Melanie Bluelake's Dream

Elizabeth St Jacques is the author of Dance of Light and Around the Tree
of Light.

Melanie, a 10-year-old Cree girl, is perfectly happy living with her
beloved grandmother on the reserve in northern Saskatchewan and having
fun with her best friend. But her mother needs to finish her high-school
education in order to get a better job, so Melanie has to move with her
to Prince Albert. Now they live in cramped quarters with her mother’s
lady friend, and Melanie has to go to a new school where she’s certain
she’ll never find a friend like Keena. Will Melanie ever forgive her
mother or be happy again?

Betty Dorion, who has taught First Nations students in Prince Albert
since 1979, portrays Native life convincingly. Her descriptions are
colorful and vivid, her dialogue and story line believable. (Some
credibility is lost when Melanie registers at the new school as an
11-year-old but celebrates that birthday at a later date.) Woven into
the story are Cree words and phrases (a glossary is provided at the back
of the book). Recommended.