• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7

Maggie Lou’s grandpa doesn’t call her Firefox for nothing. She’s always finding ways to make life more interesting — even if this means getting into big trouble.

When her grandfather Moshôm finally agrees to teach her how to box, she decides that the rank odors, endless drills and teasing won’t stop her from wearing a tutu to the gym. Joining her father’s construction crew uncovers a surprising talent — besides learning how to use a broom — and a great source of scrap wood to build a canine hotel for her dogs. And when she turns thirteen, she figures out an ingenious way to make some smokin’ good camouflage to wear on her first deer hunt, where she joins a long family tradition.

Through it all she is surrounded by her big extended gumbo soup of a family, pestered by annoying younger siblings, and gently guided by her strong female relatives – her mother, her kohkom and her ultra-cool cousin Jayda. “Keep taking up space,” Maggie’s mother says. “You’re only making room for the girls behind you.”

A heroine for today, Maggie Lou discovers that with hard work and perseverance she can gain valuable new skills, without losing one iota of her irrepressible spirit.

Key Text Features

author’s note

biographical note

chapters

dialogue

epigraph

illustrations

ARNOLDA DUFOUR BOWES is a Métis writer who grew up in Saskatoon but has lived around the world, from New Zealand to Saudi Arabia. She has worked in construction and nursing, and she loves new adventures, from skydiving to surfing. She is the author of 20.12 m: A Short Story Collection of a Life Lived as a Road Allowance Métis, which won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award and the High Plains Book Award. Arnolda lives with her husband, three children and two dogs in a small town in Saskatchewan.

Arnolda Dufour Bowes' profile page

KARLENE HARVEY est une illustratrice autochtone (Tsilhqot’in et Syilx) résidant à Vancouver, en Colombie-Britannique. Elle a notamment illustré Joue du tambour avec ton coeur et Chaque enfant compte. Karlene est conseillère en art autochtone à l’Université de Colombie-Britannique, et quand elle ne crée pas, elle étudie la langue tsilhqot’in et écrit ses propres histoires.

KARLENE HARVEY is a Tsilhqot’in and Syilx illustrator who resides in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is the illustrator of Drum from the Heart and Every Child Matters. Karlene is an Indigenous Arts Advisor at the University of British Columbia, and when she's not making art she enjoys Tsilhqot’in language studies and writing her own stories.

Karlene Harvey's profile page

• Commended, Kirkus Best Middle Grade Books of the Year
• Commended, NPR Books We Love

Maggie Lou is ... absolutely unstoppable.

Globe and Mail

An amusing story showcasing Métis humor at its finest. STARRED REVEIW

Kirkus

What a gem of a book! What I love most is the way Indigenous life is portrayed as just a normal way of being. Nothing tragic or stoic, it is just a large family with lots of love and mayhem.

Canadian Children's Book News

A funny, lovingly crafted book, with a rich cast of characters that is enhanced by artist Karlene Harvey’s comic-like illustrations … The humour in Maggie Lou, Firefox will pull young readers in, and the warm heart of the stories will keep them reading. STARRED REVIEW

Quill & Quire

Maggie Lou's connection to her immediate and extended family, her awareness of her Native roots and the Northern Michif language … and her interests, which are not constrained by gender norms, give these tales a distinctive and refreshing flavor.

Horn Book

Maggie is irrepressible, brimming with ideas, energy and ambition … Many young readers will chuckle with her exploits and see Maggie as a role model.

Winnipeg Free Press

Students will enjoy reading about Maggie's adventures.

Children's Literature Comprehensive Database

Funny, upbeat … Maggie Lou approaches life with a can-do attitude, confidence, and a helping of sass.

Shelf Awareness