6th – 8th Grade Literary Picks

A range of historically significant works and engaging stories of Maine Native history picked for middle school students.

From Indian Island to Omaha Beach examines the service and sacrifice made by Native American soldiers and their communities in WWII, the Korean War and Cold War, focusing on the life of Charles Shay and told partly in his words. The book will be released in full in 2020; currently, certain excerpted chapters were released early to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
Indians in Eden illustrates the interaction between the Wabanaki and the wealthy summer rusticators on Mount Desert Island when Bar Harbor was called Eden.
Sacred Instructions provides a narrative of Indigenous wisdom that addresses some of the crucial issues of our day, such as environmental protection and human rights. Excerpts from this piece can be used for discussion prompts in grades 4-5.
In the Shadow of the Eagle describes the struggle of the author as she works as both a representative of the Penobscot Nation and a legislator in Maine state government. Currently, Maine is the only state in the nation to have tribal representatives seated in its legislative body, although the tribal representatives do not have voting power on the house floor.
In An Upriver Passamaquoddy Allen Sockabasin uses his memories and oral tradition to tell the story of the isolated Passamaquoddy village in Maine that he grew up in during 1940s and 1950s, and explains why preserving the Passamaquoddy traditions and language is so critical to his people’s survival in modern times.
20th Century PowWow Playland contains stories of Maliseet heroes vividly explored through poetry.