Faye and the Dangerous Journey: An Ojibwe Removal Survival Story

Girls Survive

by Kim Sigafus, Soia Di Chiara Manetti (illustrator)

In the fall of 1850, Faye and her family begin a long, difficult journey with thousands of other Ojibwe people to receive money the U.S. government owes them. But why isn't the money being delivered to them in Wisconsin, as usual? Why must they walk and canoe all the way to the middle of Minnesota in terrible weather? These are questions Faye asks, but the answers don't make sense. When her family reaches their destination, Mama is sick, and there is no money as promised. Will Faye and her family make it back home? Will there be a home to return to? In this gripping story with nonfiction backmatter—including an author's note, discussion questions, and more—readers will learn about the traumatic events of the Sandy Lake Ojibwe removal in this Girls Survive historical fiction.

Genres: Childrens, Historical Fiction, Survival, Middle Grade, Indigenous, Historical, Fiction

112 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2025

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never even heard of this event in history!

[Joey Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

We follow Faye a Ojibwe girl who travels with her family and many others from their tribe to Sandy Lake, during fall to claim the money they have been promised. After months of nothing, with family, friends and many others dying, everyone starving and sick, her father decides it’s time to head home, nothing is coming.

Powerful, emotional and devastating. These are the words that instantly came to mind when I’d finished reading. This story takes you on such a journey, a horribly tragic and unjust journey full of illness, death, hardships and betrayal. But it was written in such a way you are gripped to the story to uncover what is going to happen with this family.

This story showed the realistic journey that they went through, the lies, the mistreatment, the sorrow, the severe hardships. The author did a fantastic job capturing this incredibly cruel and unjust time in history. It was so heartbreaking though and I felt everything with our characters as I read.

Faye was a wonderful protagonist, so strong and so resilient, like her people. She was so strong willed and with her bravery tried to find answers all on her own. She cared for her family so much and couldn’t even once understand why these horrific events had to happen to them. She took action when very few were being brave enough to do such a thing.

This is a very important story to read, it tells you so much information within the story, but also more in the authors note too. I honestly really liked reading this book, it’s a piece of history heavily ignored, but this book gives it the attention it deserves and is told so carefully.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was glad to read it, as I didn't know about this piece of history. However, the book was relentlessly depressing - true to life, I'm sure - but perhaps not a great choice for the classroom (unlike other very dark books, which I guess hooked me in better to the protagonist's struggles, like Brother's Keeper and Refugee, etc.).

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot about a specific instance of government corruption and racism causing the death of many Ojibwe people, but the main character was mostly watching the history happen rather than having an arc of her own. Of course the history involved a lot of suffering from her and her family, not all of whom survived. I liked learning the history but didn’t need the fictional wrapping.