Review Detail

Even though this book is initially geared towards a middle-grade audience I feel that kids older and adults alike will have so much to gain from reading Stealing Little Moon. Through each chapter Jones takes his readers through the history of Native American boarding schools from the beginning up until today. There is a lot of information packed into this book and because of this, I think that upper middle-grade readers will be able to gain more from this.

I did not learn about Residental schools until my adult years but still learned much about them and Indigenous history as well. Each chapter walks through different parts of history where the main focus is school but also highlights other moments in history or historical figures in the Indigenous community. This helps give the reader context as they weave through the student's experiences but understand how we can learn from their stories and work to not repeat history once more.

It was sad and heartbreaking to read about the atrocities written in the book of children having to renounce the traditions of their upbringing and be forced to assimilate to a new culture. The great detail Jones puts into the text puts the readers in their shoes and stresses the importance of learning about this overlooked piece of history.

The book paints an unapologetic picture of history and I appreciated how Jones shares his family's experiences with Chilocco Indian School to show his close ties to the subject matter. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in US history or Native American history and plan to read more from Jones in the future.