Red River Rose

by Carole Lindstrom

This adventurous historical novel by bestselling author Carole Lindstrom offers readers a dramatic portrayal of a young Métis girl who takes a stand to protect her way of life.

Rose, her family, and the Métis people have lived on the land for generations. She spends afternoons tracking rabbits and gathering roots with her best friend and her little sister. She loves to watch the ferry arrive, delivering goods and news to their remote community.

But then Rose's elders start speaking in hushed tones and her parents discuss whether they should "join the resistance." When she learns that the government wants to push the Métis off their land again, Rose fears that their lives, their entire lifestyle, are at risk. Determined to help, Rose sets out on an adventure that will test her bravery more than she ever expected. She'll do anything to protect her family, her home, and her way of life.

Set amid the Northwest Resistance of 1885, where the Métis people fought to defend their land, this powerful historical narrative illuminates the less often told side of history and gives a glimpse of Indigenous life on the prairie.

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

224 pages, Hardcover

Published March 17, 2026

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This gets points for being a historical fiction novel featuring non-white characters. I really reading a story that shows how life was like for Indigenous people during the late 1800s. Like the author said, it was a bit Little House on the Prairie from a Native perspective.

But I feel like the pacing was off. Often scenes would start and the characters would be doing something that had no build up to it. There was a whole part where Rose dresses up as a boy and collects supplies for the men to use in battle. But this felt like it started in the middle of this idea and I had to catch up to what was happening. Rose talks about how she has to be somewhere at a certain time, so this thing had been planned and talked about with other characters and we see none of that. It just jumped right into it. I also had to catch up to the battles beginning. We are told the Canadian government wants the Metis' land and then suddenly the men are in battle.

Overall, a good story that could benefit from some added context and story.

[Karlii Le · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book to see if it would be a great fit for my 10yo girl, but I’m just not sure what to think about it? I really wanted to like it and tried to be invested, but it fell very flat to me. Idk. Kind of a boring story and could have been told with more detail and portrayed in a better way.

[Trigger Warning Database]

Trigger & Content Warnings

Minor blood & injury depiction
Gun violence including the accidental non-fatal shooting of a child
Bow-and-arrow violence
Animal death & hunting (moose)

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m always thankful for stories about Native Americans, I’m always looking for some that my students will love. This was a great story of which I knew absolutely nothing about, but I’m just not sure if it would hold my fourth graders attention.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good one.

[Emily | emilyisoverbooked]

DNF

[Erin *BookDragon_Library* · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - such a beautiful book cover. I think this is a good middle grade pioneer story and I like that it is connected to the same character Rose as Lindstrom’s picture book and there is a brief mention within this book of the Buffalo hunt story from the picture book. The characters were a little flat. Another story of 12 year olds in pioneer days with guns and dangerous situations with adults like the recent “Wills Race for Home.” I think it is important to have pioneer era stories from the Native American perspective and , if anything, this book probably seems like a mild take on all the violence and racism they faced. The authors note mentions Little House books and how the author wrote it partially to see their culture in a similar story. There is a character who screams uppitty Nelly in this book with an obvious connection. Linda Sue Park said that about Prairie Lotus also with Asian representation in pioneer days. While there is no doubt that Little House books are problematic for racism and stereotyping, one thing I have yet to see from any “updated” version is the extreme detail of daily life from laundry, to blowing up a pigs bladder as a toy, to building a house log by log or churning butter. Laura Ingalls Wilder books are an authentic own voices book regarding pioneer daily life (which unfortunately included racism). I feel this book missed an opportunity to give us some of that same detail and insight into an increasingly far away era.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful middle grade novel set on the Canadian prairie in 1885, from the perspective of a young, very brave Métis girl, Rose. Rose lives with her parents and younger sister in a Métis community, but now the Canadian government want to take their lands. Rose's parents have already had to move once for the same reason. They, like most of the community, do not want move again. They decide to resist the white Canadians, and Rose becomes a key player in the resistance. In the author's note, Lindstrom mentions how she wanted to write an Indigenous American approach to the Little House books. Part of the appeal of that series is seeing how people survived on the prairie, and this brings survival to a whole new level.

I quite enjoyed it! It's based on true events.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher

In 1885, Rose lives in Batoche, a Métis community in the Northwest Territories along the Sadkatchewan River with her parents and little sister Delia. She enjoys roaming the countryside, collecting medicinal plants and hunting for food with her friend Ambroise, but isn't happy that she isn't allowed to join hunts and isn't given the same freedom that boys are. She does have some problems at school, with Melanie being mean to her and Sister Mary not wanting to talk about the Red River Resistance. The Canadian government is becoming more and more problematic in its treatment of Native citizens, and after over hearing some men talking, she finds that her town is in danger. There has been systematic oppression, trying to starve the population and erase their culture so that the government can take their land, in part of build a railroad. While the Métis want to stand up to the government, they are facing many obstacles, including a larger military presence that has access to Gatling guns. When Rose finds out more plans, she disguises herself as a boy to go alert her father, who is working with other men to fight the government forces. When Batoche becomes a target, the women and children are evacuated to caves. Rose even tries to warn Melanie's family, and while Melanie brushes her off, her mother understands the seriousness of the situation. The fighting intensifies, and many houses in Batoche are damaged. Melanie's younger brother George goes back home to try to retrieve his slingshot, and Delia is shot when she follows him. She's okay, but there are many tense moments. Rose and Ambroise decide that they might be able to damage the smokestacks of the Northcote by stringing a rope across the river. It's hard and dangerous work, but they are successful in their sabotage. Sadly, it is not enough to save their community, and they are forced away from their home.
Strengths: Readers in the US have probably not read much about the horrible treatment of indigenous populations in Canada; I haven't seen middle grade novels that address this forced relocation in the Northwest Territories. The author based this book on her picture book, The Gift of the Great Buffalo, and says in an afterword that she made Rose a little older so that she could write a Little House on the Prairie style book based on the treatment of the Métis people. I also enjoyed the fact that her family has a connection to Batoche. Rose is a fantastic character who is deeply invested in her community and their way of life, and is brave enough to take an active role in the resistance movement.
Weaknesses: While Rose's courage is the face of obstacles and her bravery in fighting the government made for a harrowing but exciting read, I would have liked a little more information about daily life in Batoche before the battles. So many historical fiction books focus on negative experiences, which is understandable, but it would be nice to also celebrate good periods of history.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like historical fiction with cultural connections like Park's Prairie Lotus, McManis and Sorrell's Indian No More, or Antaki's Red Dove: Listen to the Wind.
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was delighted to find out this is a continuation of a beautiful picture book by the same author (The Gift of the Great Buffalo), which I checked out after reading this.

The story is a Historical Fiction about a Metis girl named Rose who wants to help defend her home from the Canadian settlers encroaching on her land. I read this for a mock Newbery list and I think that it maybe reads a little simple for that purpose, but would be an EXCELLENT replacement (or supplement, but ideally replacement) for Little House on the Prairie. It allows for children to see history from a POV that hasn't always been represented or represented well. I'm glad we're starting to get some books that show more than one type of person's stories.

Rose is wonderful as a character. She's headstrong, smart, and fiercely on the side of doing what is right for her and her people. She's a character I think a lot of children would empathize with if not openly relate to. Especially when paired with the picture book, I think this would be a great choice for elementary Social Studies curriculums. The audiobook reader was also very easy to understand and had good inflection.

4.25, rounded to 4/5 for GR

[Holly Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This historical fiction follows Rose from Lindstrom's book Gift of the Great Buffalo in which eight year old Rose independently seeks out the Buffalo herd on a hunt despite being a girl and not allowed. Now 12, Rose continues with her independent spirit by dressing as a boy and figuring out ways to help her community figure out how to beat the Canadians in their attempt to overpower the Metis tribe living along the Saskatchewan River in the village of Batoche.

What worked: Seizing on opportunities to tell the history of the Metis and other indigenous people in the 1880s from the indigenous perspective is imperative. This story in and of itself is fascinating.

What didn't work: The story telling itself seemed to be repetitive in some ways and lacking detail in others. For example, Rose's change of heart regarding Melanie and her flaws was over done. As was Rose's independent spirit and reflections on who she was in the picture book. Yet descriptions of the scrimish scenes were vague and hard to visualize. References to the sounds of certain types of rifles were just dropped without an explanation as to how she would be able to differentiate. Young readers may not know what sniper shots sound like versus any other type of gun shot. The scenes were just hard to figure out.

[Aliceson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just an ok book. The characters are underdeveloped. As a reader, I’m not invested in them. The author seems to skip around without giving context to what is going on. Several times it seemed like she skipped over something important and I was trying to figure out where the characters were or what was going on, or how they got there. I read as an audiobook and the narrator’s voice was annoying. Also she pronounced merci incorrectly (which was grating for a person who took 3 years of French. 😬) It was interesting to learn about the Méti people and the Red River resistance. It was also interesting to think of what life for a people, that were a mixture of European and Indigenous people, would look like. I think the author captured that. She missed real feelings- grief, terror at losing another child. It’s glossed over and everything works out. This is not at all how a parent who buries a child would react! She would never allow Rose to put herself in such danger or be ok when Deliah comes home hurt.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

four stars for the vivid portrayal of Rose and her Metis community fighting against the Canadian government's plan to extirpate them; historical fiction is the best way to learn about history, and this is a history that kids should be aware off. But it didn't quite work for me. Partly this was a me problem--knowing that this book was written, in part to be a foil to the Little House books, I expected lots of small details about daily life. The bits of Little House I liked best were things like Laura making button holes etc. and Rose is too busy taking an active part in the armed resistance to Canadian forces intent on destroying her town, and the author is too busy describing all the action (and doing this well), that domestic details take a back burner. But also I think the characterization could have been deeper; sure I cared, but mostly because of the larger injustice of it all and not because I was worried about Rose as a person.

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The style seemed very simple. Much of the beginning is peppered with facts about the Metis culture and lifestyle. It's not really woven into the story, but just plopped there. Early on, I was puzzled about conversation between Rose and her friend. He asks questions and they talk about things that I'd expect him to already know. It seemed stilted and that the purpose of the conversation was to give the reader more facts. This may explain why I didn't feel connected to the characters. And Delia, the sister, acted quite a bit younger than I'd expect for an 8 yo in 1885. I do like learning from historical fiction and I definitely learned about the Northwest Resistance. The role that Rose had in it seemed a bit much though. This author has written a picture book about a younger Rose. Perhaps I'll like that one more.

Thanks, libro.fm, for the ALC! It's exciting to me that this book was released just 5 days ago and only 7 other people have written reviews so far. I'm in the top 10!

[Dana K · Rating 3 out of 5]

{3.5 stars}

Thanks to LibroFM for gifted access to this audiobook. All opinions below are my own.

Rose is a young Metis girl living in what is now Northwestern Canada but in the 1880's the land was theirs.The story surrounds the resistance movement to the Canadian government. We meet Rose like any other girl in a small village playing with her friends, trying to understand what adults are doing and being bullied by a local white girl. The author tells us this is written in the style of Little House on the Prairie but with her people at its heart. It is the type of story I would have loved as a kid. It's more tell than show and it gives you a real slice of life. However, I'm an adult now and feel like Rose was well too young for the actions she took and how involved she and a bunch of children became in a violent uprising. If she had been an elder teen, perhaps it would have made more sense. But then I would have expected the writing to be more YA than middle grade. I think the idea and the history within was great but the execution needed some small tweaks in my opinion.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly sad story about the Métis people who fought to defend their land in the Northwest Resistance in 1885. While I feel for the Métis people, I found the story a bit bland. It follows Rose, who is 10 years old and her reckless decisions, as she desperately tries to save her people. This is a story that I wasn’t familiar with and while I found it interesting, the mom in me, wasn’t okay with the things that Rose was doing. I was also wondering, how old is she because surely, no 10 year old should feel this sort of pressure on themselves. It’s a lot of pressure on a child so young that it just saddens me that this character felt all of that and felt like she needed to do something. Just a sad feeling overall. The narrator, Erin Higginbottom, truly brought Rose to life. If it wasn’t for her narration, I may not have finished the book.

A very special thanks to Bloomsbury and Libro.fm for the gifted ALC.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A historical fiction middle grade novel based on a picture book from the same author. Per the author's note, this is "Little House on the Prairie from a Native perspective". 12-year-old Rose learns that her family and their whole native community will be pushed off their land by the Canadian government. Inspired by the true events of the North-West Resistance of 1885, this story of the Metis people's resistance and efforts to preserve their way of life.

This book is a great read for children who like historical fiction, and, like Birchbark House, this book shows the native perspective on Westward Expansion, challenging the settler colonial narrative. Rose, for her part, is a really likable character. Free-spirited and brave, she acts as a spy for her community and discovers her inner bravery and resilience.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book!

[daredtoread · Rating 2 out of 5]

Red River Rose has important Canadian history on its side and aims for an adventure story, but the storytelling stays flat. A Métis girl and her family live through the 1885 Northwest Resistance. The book shares a lot of facts about Métis culture and the conflict, yet they often sit on the surface, with thin characterization, minimal tension, and emotions like grief and fear glossed over, which makes the adults feel oddly passive and the kids feel unrealistically in charge. For readers who want a gentle, information-forward adventure through a lesser-taught chapter of Canada’s past; skip if looking for immersive historical fiction with believable character choices and real emotional weight.

[Morgan (youarethelibrarian) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This was historical fiction for middle grade, and focused on the Métis fighting against the Canadian government trying to take their land. Rose is 12-ish I think, and would rather do “boy things” than help around the house. She wants to help with the resistance, and makes some decisions questionable to her parents, but that she knows are the right things to do to help.
I liked her determination, her loyalty, and her friendship with Ambrose. She was also an amazing big sister to Delia.
I wished there was more of a resolution at the end of the story, but for the audience’s age range, I think I understand why there wasn’t.

[Alma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old Rose was a proud member of the Métis, an Indigenous Nation from the town of Batoche. The men were angry because they had been waiting years for the government to address their concerns about disappearing buffalo, the increasing number of settlers, and their disappearing way of life. The government’s answer was to force them off their land, so the men decided to go to war. This ARC was sent to me by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. I learned a lot from it. Go to my blog to read more: https://shouldireaditornot.wordpress....

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you loved Little House on the Prairie as a child, but struggle with its poor depiction of Native Americans as an adult, then this book might be for you. It also tells of a historical time full of trials and tribulations through the eyes of a young girl.

Rose chafes at helping around the house and longs to help her father on buffalo hunts. As the story develops, she is eager to help her father in the Métis resistance against the Canadian government. Family, friendships, historical detail—what’s not to like?

And there’s a stellar author’s note afterward, that talks about the author’s personal connection to the story.

Thanks to Libro.fm for the ALC.
#Libro.fmAudiobook

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fighting back was what the Metis people had to do in order to protect their land and way of life and Rose is the character who has to test her own abilities as a young woman of that tribal territory when there are rumors that the resistance is going to begin.

Taking place in 1885 at in the Canadian providence around Saskatchewan, it was historically significant and necessary amidst invasion by the government and peoples spreading diseases like smallpox in addition to taking land, animals, and their way of life.

It's not overly lyrical but it is a historically relevant novel featuring an Indigenous story to make sure all people are represented.

[Sue Poduska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting and heartfelt glimpse into the world of the Métis children and their families in the 1800s. Twelve-year-old Rose witnesses the displacement of her people and destruction of her home by the advance of new settlers and the Canadian government. Though written as a novel, many elements of the story are true to life. Rose musters the courage to be a great help to the resistance, with the help of her friends. All of the characters are more than relatable. An important addition to the discussion of how we treat each other, especially in the current environment.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to this middle grade historical fiction title as it was about the Métis people who are descended from a marriage of French fur traders and Native women. This title is set during the Nortwest Resistance during 1885 fought to defend their home territory in western Canada. Being a middle grade novel aimed at fourth to sixth graders it is short on historical detain, but I was charmed by the main character named, Rose, who was daring enough to know how to use a gun and a bow and arrow.
The one historical aspect that is good in this title and sometimes missing in adult historical fiction titles was a map of the area where this Resistance took place. A good short bibliography of nine titles which are adult titles gives me nonfiction titles to pursue.

[Sara Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fiction set in Canada about the interaction between the Canadian government and the First Nations tribes. Rose proves her ability to help save her community, shunning the traditional female roles. The story has all the excitement you want from a frontier story, and highlights the joy and fortitude of Rose and her community. A excellent choice for an alternative to the Little House stories.

[Tracy Sauvageau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to @carolelindstrom @bloomsburybooksus
@bloomsburypublishing for this #gifted book. I think it is vital we get books like this into the hands of young people, as learning about other cultures and places helps children form empathy, respect others, and make connections. In this novel, a young girl struggles to preserve her way of life in 1885. I love reading about females claiming their power, and being brave. What a great message!

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Underdeveloped characters and stilted storytelling made what should have been an exciting story kind of…boring, mostly because I kept getting confused about what was going on. Sometimes it felt like passages of context were missing? I did feel compelled to look up more information on the history behind the story, so I appreciate that I learned something new.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the opportunity to learn more about the Metis people and history (including, since I was listening to the audiobook, how to pronounce "Metis"--not "April tea" but "May tea"). As far as character development and motivation, I could wish for more explanation why the "mean girl" was so incredibly mean, or why/how (outside of a shared traumatic event) she suddenly became nice.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots to love about this book, but for me, editing issues marred it to the point that I wouldn't want to have it in my classroom. (A misspelling, many sentence fragments that could be a stylistic choice, but not my bag. Also some event-sequencing that didn't quite make sense.)

[Lori Emilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m so glad this book exists. I would definitely recommend having it available in school and classroom libraries (Gr. 4-7). Some cohesion issues and an abrupt ending resulted in a rating of 3 for me.