Soldier Sister, Fly Home

    "Shima tapped on the book of poems. "That little girl from Boston - what was her name?
    "Becca, Megan's cousin." I frowned."
    "She did not see me, Tess. She saw a real Indian grandma with real Indian jewelry. She did not see this woman who loves her sheep, her stubborn goats, and a strong hot latte, who reads Emily Dickinson and sends letters to Iraq on the internet. Becca's eyes did not see these things."
    "Just like the kids at my school."
    "And maybe just like you."
    "What do you mean, Shima?"
    "When you were little and you looked at my goats, they all looked the same.  Now you see each one. You learned. We can all learn."
    "I never thought about it that way."
    "None of us does at first. And then we meet a goat from the herd that butts our old ideas. Makes us put on new glasses."
    "Oh, Shima, you are the best old goat."
    "You are learning, Tess, you are learning."

---

Nancy Bo Flood

Flood, a research psychologist who studied brain development, writes poetry and books for children and young adults, as well as edits anthologies of folktales and legends from island cultures. Her work has earned numerous awards including

• 2016 SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Book Launch Award
• NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) Notable Poetry Books for 2014
• Notable Books for a Global Society (NBGS) award list 2014
• PEN Steven Kroll 2014 (long list/ six books) recognition of picture book writing
• ALA YALSA: 2011 Best Fiction for Young Adults

Synopsis

It's hard enough for fourteen year old Tess to understand what it means to be Navajo and white, but she must also manage her anger and fear when her sister, Gaby, enlists in the army. Gaby's deployment comes just weeks after the news that Lori Piestewa, a member of their community, is the first Native American woman in US history to die in combat, adding to Tess's stress and emotions.

While Gaby is away Tess cares for her stallion, Blue, takes Gaby's place with her grandma for summer sheep camp in the canyon, discovers an affinity with Emily Dickinson's poetry and learns to deal with tragic loss.

---

Relevance

There are 574 federally recognized Indian Nations in the United States. Members of these Nations are citizens of three sovereigns: their tribe, the United States, and the state in which they reside. Their contribution to the United States and their service in the US military are seldom taught nor widely honored beyond the Nations. 

Learning Connections

• A History of Military Service: Native Americans in the U.S. Military Yesterday and Today, USO
• American Indian Veterans Have Highest Record of Military Service, National Indian Council on Aging
• Army Spc. Lori Piestewa, Profile, US Dept of Defense News
• Native American Women Veterans, Military Women's Memorial
• Patriot Nations: Native Americans in Our Nation's Armed Forces, American Indian
• Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction, National Congress of American Indians
  

Young adult readers, 166 pages. A sister at war. A hot-headed horse named Blue. Tess’s Navajo and white identities in conflict. This summer is turning out to be anything but easy.