The Case of Windy Lake

Mighty Muskrats #1

by Michael Hutchinson

Four cousins, the Mighty Muskrats, solve a mystery on the Windy Lake First Nation

Sam, Otter, Atim and Chickadee are four cousins growing up on the Windy Lake First Nation. They are inseparable. Nicknamed the Mighty Muskrats for their habit of laughing, fighting and adventuring together, the cousins find that each new exploit adds to their reputation. When a visiting archeologist goes missing, the cousins decide to solve the mystery of his disappearance. In the midst of community conflict, family concerns and environmental protests, the four get busy following every lead. From their base of operations in a fort made out of an old school bus, the Mighty Muskrats won't let anything stop them from solving their case!

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Indigenous, Fiction, Canada, Childrens, Mystery Thriller

160 pages, Paperback

First published March 18, 2019

About the author

Michael Hutchinson is a citizen of the Misipawistik Cree Nation. As a teen, he pulled nets on Lake Winnipeg, fought forest fires in the Canadian Shield, and worked at the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Station’s Underground Research Lab. Since then, he has worked as the Director of Communications for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, a project manager for the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba, where he helped create the “We are all treaty people” campaign, and as a communications officer for the Assembly of First Nations. Over seven years ago, he jumped at the chance to make mini-documentaries for the first season of APTN Investigates. Michael then became host of APTN National News and produced APTN’s sit-down interview show, Face to Face, and APTN’s version of Politically Incorrect, The Laughing Drum. Michael was recently in charge of communications for the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, an advocacy organization for First Nations in northern Manitoba. He currently lives in Ottawa, Ontario where he works in communications for the Assembly of First Nations, which advocates for First Nation families and communities across Canada. His greatest accomplishments are his two lovely daughters.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

OwnVoices, contemporary, educational... plus a clever mystery, interesting characters, and nuanced themes. Highly recommended to middle school students and their teachers & families. I would like to find the next in the series.

debbie reese rec.

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mighty Muskrats are four cousins that live on the Windy Lake First Nation Reservation together. They are always hanging out together, finding something to keep them busy. When an archeologist goes missing near the lake the kids are determined to find him.
This was a fun little mystery series. I enjoyed the Indian culture and story.
Thank you to Second Story Press and NetGalley for this ARC, in exchange for my honest review, my opinions are my own.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great, the Mighty Muskrats are four cousins who live on the Windy Lake Nation reserve. They’re Chickadee, Sam, Otter, and Atim. They’re exuberant, curious, friendly and caring. They’re also known for finding things on the reserve, so when a mining company-hired archaeologist goes missing, it’s natural that the four kids would go looking for him, especially as the archaeologist isn’t familiar with the woods and could die of exposure if lost for too long.
While they run around asking questions and checking out possible places the man could be, their older cousin Denice leads protests against a mining company, fearing what the long term environmental effects will be on the band’s land.
Do the Muskrats find their guy? Yup. Does the mining company immediately stop what it’s doing? Nope, because that wouldn’t be realistic, and this story and its characters feel real.
I liked what author Michael Hutchinson did in this story, telling a fun mystery with engaging characters, against a complicated backdrop of high emotions, racism, and economic and cultural interests amongst the band and mining employees. Canada’s, and many corporations’, economic reliance on resource extraction on aboriginal land, and the government’s long history of infringement and breaking of treaties and the country’s paternalistic and sometimes unethical policies towards the indigenous, makes for an adversarial situation, which the author doesn’t shy from, giving this story extra depth, seriousness, and relevance.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

New series to enjoy with the kiddies

[Elizabeth]

Quit at 12%. Poorly written, in my opinion. Just because writing for children doesn’t mean can’t be intelligently constructed.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a kid, back in the Stone Age, I loved to read Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Three Detectives. Later, when I was studying Chidlren’s Literatures, I read Encyclopieda Brown.

The point of all the above is that all the kid detectives are distrinctly White and middle or upper class. If you weren’t White or of that class, then, well, you could enjoy the stories but you wouldn’t think that you would have these sorts of adventures.

I and others have said this many, many times. Representation matters. It really does. For example, I was, and still am short and overweight. None of the heroines of my youth looked that way. I had to write my own stories of girls like that, to read stories like that. (And I wrote a lot of very bad fiction as a teenager).

So, this story is about three boys and a girl who are called the Mighty Muskrats. They are considered to be a bit underfoot, but they respect their elders on the reserve of Windy Lake (Reserve being the name that is given for the First Nation’s people’s land, much as Reservation is used in the US).

An archeologist has gone missing, and the kids try to solve the mystery of where he went, but their grandfather tells them to think as the animals do, as the birds do, to solve the mystery.

Told with a mix of modern, as the kids have access to the internet, plus knowledge of their elders, this is a wonderful mix of contemporary life, with four First Nation protagonists behaving, well, like kids do.

Chickadee, Samual, Otter and Atim are good detectives, and hopefully this book will do well enough that we can have further adventures.

Michael Hutchinson, the author is a citizen of the Mispawistik Cree Nation in the Treaty 5 Territory. He said he wrote this book to instill pride in Indigenous youth and educate others about First Nation communities, beliefs and opinions.

Highly recommend this book for everyone. Hopefully the start of a great series.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[AStar Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I really enjoyed all the subjects discussed: life on a reservation, the concerns native communities face, issues with the government, family relations, turning sacred cultural sites into tourist attractions, environmental concerns (ethics of progress over preservation). However, the mystery part itself felt a little flat and slow moving for me. I wanted a little more action throughout. The endearing parts were my favorite, because the warmth felt well-written and genuine. Overall, I enjoyed this story and will probably pick up the second in the series.

[Cait · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an advance review copy of this book

This was such a wonderful book. Never have I come across a story for kids set on a First Nations reserve. This is an incredibly diverse book, with fantastic characters and an engaging plot. I’m so happy that it’s going to be a series!

[Anjulie⸆⸉ · Rating 2 out of 5]

literally so mid. (read for school)

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the direct way Hutchinson critiqued settler colonialism and archaeologist all within this fairly straightforward mystery book. Having worked at an Indigenous cultural centre that had a whole department of settler archaeologists and anthropologists, it really put a smile on my face to read this unapologetic take-down of professionals that go in and disrupt Indigenous lands and graves for career gains. Personally, I would have liked to have seen more of the kids' interpersonal dynamics, but then I thought that actually the story as is will probably really do well with kid readers who don't typically like reading. We get to know the characters on the go, keeping the story ticking along. I look forward to getting to know the Muskrats better as the series progresses.

Recommended for kids living on reservations / in Indigenous communities who want to read a fun book in a familiar setting, for kids who like low-stakes mysteries, and kids who need their books to have a bit more outdoorsy and clever stuff like tracking.

[Amanda Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been hearing about this book since it’s original release and had heard so many good things about it.

I finally got the chance to read it and loved it. I love how the author incorporates Indigenous storytelling, & culture into a kids mystery. The mystery was not predictable and I didn’t know what had happened to the doctor until the mighty muskrats solved it. I look forward to recommending this book to others and reading the rest of the series.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting story about cousins living on a First Nations reservation in Canada. Each member of the Mighty Muskrats has a strenght that makes the group such a delight to read about. I am excited to read the next installment!

[N · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am so torn on the star rating.

-Very insightful look in to modern indigenous reserves

-Super concerned about the climate (which is a plus)

-This was not a kids mystery like any of the other 160 or so we have read

-I enjoyed the language used and the different story structure

The tough part that no one seems to have mentioned...

-I completely understand (as much as I can) the palpable disdain for white people that is prominent in this book

This makes me feel that the intended audience is indigenous, so my commentary matters little ...

However, this seemed like an amazing opportunity to pass on an understanding that not Everyone who has pale skin is automatically an asshole 'company man', a thieving 'bone digger' or otherwise worthless.

"We don't actually care about the old man because he's one of Yours" (white) was a recurring theme in the story, despite the search him. Including someone joking about him being murdered.

I was REALLY hoping this book would end with the discovery that the bone digger had been an okay guy all along - maybe he found something and wanted to insist to everyone it be protected .. but nope. The inference is that he was totally a terrible person before he got lost, just as everyone assumes through the story, and it is Only because his being lost was his own vision quest that he now has transformed into a 'good human being'.

Please don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed reading this book, even through the disdain. I appreciated reading the perspective on why there is distrust / dislike for archaeologists, and how they'd rather their sacred things stay sacred and secret.

But I can't, in good conscience, ever recommend a book that promotes the idea of Us vs Them, and that Them is 99% bad. That isn't going to help us learn how to understand eachother so we can save the Earth.

That said, my six year old is crazy about mystery books so we shall be reading the next one. ( I am okay with that because I can discuss the content and inferences as it comes up. )

[Renae]

I wanted to like this one, but I didn't. My opinion is based heavily on the fact that I read this aloud to the kids, and because of the way the dialogue was written, with the description of *how* the character said something coming after the dialogue, it was just really hard to read aloud. I don't know how many times I interpreted dialogue one way only to be immediately corrected. That frustration has colored my review of the book as a whole. The kids seemed to like it, though.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this for so many reasons:
- It is unabashedly First Nations. The setting, the people and most importantly the way of thinking are 100% indigenous-focused.
-The book is based and rooted in real issued faced by First Nations people and communities.
-Nothing is cleaned up or dumbed down for kids; even though they are the audience, you still have things like adults smoking around the kids (which I haven't seen in a kid's book since I was a kid myself!), discussions about racism and bigotry and ecological racism. Everything was realistic.
-The story showed another side to archaeologists besides the typical Indiana Jones-type explorer most people imagine. This demonstrated how archaeology and its practitioners are often viewed by indigenous peoples, a POV many people don't often think from.

Overall, a fantastic mystery for young readers filled with fresh perspective not often written from in mainstream literature.

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover reminds me of older mystery series, like the Boxcar Children. I liked the story concept of it taking place on a reservation. However, I felt like I was missing something. That this was the second (or third) book in a series, not the first. It seemed like the children had already solved many mysteries. I found the story hard to stay focused on and it seemed like it was going around in circles.

CA

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much tell, not show, and not a particularly gripping mystery.

On the other hand, I really appreciated reading a book about 21st century Indigenous kids written by an Indigenous author and well-reviewed by AICL/Debbie Reese.

For the second purpose, glad I read it. For the first, not so much.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual rating:2.25 stars

*spoilers*

I read this 150 page book for an 8th grade class study and it took us 6 months to get through to give an idea of how boring this book was. The main characters are 10 years old and have already gotten a reputation for being in other peoples business, so they would have been like 8 when they started. That means some 3rd grader was trying to solve something that multiple highly-trained police officers and detectives couldn't solve. While I liked the small town vibes, the lack of modernisation felt off. Even if it's a small town, there should be more then 4 food places in town, especially if one of them is really a gas station. Both Grandpa and Uncle Levi felt unreliable and distant for most of the book with changing personalities every second chapter. The whole Denice plotline felt un-necessary was really un-needed. The fact that she wasn't wearing handcuffs and nobody noticed was un reasonable/realistic. What happened when she fell asleep? Did her subconscious just keep her hands together? Back to the main plot, did the person who found him not know who he was and the fact that he was missing? Would he not think to call the police as soon as he found a trespasser? The "Mighty Muskrats" may have never needed to find out anything to do with the boat if he had just called the authorities. Also, did Grandpa know about the hawk pulling the rope on the boat, and that's why he asked if they know what the birds know, which then sent Otter out on a little night time hunt? No one really seemed to care that a 10 YEAR OLD was wandering around in the wilderness who-knows-where! His strengths seem to be being independent and smart. All of the kids strengths seem to only be one or two things. Atim's is that he's strong, Chickadee's has her sass and computer skills, and Sam is observant, but really impatient. Like just because you were raised in the city does not mean that you can be disrespectful to your elders, especially if that is a main part of your culture. I would blame the parents, but they're never around! Why are they not taking care of their children (with the exception of Otter's parents (R.I.P. Mr. and Mrs. Otter))! The only parental figures the cousins spend time with are Uncle Levi and Grandpa, who I've already expressed my pleasure for. There are still multiple plot wholes on this book, like where did Fish go and what happened with him, or the whole "no handcuffs" situation. I can tell that this book is mainly written for a younger audience and to be read in class, so it focuses more on comprehension and writing skills, but it was still missing multiple details, (like descriptive factors for characters and ages) and had challenging word choices for younger audiences (Chagrined: I still don't know what it means, and believe me, I've looked). Overall, I think schools should stick to more classics like "The Outsiders" and "Lord of the Flies", and not turn to more recently published books like this one.

(I mean no hate to the author, publishers, or anyone who created this book, it just really wasn't for me.)

[Amie's Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Case of Windy Lake by Michael Hutchinson and narrated by Kaniehtiio Horn is a fantastic middle-grade audiobook that has Indigenous characters and situations at the forefront. There has historically been a lack of books that Indigenous children could relate to. It is difficult for a child when none of the books they read have any characters that look like them and/or who live like they do. For that reason alone, this book and others like it are extremely important.

Also important is the availability of books with Indigenous characters for white children. If they read and enjoy these books, they start to realize that no matter what someone's background or culture is, everyone is basically the same inside.

THE CASE OF WINDY LAKE is the first book in THE MIGHTY MUSKRATS series. The stars of the series are a group of four cousins who are growing up on the fictional Windy Lake First Nation. The four cousins are Sam, Otter, Atim, and Chickadee, and they are well known in their community.

An archeologist visiting and studying at Windy Lake goes missing and the cousins take it upon themselves to figure out what happened to him.

While they search for clues, they encounter environmental protests as well as family issues, but nothing deters these intrepid young sleuths.

I love that this series is set in Canada and on a First Nation. Hopefully through books such as this people will come to see why Truth and Reconciliation is such an important part of repairing the harm done by colonialism to the Indigenous peoples who have lived here since time immemorial.

Upcoming books in THE MIGHTY MUSKRATS SERIES include: Book Two, The Case of the Missing Auntie and Book Three, The Case of the Burgled Bundle and are also available as audiobooks.

I rate THE CASE OF WINDY LAKE as a 5 out of 5 Middle-Grade novel. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this audiobook.

[Lydia Howe · Rating 2 out of 5]

WHY I CHOOSE THIS BOOK

Everything about this book blurb interests me, especially a character named Chickadee. I've always liked reading about Native Americans, and from what I researched, the First Nations are Canadian Indians. Plus, I'm working on reading more mystery books.

WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS BOOK

I have very mixed emotions about this book, and the negative emotions are the most important in this case (which is not normal for me with reviews) so I'll start with that one. 

There was swearing in the book. The words weren't "strong" enough to make me stop reading it (and I am pretty strict about what I read), but they were enough to lower my rating no matter who the book was meant for. But, considering that the book was written for children? I understand that not everyone views minor swearing the way I do, but it was enough that I won't recommend the book. 

And now for the rest of the review: I actually liked the book a fair amount, it was interesting enough that it made me want to keep reading other books in the series to see if they were clean. 

Although the mystery didn't garner my imagination like it probably would have as a kid, I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and culture that the story was soaked in. So many books I read are about people from the USA, so to read a book from the perspective of Native Canadians? That was cool. 

The clubhouse that the kids had was also super cool and that in itself was enough to make me want to read more from their perspective. 

CONCLUSION

I might eventually read more books from the author, although probably not for review since I had to give this one such a low rating. 

RATING

I’m giving The Case of Windy Lake 2 out of 5 stars.

((I got this book from NetGalley so I could review it, all thoughts and opinions are my own.))

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ripping Mystery Adventure

I suspect that every reader has some childhood mystery-adventure books that they can immediately call to mind with warmth and affection. I loved all of the Enid Blyton "Adventure of.../Mystery of..." books. Perhaps for you it was Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys or some other set of pals and/or siblings and/or cousins. I couldn't help but reflect on that as I read this tale of the Mighty Muskrats, a set of cousins growing up on the Windy Lake First Nation.

The kids are fine - smart, resourceful, alert, and spunky. The setting is exotic for you city dwellers, and more importantly, respectful and sympathetic to the lives and beliefs of the First Nation people. The mystery isn't grand or convoluted, but by being believable it is more engaging. The pacing isn't hectic, but the tale moves along briskly enough. There's a subplot about resisting mining on the Rez, and that is handled gracefully. Adults, and Elders, are reliable, patient, wise, and nurturing. The kids aren't "types", and there's less of that old school sexism that underlies many of the older adventure sets. The Reservation is especially well described and the atmosphere and settings feel authentic. The Muskrats' clubhouse is particularly well imagined and sort of cool.

So, this turned out to be a fine and well written adventure, with an a lot to recommend it.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[Divleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had to do this for a school project, and it was—let me tell you, horrible.

The storyline follows 4 cousins on a First Nations reverse searching for a missing archeologist. On the other hand another cousin of the 4, Denice, who is protesting against a mining factory.

Let me tell you when I say this story could not have been more boring.

The main plot, which is the archeologist gone missing gets forgotten in the middle of Denice which is understandable as she is also a main part. But the problem is the pick up, which is no where. There is no climax to this book. The book stays the same pace the whole entire time, and there is no time where you will actually be shocked, or want to indulge in reading this. Why? Because it’s a same paced, uninteresting book.

And do not, I repeat do not get me started on the language this book uses. I suggest you don’t use this book in elementary to all teachers out there. In the book they repeatedly say things like, “stupid, freaking, idiot, brainless” words that in general during a class read aloud make it very, and I mean very awkward.

And to do a whole plot diagram on this? Hell no. 5 paragraphs for the rising action? I can barely name 2 things that happened in this book leading to the climax. Usually finding a climax is easy right? Again, hell no. Seriously, I wrote down whatever came to mind. Which, quite frankly, was nothing.

Overall this book had no proper plot. Wasted my time, probably got a bad grade, and in general made me yawn.

0 stars.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book there is a group called the Mighty Muskrats that consists of four children. Sam, Otter, Chickadee, and Atim. These kids are all very talented and won’t let one case go unsolved! Their reputation is adding on by every case and they are a very smart team. One day, while serving their elders, Sam and Chickadee heard their next and new case. It was to find an archeologist named Dr. Troy Pixton. Soon, they bumped into their cousin Denice. She annoyed their uncle very much but they were quite fond of her. She was leading an environmental protest to save water. She’s very serious about it too. She soon decided to sit with her arms wrapped around a pole not eat, drink very little, for as long as she can. She’s on a vision quest. Now back to solving their new case of windy lake! It’s going to be so easy for them! However, turns out it’s not that easy. People and experts are already searching for him and have spotted his boat near the snake pits so that’s where they are searching for this archeologist. The boat looks like it’s been pulled in somehow. This case is harder than they thought. They’ve been searching this area for a few days now. They haven’t found a clue of where that Dr. Pixton is. If this group of experts can’t find him, what chance does the Mighty Muskrats have? But wait- are they even searching the right place? How do they find this doctor?

[MissSusie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a visiting archeologist goes missing, Sam, Otter, Atim and Chickadee 4 cousins, nicknamed the Might Muskrats, from the Windy Lake First Nation, decide they are going to solve this mystery. But there is a lot more going on with this disappearance; does it have to do with The Company (a mining company)? Do we trust the Company?

I enjoyed the story between Denise and her grandfather, this story also reminds me of the protests around DAPL and the keystone pipeline.

Kaniehtiio Horn’s narration is really well done with her first nations accent. The little differences in the accent compared to natives here in the US are noticeable and welcome!

This is a great current story that also brings back my love of a good middle grade mystery. I look forward to the 2nd book in this series coming out this month. I look forward to more mysteries with the Mighty Muskrats!

I also felt like this book could have taken place in North Dakota. It is set in Canada.
Add this book to your library own voices collection!

4 Stars
I received this book from the publisher Second Story Press and NetGalley

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Case of Windy Lake
by Michael Hutchinson
Second Story Press
Children's Fiction
Pub Date 18 Mar 2019


I am reviewing a copy of The Case of Windy Lake through Second Story Press and Netgalley:



Sam, Otter, Atim and Chickadee are four cousins growing up on the Windy Lake Nation. The four cousins are indeperable. They are even nicknamed the Mighty Muskrats because they have a habit of laughin, fighting as well as going on adventures together.


The cousins soon discover that each new exploit adds to their reputation. When a visiting archaeologist goes missing, the cousins decide to solve the mystery of his disappearance. In the middle of community conflict, enviromental protests as well as family concerns the four start to follow every lead from their base of operation a fort made out of an old school bus.


I give The Case of Windy Lake five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Case of Windy Lake by Michael Hutchinson is the first book in a series for middle schooler called the Mighty Muskrats Mysteries. The series is about four cousins who together help solve mysteries with the guidance of their grandfathers words of wisdom. The setting is a Windy Lake First Nation. They have a secret fort made of an old school bus and spend time everyday helping their grandfather out.

Sam, Otter, Atim and Chickadee make up the Mighty Muskrats and they are searching for a missing archeologist, but along the way they deal with various family members and learning about their heritage. The storyline is clever with lots to help a young person learn about the Windy Lake First Nation.

The story may capture middle schoolers attention with the adventure and the mystery. It is a book I would recommend to several students who enjoy those genres. I found the book interesting and believe the adventure would help capture youngsters.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book as a teacher looking for a good story for my 5th and 6th grade students to read aloud and discuss together. This book took way longer than usual to read, mostly because I've been busy, but partially because I just couldn't seem to get interested enough to want to sit down and read it. The mystery part wasn't captivating enough and felt slow-paced. I was also, as a teacher, really not fond of the cursing that happens in the book (not all over the place, but at least 3 different paragraphs, as part of my reading was to "scout" good reading material).

On a more positive note, I did enjoy reading a bit about the Canadian Indigenous community and seeing how their ways of life are integrated into the story. I just wish it flowed better. Sadly, I can't see myself reading this to my class and enjoying it together. It was an okay read, so while I'm not keen to continue the series, I didn't think it was a bad book, so I give it 3/5 stars.

[Jeannie Standal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tame little mystery set on a First Nation reservation in Canada. The Might Muskrats is a group of four cousins that use their knowledge of the area and their powers of deduction to find a missing "bone-digger" lost in the wilderness near their home. There is some question about what the archaeologist is actually doing in the woods, but the community assumes he is looking for artifacts to remove from sacred sites.

It is a straight-forward story with positive representations of First Nations people and the endorsement of Dr. Debbie Reese, a member of the Nambe Pueblo and founder of American Indians in Children's Literature, which provides critical analysis of indigenous peoples in books for kids.

One bothersome thing: the copy I read had several types in it, which was distracting.

Best for middle grade students who like a good mystery.

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mighty Muskrats are a group of four indigenous cousins who live on their reserve and solve mysteries. In this first novel they are trying to figure out what happened to a missing archaeologist.
What jumped out at me was the profound respect these children show towards their elders, as well as how those same elders are there for them.
There is much to adore about this beginning series. The cousins end up solving this case through a combination of internet research and knowledge learned from these elders.
I appreciated that the the conflict between corporate interests and the people's claims over their land and resources are addresses in a complex, yet positive way that embeds indigenous learning and ways of knowing.
I'll be looking forward to the next in the series!

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book that reminded me of the mysteries I used to read a kid! I rarely learned about First Nations peoples and cultures in elementary school unless it was about Canadian history. I think this book would be a great addition to school and classroom libraries where First Nations and Indigenous children and people are represented as more than history but members of present day society, and as cool kids solving mysteries on the rez! The short chapters make it great for a read aloud and there are so many topics that happen in this book that can lead to other conversations related to Indigenous rights and environmental issues. I really enjoyed this read and can’t wait to see what the Mighty Muskrats solve next!