Title: Suliewey
Publisher: Breakwater Books
Authors: Sheila O’Neil and Mi’sel Joe
Rating: 5/5
Genre: Fiction, Middle Grade Fiction
Review:

It’s so nice to be able to connect with characters I know and read their stories again. My Indian is a book that is filled with so much information on Indigenous culture, what it was like back in the day, and the struggles and the triumphs of leading an expedition into the vast landscape that is Canada.

You can read my book review for My Indian here!

The difference between Suliewey and My Indian is that My Indian was told from Cormack’s point of view. Cormack needed a guide to be with him as he travelled, so he got Suliewey to be his guide.
But this story is not Cormack’s adventure, it’s Suliewey’s. While Suliewey agreed to be the guide of Cormack to find the Beothuk, Suliewey’s goal is to lead Cormack away from the Beothuk. As Suliewey ends Cormack’s adventure, he begins his own search for the Beothuk.

Compared to My Indian, this book really focuses on the more Indigenous aspects of the story, and readers learn to appreciate Indigenous methods and culture. There’s so much of it that just makes sense. I find the Indigenous lifestyle in Suliewey to be very simple and grounded, but it’s such a nice portrayal of the way they live. One thing that I really like about Suliewey is that we are given a look inside of Suliewey’s mind, we see his thought process and it’s almost like he’s sharing the knowledge that he has in his head.

It’s so interesting to read about the adventures he goes on and what he has to do to survive in the middle of winter. I thought the wolf he met and named Hungry was a nice little touch, and it said in the back of the book that the wolf was introduced into the story because much like the Mi’kmaq, the wolf had a bounty on it’s head imposed by the colonial Newfoundland government. So I thought that was a really interesting parallel, and I didn’t know that about the wolves in Newfoundland.

Another thing that I learned about was the two-spirit woman, and what the gift of two-spirit means to the Indigenous. It’s very interesting how certain people have this gift and can use it. I didn’t know how this worked before I read Sulieway.

Overall, this is a really good book for anyone who is looking to dive back into the world of Suliewey and continue reading about his adventure, or anyone craving an adventure. This is a way to learn about the Beothuk, and wonder about a world where they still exist. I loved Suliewey’s story, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that is looking for an adventure for all ages to read!

That’s all for this book review, and I hope this was helpful :]

Bye bye!