In the captivating and unconventional Legendary Frybread Drive-In, edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids), 17 Indigenous writers collaborate to explore and celebrate a range of Native experiences. Through "winks, nods, and overlaps in their writing," the authors create a naturally interconnected anthology of stories centering on a fantastical setting.
Sandy June's Legendary Frybread Drive-In is a lively but humble-looking gathering place that appears when people from countless tribes, locations, and even times most need it. They go to the drive-in for the intertribal community, the healing, the warm, down-to-earth support of the "legendary grandparents," and--of course--they go for the ever-changing traditional fare: elk soup, Navajo tacos, and frybread. How characters get there, though, is always different. Whichever way they make it to Sandy June's--via a fridge portal in Arizona ("I Love You, Grandson" by Brian Young) or while lost in a Hawaiian rainstorm ("Braving the Storm" by Kaua Māhoe Adams)--young people from the Cherokee, Muscogee, Ojibwe, Blackfeet, and other Nations come together, again and again.
Stories in this noteworthy and absorbing compilation work as stand-alones, but to get the full benefit and sense of intertribal community, read them together. In voices, styles, and scenarios as varied as the tribes and locations represented, the stories and poems in Legendary Frybread Drive-In capture often-pivotal moments in young people's lives. Themes of displacement and loneliness, as well as the importance of connection to family, friends, and tribe, permeate the entries, making the collection relevant and accessible for teen readers of any background. --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor