Pemmican Wars

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Pub Date 1 Mar 2018 | Archive Date 1 Mar 2018
Portage & Main Press | HighWater Press

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Description

Echo Desjardins, a thirteen-year-old Métis girl, is struggling with feelings of loneliness while attending a new school and living with a new foster family. Then an ordinary day in Mr. Bee's history class turns extraordinary, and Echo's life will never be the same. During Mr. Bee's lecture, Echo finds herself transported to another time and place—a bison hunt on the Saskatchewan prairie—and back again. In the following weeks, Echo slips back and forth in time. She visits a Métis camp, travels the old fur-trade routes and experiences the perilous era of the Pemmican Wars.

Pemmican Wars is the first graphic novel in the A Girl Called Echo series by award–winning writer Katherena Vermette.


Echo Desjardins, a thirteen-year-old Métis girl, is struggling with feelings of loneliness while attending a new school and living with a new foster family. Then an ordinary day in Mr. Bee's history...


Marketing Plan

Local author events & signings, Library & book seller marketing, Comprehensive social media campaign, Paid national consumer advertising, ARC giveaways to trade & national media

Local author events & signings, Library & book seller marketing, Comprehensive social media campaign, Paid national consumer advertising, ARC giveaways to trade & national media


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781553796787
PRICE US$18.95 (USD)
PAGES 48

Average rating from 24 members


Featured Reviews

I have a vague recollection of learning about the Métis in grade 9 history, but even this short graphic novel made me aware that either I learned little or I’ve forgotten much. So, at the base, this is a really enjoyable way to brush up on my Canadian history.

But there’s a lot more than that going on. This is just the set up, but it’s clear that Echo has been separated from her mother and started a new school. The panels of her walking through school without any interaction drive home her loneliness. She’s clearly starting to connect with her history teacher though.

I like the diversity of the characters. It was interesting to learn the gender neutral title in French Mx and there is a character in a wheelchair, who I hope we will learn more about in future episodes.

The illustrations are great and the plot interesting. It’s a little less wordy than I prefer in a graphic novel, but I’m definitely interested in seeing where it goes next.

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This is a great way to learn about history. Grapic novels offer the reader a glimpse into the book and story through pictures. Wonderful depictions.

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Goodreads Synopsis:
Echo Desjardins, a 13-year-old Métis girl adjusting to a new home and school, is struggling with loneliness while separated from her mother. Then an ordinary day in Mr. Bee’s history class turns extraordinary, and Echo’s life will never be the same. During Mr. Bee’s lecture, Echo finds herself transported to another time and place—a bison hunt on the Saskatchewan prairie—and back again to the present. In the following weeks, Echo slips back and forth in time. She visits a Métis camp, travels the old fur-trade routes, and experiences the perilous and bygone era of the Pemmican Wars.

Pemmican Wars is the first graphic novel in a new series, A Girl Called Echo, by Governor General Award–winning writer, and author of Highwater Press’ The Seven Teaching Stories, Katherena Vermette.

My Review:
I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book would be really interesting, but didn't think anything of it as it wasn't available to request, only wish for. I'm so glad my wish was granted! This book is completely unlike anything I've read lately and I'm really happy and thankful I got the chance to read it. I really like the cover, and also the art in the book. Although this is volume one, the book itself is only about fifty pages long, so it's a super quick read. It packs a punch and I really enjoyed reading it from the moment I started it to the end of the story.

It begins with a girl, Echo, in what is now Saskatchewan, but in the year 1814. Usually I'm not a fan of books about long ago, but this one was intriguing. She's surrounded by people from the year, but obviously not of the time herself. She's scared. A herd of buffalo run by her and some of them are shot and killed. Then she wakes up in class, in the present day. Most of the story is Echo listening to music and spending time by herself. Sometimes she goes back in her dreams, other times she's at school or at her foster home. Honestly I love her as a character. The book really shows what kind of culture shock there is because of the history. She feels detached and lost because she doesn't know about her ancestors, all she has are the dreams.

Overall I really liked reading this book and wished it was longer. I definitely want to check out the next volume, which I'm assuming there will be because this is called volume one. I really liked it, check it out and see what you think!

Here's a link to the book on Amazon, and another link to the authors Twitter!

https://www.amazon.ca/Pemmican-Wars-Girl-Called-Echo-ebook/dp/B077Z2D8HT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1514409542&sr=8-1&keywords=pemmican+wars

https://twitter.com/katherenav?lang=en

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

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Written and illustrated by Native Americans, this is a story about one tiny piece of the greater history of the settling of the United States by Europeans.

A girl with a seemingly troubled life (but only hints are given in this book) walks through her new school listening to her mother’s music and daydreaming about the history lessons her classes are presenting. She imagines herself (or perhaps is magically transported) in the villager her ancestors where she sees their interactions with two fur trading companies.

This is a chapter of a larger work. It reads quickly, but leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Think of it as a comic book rather than a full graphic novel.

Although I wish this were a complete story, I am going to give it five stars based on its unique presentation, historical accuracy and immediate draw for kids. I would buy this in a minute. Even though the Native American nations where I live are not the same, I believe this would draw in my Native students in a way very few other books can.

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Echo, a Métis girl, finds herself in a new school, a new home, and away from her mother. When she begins learning Métis history in one of her classes, she finds herself living the history, as if transported through time. The first book in the series offers readers a glimpse into Echo's life and begins giving readers a historical context for the story. The color illustrations are exquisite and bring both the story's history and Echo's loneliness to life on the page. As the series continues, I look forward to learning more about Métis history and more of Echo's backstory.

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In the spirit of the March series, Katherena Vermette uses the graphic novel format to make history accessible and appealing to ages teen-adult. Jumping between present day and the early 1800's, main character Echo's loneliness in her foster home parallels the frustrations of an unjust system.

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It was an interesting read, on a subject I haven't seen or learned anything about. Would recommend.

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A Metis main character, time travel, a teacher who uses gender neutral pronouns, whats not to like? I read about the author and series on CBC Indigenous and was fortunate to read an ARC through Netgalley. It was short and sweet and I look forward to the other three installments. Will be recommending we purchase for our school library.

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Wow! I don't know why, but I often lump Canadian history in with the United States' during the periods of wagon trains and regular buffalo/bison hunting. But Canada was already separate at that point, and I shouldn't underestimate their unique history. This book not only taught me about a period of Canada's history that I had never heard about before, it also introduced me to a unique and intriguing character with great taste in music!

The premise of this graphic novel is that a teenage girl, Echo, finds herself sent back in time to a hunting party of Métis, Indigenous, and European freemen and their families during the Pemmican Wars. She watches the party hunt and fight and makes pemmican with a girl her own age, learning about the people and the time in person even while she learns about it in class when she comes back to the modern setting. The contrast of being separated from her mother (we don't know why yet) while making this personal connection to the Métis people of her ancestry is significant, but maybe this will be what brings Echo closer to her mother in future volumes?

Katherena Vermette is a very skilled writer who I had never heard of before. She does a great job of not writing too much--of finding the balance between her words and the art of Scott B. Henderson and Donovan Yaciuk. Even though Pemmican Wars isn't as long as a full novel, a lot of information and emotion is packed into these fifty-or-so pages. And it's a great place to spark interest in events and groups of people who may not be that well known, especially to U.S. citizens such as myself. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes YA graphic novels that are extra illustrative or historically informative, as well as those trying to get kids and teenagers interested in Canadian/North American History!

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A new graphic novel series that focuses on the audience learning more about Métis history. The illustrations are beautiful and I can see that this book is going to be a hit among educators. At 48 pages, I sure wish it had been longer, but it is a great start.

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ARC kindly provided by the publisher and NetGalley

A Girl Named Echo is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel about a thirteen-year-old girl adapting to a new foster home and a new school. On her first day of school, Echo is sitting in her history class learning about the Pemmican Wars when she is transported to 1814. Echo begins learning about her people and the struggles they had to face and overcome.

I would recommend this to anyone teaching World Literature or World History as a supplementary text and I'm definitely recommending this to my kiddos who love reading graphic novels and historical fiction.

Can't wait for the next volume!

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Pemmican Wars
by Katherena Vermette, illustrated by Scott B. Henderson, colour by Donovan Yaciuk
Portage & Main Press

HighWater Press
Teens & YA
Pub Date 01 Mar 2018

I am reviewing a copy of Pemmican Wars through Portage and Main Press and Netgalley:


In this beautifully Illustrated graphic novel we meet Echo a thirteen year old Metis girl who is adjusting to a new school, and to the loneliness she feels from being away from her Mother.

But one ordinary day in Mr Bree's history class she finds herself being transported back to the time of the Pemmician Wars, she finds herself in a Bison hunt on the Saskatchewan Prarie and back again, a trip she makes several times in the weeks to follow giving her a deeper appreciation for her history.


I give Pemmican Wars five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

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Pemmican Wars, the first graphic novel in the series A Girl Called Echo, introduces us to thirteen-year-old Echo, who is largely invisible in her classes and lives apart from her mother. The novel is rich with vivid artwork, and the author has clearly prioritized representation in her cast of characters. Vermette incorporates history organically, teaching the reader about the Metis as Echo herself experiences pivotal moments during the Pemmican Wars. The language is accessible, and the graphics are engaging; I have no doubt that this graphic novel will be popular in school libraries, and among young readers of all backgrounds. If this is any indication, Vermette has set the stage for an informative and beautiful series.

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This story educates about part of the history of Canada and its First Nation people, which (as an American) I knew very little about. The graphics present the story (both past and present) in a compelling way, which I think that my older students will enjoy. I wish that the book told us more about what ultimately happens to Echo, and I look forward to the next book in the series so that I can find out!

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