Kim Sigafus
Kim Sigafus is an award-winning Ojibwa writer and photographer whose family is from the White Earth Reservation in northwest Minnesota. She is an Illinois Humanities Road Scholar and gives presentations on Native harvest, history, and music. She coauthored two award-winning books: Native Writers: Voices of Power and Native Elders: Sharing Their Wisdom. Sigafus is also the author of six PathFinders novels for reluctant readers: Nowhere to Hide, Autumn’s Dawn, Finding Grace, Whisper to the Sky, Yesterday's Rain, and A Quiet Storm. She resides with her husband and dogs in Freeport, Illinois.
Kim is the CEO of Quiet Souls Events and Education, a nonprofit organization that promotes native culture through educational programs and special events.
Kim’s family is from the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota, and her Ojibwa name, Bekaadiziikwe, means “Quiet Woman.” When not working, Kim enjoys crafting Talking Feathers, singing, and drumming.
For more information, please visit her website at kimberlysigafus.com.
Kim Sigafus
After a school year of dealing with personal issues, Autumn Dawn is happy summer is finally here. Autumn plans on visiting her aunt Jessie in Minneapolis before heading back home for the summer school class she needs to attend in order to pass to the next grade.
On the first day of class, Autumn finds herself face-to-face with Sydney, the bully who thinks it is fun to pick on her. What could be worse? They are paired together and will be tutoring each other!
Between dealing with Sydney and trying not to notice the new guy in school, who has definitely noticed her, Autumn struggles to accept and embrace the fresh challenges she faces as she learns to believe in herself.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kim Sigafus is an award-winning Ojibwa writer and Illinois Humanities Road Scholar speaker. She has coauthored two award-winning 7th Generation books in the Native Trailblazers series of biographies, including Native Writers: Voices of Power and Native Elders: Sharing Their Wisdom. Nowhere to Hide, her first PathFinders novel begins the story of Autumn Dawn. Her works of fiction also includes The Mida, an eight-volume series about a mystically powerful time-traveling carnival owned by an Ojibwa woman.
ISBN: 9780939053756
Author: Kim Sigafus
Fry Reading Level: 4
Page Count: 118
Width: 4.50
Height: 7.00
Publication Year: 2020
Publisher: 7th Generation
Kim Sigafus
Autumn Dawn has learned to deal with her dyslexia and her life is starting to look better, but a horrible accident threatens to change everything. When her mother and brother are crossing a street, they are accidentally hit by a car. Autumn? s little brother is okay, but her mother ends up in intensive care. Autumn's father, who had walked away from his family a while ago, leaving them to fend for themselves, is now back in their lives and trying to make amends. When Autumn's mom is released from the hospital, she still needs help, so Autumn's dad moves back home.
Can Autumn ever forgive her father for leaving his family in the first place, or will she continue to be angry and resentful? Is it possible to trust any male, including her devoted boyfriend?
ISBN: 9781939053299
Author: Kim Sigafus
Fry Reading Level: 4.5
Page Count: 120
Width: 4.50
Height: 7.00
Publication Year: 2020
Publisher: 7th Generation
E-book available here or through your favorite platform.
In indigenous cultures, elders serve as a bridge across time: they are connected to the past, they live in the present, and they offer wisdom for the future. In these fascinating biographical essays, twelve First Nation and Native American elders share stories from their lives and tell what it was like to live in a time before television, cell phones, or video games. Their stories explain how their humble childhoods shaped the adults they became and the lessons they share as elders.
All of the elders profiled here work to ensure that their Native culture is passed down to members of their tribe. Whether through language lessons, ceremonies, or their ways of life, elders unlock the past and bring it to the present.
Settle in with this book and “listen” to the stories of these elders’ lives. As you take in their history, you just might gain wisdom that could make a difference in your own life.
Featured elders:
La Donna Harris Comanche
Ernest Siva Morongo
Jacqueline Guest Métis
Percy Henry Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in
Nella Heredia Cahuilla
Jim Northrup Anishinaabe/Ojibwe
Judy Gingell Kwanlin Dun
Christine Jack Xwisten
Mark Bellcourt Ojibwa
Bert Crowfoot Siksika
Louva Dahozy Navajo
Faith Davison Mohegan
A glossary of terms found in the chapters is included, along with resources for discovering more information about each elder.
ISBN: 9780977918362
Author: Kim Sigafus, Lyle Ernst
Lexile Level: 1050L
Page Count: 112
Width: 6.00
Height: 9.00
Publication Year: 2014
Publisher: 7th Generation
A celebration of ten writers who have challenged stereotypes and told history from a perspective often silenced. The entertaining and poignant creative works of these writers will inspire young readers to continue their educations and reach for their own successes.
The full list of writers profiled:
Sherman Alexie (Spokane/Coeur d'Alene)
Louise Erdrich (Ojibwa)
Joseph Boyden (Cree/Métis)
N. Scott Momaday (Kiowa/Cherokee)
Marilyn Dumont (Cree/Métis)
Tomson Highway (Cree)
Joseph Bruchac (Abenaki)
Maria Campbell (Métis)
Tim Tingle (Choctaw)
Nicola Campbell (Interior Salish of Nle7kepmx (Thompson) and Nsilx (Okanagan)/Métis)
Age: 12 to 16
Reading level: 6.0
Character Education
Language Arts: Biography
Social Studies: United States, Native American Culture
2012 ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards
Silver Juvenile Nonfiction
2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Finalist Multicultural Non-Fiction
2013 USA Best Book Awards
Children's Non-Fiction
Reviews
“Until the latter part of the 20th century, the popularized story of Native People on the North American continent was never told by Native People. Momaday, Bruchac, Erdrich, and many others have forever altered the literary landscape. As native writers, we walk this hallowed earth with dignity and remembrance, sometimes to the drumbeat of the keyboard, but always on the bones of the unforgotten, our blood ancestors who struggled to survive. Native Writers: Voices of Power is a powerful testament to survival and offers a unique glimpse into the world of the Indian narrative. Thank you so much for including me in this volume.” - Author Tim Tingle
ISBN: 9780977918386
Author: Kim Sigafus, Lyle Ernst
Lexile Level: 1090L
Page Count: 112
Width: 6.00
Height: 9.00
Publication Year: 2012
Kim Sigafus
Book 1: Sydney’s Journey
A Native teen moves to Minneapolis because her mom finds a better job. Back on the Rez Sydney was the bully surrounded by her Native friends. At her new school, she is bullied with no friends. Until she meets someone who is just as ostracized as she is.
Sydney is a teenage girl who has always gone to a school with other Native students on her reservation. She has friends who support her when she bullies a fellow student, but life takes an unexpected turn when her mother moves the family to Minneapolis so she can take a new job. Her mother is excited about the move, but Sydney feels just the opposite. She does not want to become an urban Indian, and she especially does not want to leave her friends.
On the first day of school, Sydney tries to fit in, but it doesn’t take her long to realize that her Native looks make her stand out like a sore thumb. After Sydney accidentally bumps into a classmate in the hall, she becomes the target of bullying. Although she was used to being a bully, the tables are now turned.
When her life becomes almost unbearable, Sydney is approached by a boy in the lunchroom, who asks if he can join her. Not knowing what to think, she agrees, and the chance encounter initiates a close friendship. Her new friend, Finn, who is gay, is also a target of bullying. Sydney’s experience with being bullied, and seeing her friend bullied as well, makes her feel bad about herself and regret who she used to be. She realizes she must make amends with the girl she had bullied at her old school before she can feel better about herself and begin the journey to self-forgiveness.
YAF073000 Young Adult Fiction / Own Voices
YAF046150 Young Adult/People & Places /US/Native American
YAF058020 Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes/ Bullying
ISBN: 9781939053381
Author: Kim Sigafus
Fry Reading Level: 4
Page Count: 118
Width: 4.50
Height: 7.00
Publication Year: 2022
Publisher: 7th Generation
E-book available here or through your favorite platform.
Kim Sigafus
A punch in the face has surprising results.
Yesterday’s Rain is the second book in the Sydney’s Journey Series. Sydney is still working through her guilt over being a bully at her previous school on the White Earth Reservation. When she accidently takes a punch in the face that was aimed at her gay friend, everyone expects her to fight back, but her response is totally unexpected. Bullies can change, as Sydney proves at her new school. Can Sydney help her best friend heal an old friendship by demonstrating forgiveness?
ISBN: 9781939053428
Author: Kim Sigafus
Fry Reading Level: 3
Page Count: 110
Width: 4.50
Height: 7.00
Publication Year: 2022
Publisher: 7th Generation
E-book available here or through your favorite platform.
Kim Sigafus
Can a gay friend and a football star subdue the quiet storm brewing in Sydney’s heart?
Love is in the air, but loneliness is just around the corner in this follow-up to Yesterday’s Rain. Sydney’s feelings are realistically portrayed: She worries so much about a potential future that she cannot enjoy the present.
A well-grounded reluctant reader title exploring the power of relationships.
— Kirkus Reviews
In book three of the Sydney’s Journey series, Sydney has at last come to terms with the anguish of being a bully and being bullied herself. But when her boyfriend reveals that he is looking forward to going away to college, another issue arises: her deep separation anxiety. Sydney retreats into herself and pushes her boyfriend and others away. Luckily, her best friend points out that her response is not healthy. Sydney decides to attend a Native women’s sharing circle with her mother. Here Sydney realizes that the quiet storm troubling her heart can finally be healed.
ISBN: 9781570674150
Author: Kim Sigafus
Page Count: 110
Width: 4.50
Height: 7.00
Publication Year: 2023
Publisher: 7th Generation
E-book available here or through your favorite platform.
Sydney’s Journey. The series follows Sydney as she transitions from a former bully dealing with self-shame to a confident teen who has compassion for others.
Whisper to the Sky, Book 1 finds Sydney thrust into life in the big city as an urban Native teen. On the first day of school, it doesn’t take Sydney long to realize she stands out like a sore thumb. After accidentally bumping into a classmate in the hall, the bullying begins, and it’s aimed right at Sydney. Although Sydney was used to being the bully at her old school, the tables have turned, and she is now on the other side.
Yesterday's Rain, Book 2 Sydney is slowly adjusting to her new school and is not being bullied as much, but her gay friend is not so lucky. When a punch aimed at her friend, mistakenly hits Sydney in the face, everyone is surprised at her reaction.
A Quiet Storm, Book 3 Sydney has finally come to terms with bullying issues, but now she has another anxiety to deal with, separation. When her boyfriend tells her about his plans for college, she compares him to her father, who also left her.
1 × SYDNEY'S JOURNEY, BOOK 1: WHISPER TO THE SKY
1 × SYDNEY'S JOURNEY, BOOK 2: YESTERDAY'S RAIN
1 × SYDNEY'S JOURNEY, BOOK 3: A QUIET STORM
Kim Sigafus
Autumn Dawn is an Ojibwa teen who is ashamed of her learning difficulties and family problems. On top of that, she is the target of a school bully. In the first installment of the Autumn Dawn series, Nowhere to Hide, Autumn gets the help she needs from her visiting aunt and begins to deal with her problems at school and at home.
In book two of the series, Autumn’s Dawn, she is beginning to embrace new challenges and gain confidence. However, in a summer-school class, Autumn is partnered with Sidney, the girl who spent the previous school year making fun of her. There is also a new boy in school who happens to think Autumn is rather nice.
Finding Grace, book three, brings Autumn’s father back into the story. As Autumn continues to grow and become more self-assured, can she forgive her dad for having deserted his family? Can she let go of the past and let her father back into her life and heart? Most importantly, can she learn to trust again and find the grace to move forward?
Includes:
1 × AUTUMN'S DAWN, BOOK 1: NOWHERE TO HIDE
1 × AUTUMN'S DAWN, BOOK 2
1 × AUTUMN'S DAWN, BOOK 3: FINDING GRACE
Kim Sigafus
Autumn Dawn is sick of being bullied at school. It’s not her fault that she doesn’t learn as fast as the other kids or that she speaks a little differently. Her home life isn’t much better. Ever since Autumn’s dad left, her mother can’t cope, so Autumn has to care for her baby brother and do all the housework. Her mother hasn’t even noticed the problems her daughter is dealing with. When Autumn’s Ojibwa aunt comes to visit, she recognizes Autumn’s dyslexia and speech problems. Can Aunt Jessie build a bridge between mother and daughter and give Autumn the confidence she needs to move past her challenges?
Read the next in this series Autumn's Dawn and the finale Finding Grace.
Kim Sigafus is an award-winning Ojibwa writer and Illinois Humanities Road Scholar speaker. She has coauthored two award-winning 7th Generation books in the Native Trailblazers series of biographies, including Native Writers: Voices of Power and Native Elders: Sharing Their Wisdom. Her fiction work includes The Mida, an eight-volume series about a mystically powerful time-traveling carnival owned by an Ojibwa woman. Kim resides with her husband in Freeport, Illinois. For more information, visit kimberlysigafus.com.
ISBN: 9781939053213
Author: Kim Sigafus
Lexile Level: HL620L
Fry Reading Level: 4
Page Count: 120
Width: 4.50
Height: 7.00
Publication Year: 2019
Publisher: 7th Generation
E-book available here or through your favorite platform.