Review Detail

Summer lives in Arizona to be near her father's family, who are Apache, but goes to visit her mother's parents every summer at their Cree reservation in Northern Alberta, Canada with her younger brother Sage in tow. She loves spending time with her cousin Autumn, riding the horse her uncle gave her, and being close to the other family in the area. Her grandfather, Mosom, had attended a residential school in the area, and excavation at the site has unearthed the bodies of children, similar to the situation at a residential school in British Columbia. Summer has been having dreams about a young girl running away, and talks to her mother about this dream visitor named Buffalo Dreamer. She and Autumn interview Mosom about his experiences at the school, which wasn't closed down until the 1990s. When the girls visit Kokom Rose, who is planning a march and vigil at the school for the children, she seeks the older woman's advice about the dream visitor and her message of "bring the children home". At the rally, Autumn tells summer that she did some research and found out that while some people knew of Buffalo Dreamer's attempt to run away, they also knew that she grew up and had a baby, but that's all she could find out. It turns out that an older woman that Summer has seen several times and with whom she felt a connection is Buffalo Dreamer, and Summer is able to talk to the woman, who has shared Summer's happy experiences with her mother as well. Mosom eventually talks about his past at the school, and Summer assures him that the younger generation wants to preserve these memories so that history doesn't repeat itself. Summer enjoys the time she has with her extended family, and gets to attend a Pow Wow. Summer learns that while the past can be difficult, it is important to know the history of her people, both the good and the bad.