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Young Adult Fiction Aboriginal & Indigenous

Three Feathers

by (author) Richard Van Camp

illustrated by K. Mateus

Publisher
Portage & Main Press
Initial publish date
Mar 2015
Category
Aboriginal & Indigenous, Coming of Age, Boys & Men, Law & Crime
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781553795360
    Publish Date
    Mar 2015
    List Price
    $18.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781553797135
    Publish Date
    May 2017
    List Price
    $15.00

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Where to buy it

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 12 to 18
  • Grade: 7 to 12

Description

Three young men -- Flinch, Bryce, and Rupert -- have vandalized their community. They are sent by its Elders to live nine months on the land as part of the circle sentencing process. There, the young men learn to take responsibility for their actions and acquire the humility required to return home. But will they be forgiven for what they've done?

Three Feathers explores the power and grace of restorative justice in one Northern Indigenous community and the cultural legacy that can empower future generations.

About the authors

Richard Van Camp is a proud member of the Dogrib (Tlicho) Nation from Fort Smith, NWT.He is a graduate of the En'owkin International School of Writing, the University of Victoria's Creative Writing BFA Program, and the Master's Degree in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia. He is an internationally renowned storyteller and best-selling author. His novel, The Lesser Blessed, is now a movie with First Generation Films and premiered in September of 2012 at the Toronto International Film Festival. He is the author of four collections of short stories, Angel Wing Splash Pattern, The Moon of Letting Go, Godless but Loyal to Heaven and Night Moves, as well as two children's books with Cree artist, George Littlechild: A Man Called Raven and What's the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses?His first baby book, Welcome Song for Baby: A Lullaby for Newborns, was the official selection of the Books for BC Babies program and was given to every newborn baby in British Columbia in 2008. Richard followed this up with another board book: Nighty-Night: A Bedtime Song for Babies. His third book for babies, Little You, is now out with Orca Book Publishers. The amazing Julie Flett is the artist. Little You is published in Bush Cree, Dene and South Slavey, courtesy of the South Slave Divisional Board of Education. His new book for babies with Julie Flett is called "We Sang You Home" and it is gorgeous!All of Richard Van Camp's children's books are available in Braille for free, anywhere in the world, courtesy of the Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired (PRCVI) and Accessible Resource Centre-British Columbia (ARC-BC)Richard has six graphic novels and comic books out: his first comic book on deterring youth away from gangs, Path of the Warrior, is published with Cree artist, Steve Sanderson, through the Healthy Aboriginal Network. His second comic book on sexual health is Kiss Me Deadly, with Haida artist Chris Auchter. His four graphic novels are Three Feathers (published in Bush Cree, Dene, South Slavey and English, illustrated by Krystal Mateus, on restorative justice; The Eisner Award Nominated A Blanket of Butterflies, on the theme of peace making, illustrated by Scott Henderson, The Blue Raven, illustrated by Steve Sanderson on mental health, and Spirit, a suicide prevention comic book illustrated by Emily Brown (which is also published in Bush Cree, Dene, and South Slavey and English).

Richard Van Camp's profile page

K. Mateus is a Canadian illustrator who always knew art was her calling. Whether a story is done as a graphic novel or story book, she immerses herself into that world. She hopes her work will inspire others to illustrate.

K. Mateus' profile page

Editorial Reviews

[Three Feathers] is a narrative that is very empowering to share with youth, especially youth who live in communities that face a lot of challenges... [It shows how] youth have the potential to be powerful agents of change and can make a difference in their communities in the present moment, and I think we need to communicate that to them more often.

Twinkle's Happy Place

Van Camp and Mateus make another outstanding team of storyteller and illustrator. [Three Feathers] is strong and provocative.

My Book Abyss

Van Camp, unsurprisingly, never stoops to caricature. His characters are emotionally complex, possessed of agency and sympathetically rendered... I don’t want to give away the ending. I will say, however, that I was surprised by it

Ad Astra Comix

this book presents some of the harsh realities faced by Canada’s Aboriginal communities... [It has] merits in exploring these issues through the medium of the graphic novel.

CM Association

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