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Borders

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( 3,725 ratings, 503 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In Borders by Thomas King, a young boy and his mother travel from the reserve to visit his sister, Laetitia, in Salt Lake City. As they reach the border, the mother proudly declares her nationality as “Blackfoot,” which causes unexpected challenges with border officials. The story offers a warm and insightful tale about cultural identity, pride, and resilience.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this story if you appreciate tales that explore themes of identity and belonging with both humour and heart. It presents a thought-provoking narrative centred on a young boy's journey with his mother as they navigate cultural borders, offering a unique perspective on personal and cultural identity in a format accessible to children.

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A People Magazine Best Book Fall 2021

From celebrated Indigenous author Thomas King and award-winning Métis artist Natasha Donovan comes a powerful graphic novel about a family caught between nations.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Borders is a masterfully told story of a boy and his mother whose road trip is thwarted at the border when they identify their citizenship as Blackfoot. Refusing to identify as either American or Canadian first bars their entry into the US, and then their return into Canada.

In the limbo between countries, they find power in their connection to their identity and to each other. Borders explores nationhood from an Indigenous perspective and resonates deeply with themes of identity, justice, and belonging.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Borders by Thomas King is highly acclaimed, recognised with numerous accolades such as an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book and a Best Book by multiple esteemed publications. Reviews praise it for its subtlety and intelligence, highlighting its impactful storytelling about Indigenous identity and the universal feelings associated with familial separation. The novel is described as both sobering and inspiring, effectively bringing attention to Indigenous voices and their ongoing struggles for recognition on ancestral lands.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780316593069

Publisher: Little, Brown & Company

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 30 September 2021

Country: United States

Imprint: Little, Brown Young Readers

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Natasha Donovan
  • Illustrated by Natasha Donovan

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly, Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 146.0mm

Height: 212.0mm

Weight: 519g

Pages: 192

About the Author

Thomas King has written several highly acclaimed children's books including A Coyote Solstice Tale (illustrated by Gary Clement) which won the American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award for Best Picture Book and A Coyote Columbus Story (illustrated by Kent Monkman) which was a Governor General's Award finalist. King, who is of Cherokee and Greek descent and was born in California, was chair of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota before moving to University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. He recently won a Governor General's Award for his adult novel, The Back of the Turtle; he won both the BC National Award for Canadian Nonfiction and the RBC Taylor Prize for The Inconvenient Indian.

Natasha Donovan is a Metis illustrator with a focus on comics and children's illustration. She has illustrated several award-winning children's books including The Sockeye Mother by Brett Huson and the graphic novel Surviving the City by Tasha Spillett-Sumner. She has a degree in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia, and has worked in academic and magazine publishing. She currently lives in Bellingham, Washington.

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    Borders is a masterfully told story of a boy and his mother whose road trip from Alberta to Salt Lake City is thwarted at the border when they identify their citizenship as Blackfoot. Refusing to identify as either American or Canadian first bars their entry into the US, and then their return into Canada. In the limbo between countries, they...
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