their children of the old ways. That is not the whole story, though. Through the efforts of people like Margaret, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the aboriginal renewal has been underway for the past several years and now many languages have been retrieved and spoken, old customs have been returned, although now updated.
October 12, 2016
This book is in a recommended reading list for Aboriginal Resources for young people. I decided that I would read all the books in the list -- for my own interest and simply to take a look at the reading information available to young readers.
"A Stranger at Home" is a sequel to "Fatty Legs" and answers some of the questions I had regarding Margaret's return to her family in the high Arctic after two years at the Catholic, Residential School in Aklavik. Named Olemaun Pokiak for the first eight years of her life, Margaret eagerly returns to her family, only to find that her mother does not recognize her; she can no longer digest the typical Inuit diet; she cannot speak her native tongue; she dresses like an outsider; and she does not belong! "A Stranger at Home" follows Margaret's difficult journey to reconcile her old self with her new self and find her place in her community.
This true story is an excellent followup to Margaret's first book, "Fatty Legs". Young readers can gain an understanding of how the children felt when they returned to their families and how they did not fit into either their native culture or the white-man's culture. Although this book deals with a difficult topic, Margaret's story does have a happier ending than many. She was lucky to have a family that recognized the value of learning the white-man's customs and how to read English, in addition to the value of a loving and nurturing native family. Her father, in particular, was a very wise man who realized that he needed to send his children to school in order for them to succeed in the rapidly changing north.
"A Stranger at Home" is a sequel to "Fatty Legs" and answers some of the questions I had regarding Margaret's return to her family in the high Arctic after two years at the Catholic, Residential School in Aklavik. Named Olemaun Pokiak for the first eight years of her life, Margaret eagerly returns to her family, only to find that her mother does not recognize her; she can no longer digest the typical Inuit diet; she cannot speak her native tongue; she dresses like an outsider; and she does not belong! "A Stranger at Home" follows Margaret's difficult journey to reconcile her old self with her new self and find her place in her community.
This true story is an excellent followup to Margaret's first book, "Fatty Legs". Young readers can gain an understanding of how the children felt when they returned to their families and how they did not fit into either their native culture or the white-man's culture. Although this book deals with a difficult topic, Margaret's story does have a happier ending than many. She was lucky to have a family that recognized the value of learning the white-man's customs and how to read English, in addition to the value of a loving and nurturing native family. Her father, in particular, was a very wise man who realized that he needed to send his children to school in order for them to succeed in the rapidly changing north.
July 5, 2018
Definitely worth the read, especially when read in conjunction with its prequel, Fatty Legs, by the same mother/daughter-in-law writing team.
In this middle-grade novel, Margaret/Olemaun struggles to reintegrate with her home community after two years away at a Roman Catholic run Residential School. She cannot remember her language and has difficulty communicating with everyone, including her mother and younger sisters because of it. Her father speaks English, and so does her best friend, who was also at school, but her friend's mother forbids her to play with Margaret/Olemaun or speak English, so the narrator feels very isolated and alone. She can't stomach the fatty/salty/rich traditional foods of her people, and her feet hurt in the traditional soft shoes. This book focuses on her struggles to reconnect with her culture as she winters over in their new home at a trading settlement. Her alienation and confusion were felt by many children who survived Residential school and came home to parents who didn't recognize them, and places where they no longer recognized themselves.
In this middle-grade novel, Margaret/Olemaun struggles to reintegrate with her home community after two years away at a Roman Catholic run Residential School. She cannot remember her language and has difficulty communicating with everyone, including her mother and younger sisters because of it. Her father speaks English, and so does her best friend, who was also at school, but her friend's mother forbids her to play with Margaret/Olemaun or speak English, so the narrator feels very isolated and alone. She can't stomach the fatty/salty/rich traditional foods of her people, and her feet hurt in the traditional soft shoes. This book focuses on her struggles to reconnect with her culture as she winters over in their new home at a trading settlement. Her alienation and confusion were felt by many children who survived Residential school and came home to parents who didn't recognize them, and places where they no longer recognized themselves.
January 24, 2012
I know this is a story that needs to be told: the effect of taking Indigenous children away from their parents to educate them during colonisation, but this telling is quite bitter. No doubt some of the situations faced were bitter, but here the bitterness is turned towards making all of the nuns and brothers who undertook this education quite evil: ruthless with punishment, cruel and lacking affection, and down-right scary with their shaved heads underneath their habits. Their faith seems to have an evil intent behind it, and Christianity in general comes across as fearmongering and brainwashing, completely missing the point of it.
The illustrations are beautiful and there are some nice moments between father and daughter and when she teaches her mother to write her name, but I think this book would only leave a young reader with a heavy heart and a loathing fear of brothers and nuns. Is that really helpful? By contrast, Anh Doh's hopeful message in The Happiest Refugee: A Memoir and The Little Refugee for children are so inspiring and beautiful.
The illustrations are beautiful and there are some nice moments between father and daughter and when she teaches her mother to write her name, but I think this book would only leave a young reader with a heavy heart and a loathing fear of brothers and nuns. Is that really helpful? By contrast, Anh Doh's hopeful message in The Happiest Refugee: A Memoir and The Little Refugee for children are so inspiring and beautiful.
March 19, 2013
Even better than Fatty Legs, the prequel to this moving story, because of the sense of disconnection that Olemaun aka Margaret feels from her family and her community as a result of her residential schooling in Canada's far north and Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton get that sense of numbing isolation just right - a brilliant book
February 21, 2012
After reading Fatty Legs, I was really looking forward to this story and I'm so glad I read it...it was so touching. A moving story about love, learning who we really are and honoring ourselves and our culture. I LOVED this book and would strongly recommend it, but read Fatty Legs First!
November 21, 2025
Did I cry while reading this with my class? Yes. Yes I did. A great follow up to Fatty Legs. My students LOVED this!!
October 4, 2021
When combined with the title before this, Fatty Legs, this tells a complete story of Residential Schools. This, possibly more than the first, really shows the ongoing and long lasting effects of the trauma endured. To not be able to communicate, to be ostracized by her community, to not be able to eat the food or wear the clothes of her culture…this really highlights the reasons so many Indigenous people struggled even upon return to their homes. The decision at the end that Olemaun’s father is forced to make - and of Olemaun herself - is heartbreaking and shows the true bravery that lay within Olemaun and her father. Extremely impactful.
March 27, 2019
Really gives a strong sense of the alienation caused by the residential school system, based on language disruption and custom disruption and even diet.
One of the most disturbing things is that the story only mentions three other people who have had schooling: her father, one friend (whom she temporarily cannot talk to as the friend's mother is trying to get her back to normal), and a sister who doesn't seem to be around. As many children as are taken to the school, it makes you wonder how many never made it back, or never felt comfortable there again.
One of the most disturbing things is that the story only mentions three other people who have had schooling: her father, one friend (whom she temporarily cannot talk to as the friend's mother is trying to get her back to normal), and a sister who doesn't seem to be around. As many children as are taken to the school, it makes you wonder how many never made it back, or never felt comfortable there again.
September 29, 2018
amazing I had read fatty legs and wanted to hear the whole story and it was the most saddest thing I ever read and knowing it was a true story it was just sadder
July 11, 2016
The true story of Olemaun, an Inuit child who, struggles to once more become part of her family and culture, upon her return from a residential school.
The heart breaking way Olemaun no longer belongs, unable to communicate effectively with her family or participate in her culture is well presented, making Olemaun seem very alone. Slowly she regains the skills she needs for survival and happiness in her community.
This is not a happy story, yet it is one filled with hope. Olemaun is a resilient child who has no intention of letting her time at school hold her back. She realizes the importance of her own language and culture and determines that no one will ever take that away from her or her sisters again. She also sees the importance of literacy and begins to teach her mother to read.
There is an African American trapper who comes to trade at the Hudson Bay Company store. The people are afraid of him, calling him the devil. Olemaun realizes that he is an outsider, just like her and sympathizes with him. It is important that younger readers recognize that this was an inappropriate label and we should never ostracize someone for looking different.
Another concern to consider is that Christianity is presented from Olemaun’s perspective. She does not understand the basic concepts of the religion, thinking only that if one doesn’t pray and say grace they will go to hell. Her understanding does make sense as she was being forced to pray daily at the school she attended. It is easy to assume that in the kind of unhealthy environment hell and brimstone would have been stressed rather than the loving salvation message that is the central tenant of Christianity.
Large print and short chapters make this a goods choice for an earlier chapter book for children. Due to the content children will need some adult input to fully understand the history.
The art work is simple and charming and should appeal to most children. There are photos of Olemaun’s family throughout the book.
The heart breaking way Olemaun no longer belongs, unable to communicate effectively with her family or participate in her culture is well presented, making Olemaun seem very alone. Slowly she regains the skills she needs for survival and happiness in her community.
This is not a happy story, yet it is one filled with hope. Olemaun is a resilient child who has no intention of letting her time at school hold her back. She realizes the importance of her own language and culture and determines that no one will ever take that away from her or her sisters again. She also sees the importance of literacy and begins to teach her mother to read.
There is an African American trapper who comes to trade at the Hudson Bay Company store. The people are afraid of him, calling him the devil. Olemaun realizes that he is an outsider, just like her and sympathizes with him. It is important that younger readers recognize that this was an inappropriate label and we should never ostracize someone for looking different.
Another concern to consider is that Christianity is presented from Olemaun’s perspective. She does not understand the basic concepts of the religion, thinking only that if one doesn’t pray and say grace they will go to hell. Her understanding does make sense as she was being forced to pray daily at the school she attended. It is easy to assume that in the kind of unhealthy environment hell and brimstone would have been stressed rather than the loving salvation message that is the central tenant of Christianity.
Large print and short chapters make this a goods choice for an earlier chapter book for children. Due to the content children will need some adult input to fully understand the history.
The art work is simple and charming and should appeal to most children. There are photos of Olemaun’s family throughout the book.
June 11, 2018
Margaret Pokiak-Fenton (now in her 80s) and her daughter-in-law, Christy Jordan-Fenton together have authored this book, the follow up to fatty legs, Margaret's true story of her experiences as a child that she kept secret for many, many years. The books are two parts of a whole. When Margaret was seven, her sister read to her from the collection of coloured books their father had given her for Christmas. Margaret wanted to learn to read so badly; there was so much she wanted to learn. She pestered and pestered her father to let her go to the school until he finally relented. Her sister Rosie was right. They didn't just take her hair, they took everything.
a stranger at home is the proof. When Margaret returned home after two years, everything was different except her relationship with her father. She could no longer tolerate the rich foods of the Inuit that had been her favourites. She had forgotten her language and many of the ways of her family and people. She felt like an outcast, teased by the other children. Only her father stood by her patiently, helping her to find her way back into her community.
There are other versions of these books meant for younger children and these books could be read by older children, too, if they want know more about some of the sad injustices perpetrated on aboriginals in an attempt to assimilate them and modernize them. Usually, the motives included wanting to move them off their lands so that the oils and minerals could make white people rich.
This book is definitely worth reading no matter what your age and may spur you to learn more about this sad chapter in our Canadian history.
a stranger at home is the proof. When Margaret returned home after two years, everything was different except her relationship with her father. She could no longer tolerate the rich foods of the Inuit that had been her favourites. She had forgotten her language and many of the ways of her family and people. She felt like an outcast, teased by the other children. Only her father stood by her patiently, helping her to find her way back into her community.
There are other versions of these books meant for younger children and these books could be read by older children, too, if they want know more about some of the sad injustices perpetrated on aboriginals in an attempt to assimilate them and modernize them. Usually, the motives included wanting to move them off their lands so that the oils and minerals could make white people rich.
This book is definitely worth reading no matter what your age and may spur you to learn more about this sad chapter in our Canadian history.
January 19, 2018
I am an Inupiaq high school student from Barrow, Alaska. I read this book because when I read the first book "Fatty Legs." It interested me to keep on reading to find out what it was like for Olemaun when she went back home to her family. I liked this book because it told a story about a young girl that is brave enough to go to the outsiders school and experience what it was like to go and learn new things. But, when she went to the outsider school which was in Aklavik, Canada she realized she did not like it there. When she goes home from being in school for 2 years she doesn't remember her language. Olemaun struggled to fit back in with her community, and it took awhile for her to get her knowledge back. At the end of the book, Olemaun finally starts to slowly remember her language, but one day her father told her that the government is forcing young children to go to school. Even though Olemaun doesn't want to go back to the school, she is brave enough to go back with her younger siblings and encourages them to not lose their language or their culture because at the outsider school they are not able to do anything that includes what they grew up knowing which is their own culture. I think people should read this book to learn about what it was like for young children when they were forced to go to school and leave their community. Also, to realize what the outsiders did that made our native culture fade from being fluent to not being able to remember our own language.
August 8, 2012
In the sequel to “Fatty legs”, Margaret continues her story after two terrible years at the Catholic boarding school when she is finally able to go home to her family. Because she wasn’t allowed to speak anything other than English at school she actually forgot how to speak to her family. Only her father knows English and she works very hard to get herself back. She finds that she is not the same Olemaun as she was when she left home – even her mother doesn’t recognize her with her short outsider hair cut. But she is definitely not the “Margaret” that the outsiders forced her to be either. She finds herself having a very hard time fitting in with her old friends and her siblings and has a longing to be able to go back home.
I read this book before “Fatty legs”, but I do remember hearing people saying how great it was and after reading the sequel I’m definitely going to pick that one up next. This was a heartbreaking story about not being able to fit in even with the people you believe you belong with. At the end Olemaun finds the true meaning of home – which it is not a place but where your family is. I think that children (especially those who have had to move around a lot) would really be able to relate to this concept.
I read this book before “Fatty legs”, but I do remember hearing people saying how great it was and after reading the sequel I’m definitely going to pick that one up next. This was a heartbreaking story about not being able to fit in even with the people you believe you belong with. At the end Olemaun finds the true meaning of home – which it is not a place but where your family is. I think that children (especially those who have had to move around a lot) would really be able to relate to this concept.
February 2, 2018
I am a high school student in Utqiaġvik, the northernmost town in Alaska. I read this book as part of a course in Iñupiaq literature after reading the first part of the story in the book, Fatty Legs. Most of the students in my school and in this class are Iñupiaq so they relate to the stories on a cultural level. I am Tongan so I am learning a lot about the history and the culture of the Arctic people through the books we read. This book better helped me understand the importance of language. I speak both Tongan and English and reading this book helped me appreciate the fact that my parents have helped me to retain my Tongan language despite living in the United States. I really related to Olemaun because she would do anything or her family, even overcoming her fear of going back to the school to protect her little sisters.
February 2, 2018
I am high school student in Utqiaġvik, the northernmost town in Alaska. I read this book as part of my high school Iñupiaq literature class. I chose to read it becuase I had read the book Fatty Legs and wanted to know how the story continued. I really related to Olemaun in the story because she struggled to understand her native language and had to be taught the language again. I relate to her because I struggle understanding my native language and my family helps me learn more of how to speak iñupiaq. This book helped me better understand how difficult it was for the ones who had to go to boarding school and go back to their community and have to readapt to their language. I think anyone who wants to get a better understanding of what it was like for those that left home to go to boarding school and how they struggled to re-learn their language should read this book.
June 4, 2016
A continuation of the story of Olemaun from Fatty Legs; A young girl sent to a residential school. A Stranger at Home is about Olemaun's return home after a two year absence. She is treated as an outsider instead of welcomed.
I liked how a lot of vocabulary and information about her native way of life was introduced throughout the book. My class enjoyed this book and had a deeper understanding of the impact that residential schools had on children at that time. The information at the end which explained how the Outsider children had two-fold sorrow: being sent away to residential schools and not belonging there and returning home and, no longer fitting in, considered outsiders. A life long impact on young children.
I liked how a lot of vocabulary and information about her native way of life was introduced throughout the book. My class enjoyed this book and had a deeper understanding of the impact that residential schools had on children at that time. The information at the end which explained how the Outsider children had two-fold sorrow: being sent away to residential schools and not belonging there and returning home and, no longer fitting in, considered outsiders. A life long impact on young children.
May 29, 2018
This book is just as strong as the first written by these authors, Fatty Legs , and in some way, presents a different perspective than a lot of the literature for children about residential schools. Many of the books out there for kids on this topic focus on the time spent at the schools, which is obviously incredibly important to highlight, but I really appreciated finding out more about the specific ways it could have been challenging for an Indigenous child to try to reintegrate with their community. This book is even stronger and hard-hitting due to the fact that it's a memoir; the photographs at the end are really helpful in making an impact. The writing is simple, but that makes it accessible to a wide range of readers. I was moved to tears several times.
June 24, 2012
Margaret is home from residential school and is finding it hard to fit in with her family. Unable to speak her own language nor eat the traditional foods her mother has made for her, Margaret realizes that she has been more changed by her experience at residential school than she realized. Can she find a way to navigate her life with her family? Especially given what is coming.
Another painful memoir from Margaret Pokiak-Fenton that continues to explore the impact of residential schools on the children who attended them, their families and their greater communities. This is a must for anyone trying to understand this issues. Teachers and librarians need to pick this up.
Another painful memoir from Margaret Pokiak-Fenton that continues to explore the impact of residential schools on the children who attended them, their families and their greater communities. This is a must for anyone trying to understand this issues. Teachers and librarians need to pick this up.
October 27, 2014
The main character went to a residential school after that she went home then she is a stranger to her family and people.She slowly goes back to her traditional life style like dogsledding hunting with her father eating traditional foods. The people from the school come back to bring students back to residential school including the main character. Her family was sad and crying when she had to return back to residential school, Her younger siblings went with her to residential school.
YES i think other people should read this book because it a local book based in the north because there is hunting and dogsledding which i like about the book.
YES i think other people should read this book because it a local book based in the north because there is hunting and dogsledding which i like about the book.
March 9, 2015
I'm an Iñupiaq living in Barrow, Alaska and am a senior in high school. I enjoyed this book. I had a few connections with this book. One of my connections is that I went to boarding school as well. When missionaries came to pick children up for school, they were gone for years at a time and they lost their language because they were not allowed to speak it when they were at boarding school. I know Elders in my community that went to Sitka and Wrangell for their schooling and lost some of their language but still can understand. This ties in with the story. I have liked this book because it a part of Alaskan History.
October 2, 2012
Sequel to “Fatty Legs”. This memoir continues the story of Olemaun, aka Margaret, an Alaskan Inuit girl who was sent away from her family to boarding school. Now she is rejoining her family but is having a difficult time readjusting; she has lost her taste for once familiar foods and has lost much of her native tongue after being forced to speak English only at school. Interspersed with colorful illustrations plus actual family photographs at the end of the book, this is a candid look at what Inuit children were forced to endure in the name of education.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
October 27, 2014
This book was ok. What I liked about it was she went hunting with her dad and she likes her dog.
-A stranger at home is about a young inuit girl, who went to residential school, then came back home. She's not use to her culture stuff like gating traditional food and only likes food bought from the store. Her and her dad go to hudson's bay store and see a stranger carrying furs. she was crying then her dad picked her up holding her. She had speak to her best friend. her dad told her a story about northern lights. She went back to residential school with her younger siblings.
-A stranger at home is about a young inuit girl, who went to residential school, then came back home. She's not use to her culture stuff like gating traditional food and only likes food bought from the store. Her and her dad go to hudson's bay store and see a stranger carrying furs. she was crying then her dad picked her up holding her. She had speak to her best friend. her dad told her a story about northern lights. She went back to residential school with her younger siblings.
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February 1, 2016A Stranger at Home is based on the life of Margaret Pokiak-Fenton and written from the perspective of her 10-year old self. It is about her experience of returning home two years after being away at a residential school.
Margaret returns to her home in northern Canada a changed girl and faces the challenge of finding her true place in the world. The book is beautifully illustrated with vibrant paintings which portray the emotional and physical landscapes of the story’s characters and northern setting.
Suggested age: 10+
Review written by Ms. Nagao.
Margaret returns to her home in northern Canada a changed girl and faces the challenge of finding her true place in the world. The book is beautifully illustrated with vibrant paintings which portray the emotional and physical landscapes of the story’s characters and northern setting.
Suggested age: 10+
Review written by Ms. Nagao.
April 23, 2018
I liked this story but it was not as good as the first book Fatty Legs which is a story of the residential school that Margaret went to.A stranger at home is the sequel when Margaret comes home from the residential school after two years and the family situation that she encounters.This is a sad story of what Inuit children had to endure in these so called Christian schools run by nuns and priests.This is a story that all people who are not Inuit should be reading so that they might get a small glimpse of what native peoples and children went through.
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