Hunting by Stars

Gr 9 Up–Dimaline’s sequel to The Marrow Thieves returns to the dystopian world of French and his found family. A plague has taken over, robbing much of the population of their ability to dream, and Indigenous people are hunted for their marrow, which is believed to contain the cure. Seventeen-year-old French awakens in a dark room with a head injury and no idea where he is. He soon finds he has been captured by Recruiters and is being held captive in a residential school where Indigenous people are harvested for their marrow. Meanwhile, his family is trying to find him and plan his escape. As new information is uncovered about the residential schools and family members become divided on the best way to retrieve French, everyone must decide how far they are willing to go to survive. The brutal realities faced by French in the residential school will leave readers thinking about what Indigenous people endured in the residential schools of the past. The idea of storytelling and the importance of realizing that the past and present are interwoven is beautifully conveyed and will keep readers anxious for what comes next.