The Storyteller

by Brandon Hobson

From National Book Award finalist Brandon Hobson, a kaleidoscopic middle-grade adventure that mixes the anxieties, friendships, and wonders of a Cherokee boy's life with Cherokee history and lore. Ziggy has ANXIETY. Partly this is because of the way his mind works, and how overwhelmed he can get when other people (especially his classmate Alice) are in the room. And partly it's because his mother disappeared when he was very young, making her one of many Native women who've gone mysteriously missing. Ziggy and his sister, Moon, want answers, but nobody around can give them. Once Ziggy gets it in his head that clues to his mother's disappearance may be found in a nearby cave, there's no stopping him from going there. Along with Moon, Alice, and his best friend, Corso, he sets out on a mind-bending adventure where he'll discover his story is tied to all the stories of the Cherokees that have come before him. Ziggy might not have any control over the past -- but if he learns the lessons of the storytellers, he might be able to better shape his future and find the friends he needs.

Genres: Middle Grade, Indigenous, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Fiction, Young Adult, Adventure

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 2, 2023

About the author

Dr. Brandon Hobson is an American writer. His novel, Where the Dead Sit Talking, was a finalist for the National Book Award. He is an assistant professor of creative writing at New Mexico State University and also teaches at the Institute of American Indian Arts. He is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation Tribe of Oklahoma.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Storyteller is a but powerful middle grade novel. It addresses a couple really important and heavy issues such The Trail of Tears and the disappearance/kidnapping of Native women. The style of the story reminded me a little of the Alchemist and The Little Prince. It is realistic fiction but includes elements of spiritualism and traditional storytelling and will linger long after you finish reading.

This is a story of learning to let go and even though you can’t change the past, it is important to not forget it and to pass on the stories of the people and events that came before us.

Check out some of my favorite lines by searching the #Melissa’sGoldenLines.

I will definitely be pre-ordering this book for my middle school library!

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story that's not quite what it appears to be. First it's a story about Ziggy whose mother has disappeared. Then it's a story about his anxiety and how he lives with it. Next it's a mystery adventure as he, his sister Moon, classmate Alice and friend Corsco set out to find out what really happened to his mother before finally turning out to be a fantastical quest where no one is quite who or what they appear to be. There's talking animals and people from the past.
Will Ziggy and Moon find their mother? Can they find their way home from their quest?
If you like the absurdity of Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There or stories told from the lens of Native Americans, give this a try.

[Carrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed parts of this, but didn't think Ziggy's anxiety was always seemlessly woven into the narrative. It seemed like he had to remind us every once and a while that he had ANXIETY! Love Hobson as an adult writer, but not sure he's cracked the middle grade market.

[Faith]

Jan 25-27, 2024: DNF at 40%

*note to self: stop getting sucked in by pretty covers

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ziggy's mom vanished when he was barely old enough to remember-- a deeply unsettling pattern that affects Native women and their families far more often than you might think. He's hoping he can finally find some answers through Alice, a fellow Cherokee classmate who is familiar with their stories and history. The Storyteller is an all-night adventure between four kids, and it's a journey they will never forget. Hobson's middle-grade debut is thoughtful, moving, and even humorous at times, while also challenging colonial history and bringing awareness to MMIW, Missing Murdered Indigenous Women.

[JaTonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this would be a middle grade adventure, but it’s a grief-loss-coping-activism book.

This is perfect for children who have lost a loved one and trying to deal with grief.

Anyone reading over 40 will recognize musician names which made me laugh. This book has a strong heart.

[Mere_likes_2_Read · Rating 1 out of 5]

This really wasn’t very good.I liked the message it has but the story just isn’t that good.

[Lynne O'Connor McDowell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of Native American stories. Good for fans of Alice in Wonderland.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has heart and tackles the extremely important topic of missing/murdered indigenous women, but I just couldn't get into it. Frankly, I can't stand Alice in Wonderland stories and that's what this is. I am glad to see a diversity of Native books for all ages though.

[Nikola Milivojevic · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a very wise book. It has a lot available lessons that people should use. I’m just sad that Ziggy never finds his mother. It was a very good book it was one of the best chapter book I’ve ever read.

[Jennifer Blanco · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is forgettable. There is a scene in which an armadillo appears as Andrew Jackson; that was the highlight of the book for me.

[Traci · Rating 3 out of 5]

2025-26 Middle School Battle of the Books selection

Not really sure what to think about this one. While I can appreciate that the author wanted the MC to deal with anxiety, I didn't get a good idea of what Ziggy really copes with on a daily basis. If a character has to remind you about their ANXIETY (almost always in caps, btw, which I didn't care for), then it doesn't really seem like it's a big issue.

I wish there had been more about why so many Native American women disappear. While the author mentions that Ziggy's mom isn't the only one, and that police pretty much consider it a cold case, there's nothing more than a hint of the violence that most likely has been done to the missing. I know this is a juvenile title so I get not wanting to be graphic but it also feels wrong not to be a bit more specific.

Finally, the night adventures felt like a very long dream sequence, very Alice-in-Wonderland as many have mentioned. I found myself wondering if I was meant to believe all the things happened, or if this was really a dream, or if Ziggy was having some sort of out-of-body experience. I did enjoy some of the characters that he met during those adventures, but again, just very weird.

Not really my kind of book. Interesting that it ended up on this year's list, and I'm curious what the kids reading it think about it.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really well written middle grade novel about Ziggy, a young Cherokee boy with anxiety who is determined to find his missing mother. I liked the mental health rep and the way the author highlights how the MMIWG affects young people too - those left behind to mourn and grieve. The story also blends Cherokee lore and legends in a way that is fantastical and clever. Great on audio and highly recommended for fans of authors like David Robertson.

[Miss Syreena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Appreciated the message and themes of the book (anxiety and grief). The execution was rough at times but not enough that would distract from someone who enjoys the characters and an alice in wonderland type of adventure. It would be worth having a conversation with a young reader about these topics to help them understand.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book for middle schoolers. Imaginative, realistic, historical, and “weird”. Cherokee culture influenced. Ziggy, 6th grader, is an endearing main character. I loved the story of the Nunnehi.

[Kat]

Great anxiety rep and inclusion of the Trail of Tears / Indigenous history. Includes important lessons / advice about dealing with loss and being a kid

[Braden Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good message. You would never guess what was going to happen next, but it all clicks together to promote the overall message of the book.

[Jerry Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Storyteller by Brandon Hobson (2023) is a middle grade fictional tale with Native (Cherokee) folklore and magical realism with a dose of mystery added - written by a National Book Award finalist. The Kirkus Review stated in their starred review that it is, “A captivating testament to the healing power of stories.”
This is a story about a sixth-grade Cherokee tween, Ziggy, whose mother went missing when he was a baby. He grew up with no memories of his mother. He attempts to explains to others what happened by saying, “Native women go missing all over the country. Nobody seems to be doing much about it.” Yet there is no way for him to explain this tragic reality away. Her disappearance is always on his mind. He is anxious. He seriously worries and is always uneasy.
He has a loving father and grandmother and sister. He is also making a friend. Alice, known at school as “Weird Alice”. She confidently assets that she has seen Cherokee spirits and that she knows their ways. Ziggy hopes his mother is still alive – maybe living in or have left evidence of being alive in, a ‘secret cave’ in the desert near his town in New Mexico. Ziggy asks Alice to help him find his mother or evidence of her. Alice says ‘yes’.
And on a single night a magical, mystical desert adventure occurs.
There will be a talking: coyote, buzzard, and armadillo (who thinks he is the seventh president of the US) and a whole lot more to keep the reader interested in Ziggy and his process of grieving as he learns about himself. There will be helpers and obstacles and impossible events in this one night’s pursuit to find out more about Ziggy’s mother.
School Library Journal’s verdict in their starred review is: “Hand (this book) to tweens who enjoy magical realism and quest stories. Ziggy’s experiences with anxiety and loss will likely resonate with many.”
I agree, this story is not unlike a good fantasy young readers often enjoy. And because the main characters are present-day kids in a current setting as opposed to a future-beings in a secret ancient underworld (or something equally highly fanciful) – this story has an extra possibility to resonate with middle schoolers.
One last thought - to quote the buzzard from the night of adventure: “Weird is the best compliment you can give someone. Weirdos are good.”
This may be just the right kind of ‘weird’ to appeal to many. I liked it!
I recommend this book.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Ziggy and Moon Echota live in Poisonberry, New Mexico with their father. They are Cherokee, and Ziggy often has strange dreams that he is living in the past, when Native Americans were forced from their land by Andrew Jackson. He's very anxious about everything, and it doesn't help that his mother disappeared when he was very young. Many people he knows have had relatives disappear, like his friend Sheila, who had an aunt go missing. The police don't seem to care, and give scant attention to the cases. Ziggy is in a bad with his friends Corso (who is white) and Bojack-Runt. Ziggy begins to think that his mother's disappearance might have something to do with a nearby mysterious cave, and a girl at school, Alice, is reported to have information about it. She claims that the cave is inhabitant by the Nennehi, who are spirits. When Alice shows up at Ziggy's house in her nightgown with a coyote who can talk, Ziggy gets drawn into an odd and fascinating world of stories and legends where he meets a variety of fanastical creature who help him on his quest. Will he be able to overcome his fears and to solve the mystery of his mother's disappearance?
Strengths: This was on the shorter side for a fantasy book, and seems to be a stand alone. Most of my students are not avid fantasy readers, and they blanch visibly when I suggest books that are 400 pages long and are the first in the series. Stand alones are a great way to introduce readers to fantasy books. This was fast paced, had a lot of details about Cherokee lore and figures, and dealt with Ziggy's anxiety in a realistic way against the background of a fantasy adventure. The concern about Native women going missing and the trauma that those disappearances cause is something that is starting to finally get some attention, and I haven't seen it addressed in middle grade fiction before.
Weaknesses: This ended a bit abruptly. I may check a finished edition to see if I missed something in the E ARC.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like James Bird's book, Young's Healer of the Water Monster , or Roanhorse's Race to the Sun.

[David Rempel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic narration! Holland was able to capture and distinguish each of the diverse characters, bringing them to life, seamlessly and authentically, drawing the reader into the story.

Interesting story about Cherokee storytelling and traditional folk characters, a boy with anxiety, and his family, who are all dealing with the disappearance of his mother years ago. It does play a bit like Alice in Wonderland, with various strange characters imparting wisdom through stories and songs.

The story does a great job of exploring diverse responses to grief, as well as how hard it can be to open up and have meaningful relationships with family, friends, and those closest to us.

While the narrative primarily revolves around creating and remembering stories as a means of cultural connection, it could have delved deeper into its secondary theme: missing indigenous women. Although it starts with a quest for answers, the story emphasizes finding happiness and moving past loss — which might be sound advice, but I think there could have been more emphasis on seeking justice and acknowledging that law-enforcement has traditionally been incredibly insufficient in protecting, and solving crimes against, indigenous women.

Another family in the story seems to be completely drowning in their grief, obsessing over every sound, thinking it might be their missing daughter’s spirit still with them. The mother says that the protagonist should pray about his mother instead of looking for answers. The family’s entire life seems to be focused on the missing daughter’s spirit being around them - and there is no sense that the author thinks this is unhealthy or tragic.

Then, again, this isn’t my story to tell, and maybe the best message for young people IS to find ways to move on. Since it’s not my experience, it’s hard for me to judge.

I still enjoyed the story overall, though it went against my expectations.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this one 4.75/5 ⭐ on StoryGraph.

This book is so delightfully weird! I adore the late-night adventure Ziggy, Alice, Moon, and Corso went on. And even though it was filled with all sorts of dangerous encounters, I truly felt like Alice was able to protect them.

This story speaks to those who can't move forward. Who are stuck in their grief and their pain. This story tells stories that tell us, gently, to carry on and remember those who left us behind through their stories. It's painful to hear the truth sometimes and even more of the time we aren't willing to listen to or feel the pain of the truth. Stories, even those with transparent lessons, help to soften the blow. I think that's why stories have such a rich history.

It also brought me a lot of joy to see Ziggy steadily overcome his ANXIETY, which he uses all caps to describe. His ANXIETY didn't suddenly disappear. He learned the shape of it, learned to sit with it more like a friend, and communicate his needs to the people who care about him. That was touching.

I think this book would strongly appeal to fans of Alice in Wonderland (and similar stories) and to those who wish to see magic in everyday life.

I will say that Hobson did some very real portrayals of panic. The descriptions of what Ziggy perceives when anxious vs. what is actually happening in the story may potentially trigger those prone to anxiety. I know I got really uncomfortable myself when Ziggy realized his Dad hadn't been driving as fast as he had perceived.

The only reason I didn't give this one a full 5 stars is because the dialogue and the characters occasionally seemed a little stiff, and it took me out of the story just a bit.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Storyteller follows Ziggy, a Cherokee who has anxiety and whose mother disappeared when he was very young. He learns from a new friend that there may be clues to the mother's disappearance in the desert, so they go, along with his sister and friend, looking for these clues.

The structure of the middle of the story has an Alice and Wonderland feel - with the characters running into strange creatures who talk and tell stories to the characters, all of which are ultimately geared towards helping Ziggy accept that his mother is gone and find peace in the stories that exist about her. I didn't feel that the transition into this 'wonderland' of the desert was done well though - while the first 60 pages did have a daydreaming feel, I was still very caught off guard when a coyote started talking.

The story was struggling to have a consistent theme. It wants to delve into Cherokee lore and history, help kids cope with anxiety, and explore how grief and how one accepts tragedy. These themes don't play off each other well, so the story is usually only about one at a time, giving a very disjointed feeling.

Lastly, I didn't really feel that there was a story, here. There wasn't a plot and the story didn't really have a climax. It was about learning a lesson, but even that wasn't executed well. The story just kinda meandered at the end, repeating the same moral a bunch of times over but never in a new way.

Overall, this really didn't do it for me. As someone who has had severe anxiety, I would recommend it to a kid who is or has a friend coping with anxiety. It would probably also speak to someone processing grief or who wants to see a representation of Cherokee lore.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

“The Storyteller” is a tale of fantasy, folklore, and adventure, and an unfortunate attempt at addressing anxiety. I struggled to fully enjoy the experience of reading due to an over reliance on “telling” over “showing” and the abruptness of added plot points and character information.

I enjoyed the fantastical telling of Cherokee stories and the connections to the plot. It was very interesting and turned this book into a page-turner. However, within 200 pages, it felt like there was a lot that could have been more developed or foreshadowed and was instead suddenly introduced and rushed through. This was true particularly in the ending.

My largest issue with this book was its handling of the main character’s anxiety. It felt as if the author brought up Ziggy’s ANXIETY to add tension, but it was mentioned so sparsely throughout the book that it didn’t feel warranted. Additionally, any sections talking about his anxiety were so isolated and expository that it felt disingenuous. I struggle to see how Ziggy’s anxiety guided his motivations as a character and would imagine that the same plot points would have happened had he not had anxiety. I loved that this topic is being brought to middle grades reader’s attention, but it felt like one more thing added to this novel that wasn’t fully developed.

Overall, I enjoyed the idea of this book and aspects of it, but was largely disappointed by it.

[Jamie Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ziggy, a Cherokee tween, has severe anxiety he believes stems from the disappearance of his mother 10 years ago. He focuses on trying to find clues to where she went and where she might, hoping he might find her. His friend, Alice, and his sister, Moon, join him in an adventurous journey through the New Mexico desert to find a secret cave that might have clues and have Nunnehi, Cherokee spirits, storytellers, shapeshifters, and, protectors. The story is full of interesting encounters, Gus the Bussard that plays the violin, an armadillo that is a trapped Andrew Jackson, Raven-Mockers, a talking horse. The cultural nuance of the Cherokee nation meld with the New Mexico desert the trio explores, bringing in the truth of indigenous women that go missing every year to this day and bringing in history about the Trail of Tears. I loved the book for the fantasy, the whimsy, and the cultural roots of the Cherokee nation. The exploration of grief and anxiety was strong and a needed look at our mental health. My only issue with the book, thus the three stars, was how repetitive the story of Ziggy's mother and how, where, and why he had to find the secret cave didn't work for me, but it might not bother other readers.

[Ziggi Chavez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can see snippets of this story appealing to young readers, but felt the story would have been aided perhaps by an editorial reframing. Too many events and lessons occur over a single night, which felt kinda overwhelming. I kinda thought this story should have been broken up into a multiple night adventure… kinda like a camping trip in one of the kids’ backyards to explain the disappearance of half the squad for a bit while still not worrying adults in these kids’ lives. I think the lessons learned could have been more fleshed out and had more impact if each character met were split up into different adventures. Perhaps the first adventure or two are just Ziggy and Alice, and then Moon, and later Corso could have been roped in after noticing a change and growth from Ziggy. I also think that splitting this up into a collection of short story form lessons would also have served to allow use of this narrative as a storytelling experience for families by retelling the adventures of Ziggy as bedtime stories over the course of several nights. I didn’t hate this at all, but I saw the potential for so much more.

[The Loco Librarian · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author wrote about a 13 year old boy pointing out “cultural appropriation” and getting so upset that he picks up a rock and physically attack someone else!

First of all, if wearing or using something from a different culture is “cultural appropriation”, we wouldn’t be able to do, wear, or say ANYTHING unless it came from our own ancestors. That’s ridiculous and impossible to mandate.

Secondly, violence is never the answer. We should be civil and intelligent—using our words to communicate. This behavior explained in this book is not only unacceptable but wildly inappropriate.

Line for line from the book:
“Another time, at a parade downtown, when I pretended to be from the past, there was a white man dressed as an Indian chief mascot walking by. I mean, he was wearing a headdress and everything, which is disrespectful to native culture. I picked up the first thing I could find— a rock about the size of a baseball— and charged him, hitting him in the arm with the rock until the guy got really mad and started yelling at me and pushing me away.”

[Jennifer Bohnhoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a weird and sometimes wonderful book that promises one thing and delivers something entirely different. Ziggy is a Cherokee kid living in a small town in New Mexico. He suffers from anxiety which may have its roots in his mother disappearing when he was just a baby. He decides to try to search the desert for clues to his mother's disappearance and recruits the odd girl in school to help him. They and another friend end up going on an epic adventure that includes quirky adults and talking animals and seemed as nonsensical as Alice's trip down the rabbithole. When he returns, nothing is quite what it was, so it's hard to see where fantasy ends and reality begins and vice versa. The book includes some heavy topics, such as missing women and the Cherokee Trail of Tears, but nothing is resolved or even really explained, and the final lesson of the book seems to be 'live with it or retreat into make-believe, because you're never going to really understand.'

[Erika Wilde · Rating 2 out of 5]

i had high hopes for this middle grade novel and was left confused.

ziggy has anxiety, but the representation felt off. anxiety would be spelled out in all caps and the in normal font other times. i felt like the author wanted a novel that represents middle schoolers with anxiety, but doesn’t know what it actual is like?

i was drawn in by the blurb on the back that alluded to the national issue of missing and murdered native women, but none of this really came to light. it felt like the message was to move on and stop worrying about those you lost, when that’s the exact opposite of what you can do. especially when a group of marginalized women are being put on the back burner and forgotten by law enforcement.

maybe i didn’t get it. it felt like a native approach (due to their storytelling )of alice in wonderland, and if that was the goal, the author nailed it, but from the book synopsis, that wasn’t the vibe i thought i was getting into.

[Marsha Rafalski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ziggy suffers from overwhelming ANXIETY caused partly by how his mind works and how overwhelmed he feels when there are a large number of people around him. And his mother was one of the Cherokee women who have disappeared over a number of years. Ziggy gets it in his head that clues to his mother’s disappearance are hidden in a cave nearby. With his sister, Moon, and his best friend, Corso, he sets out to travel there. Along the way, he finds that he has a connection to all of the Cherokee stories his people have had to comfort them through the years and enters a long line of people whose role is to protect the people as a storyteller. I enjoyed this tale of the story telling tradition and what it means to the people. Recommend to readers of middle grade/young adult, magical realism and Indigenous People and their traditions.

[Chelsea Goodwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall good. I have no major qualms. It might have felt a bit repetitive, and it would have been a better story without as much emphasis on anxiety as an official mental issue, which is ironic since that was the author's main goal originally according to the author's note. However, maybe kids do need that repetition to get the themes, and maybe kids that age are experiencing that level of anxiety. I just wouldn't want a reader to think that because they experience normal amounts of anxiety in certain situations that they need to be on medication like Ziggy. (I'm no longer used to that level kids book yet, but I'm getting back into it.) I really enjoyed all the cultural references, especially allusions to Alice in Wonderland, which were fitting and subtle. It would be fun to have kids read it and see which ones they notice.