by Helen Frost
First published 2014
Anikwa and James spend their days fishing and trapping in the Indiana Territory forests. Both boys are twelve, but their worlds differ. Anikwa belongs to the Miami tribe, whose people have called this land home for generations. James comes from a trading family connected to both the Miami community and the American soldiers at Fort Wayne. In 1812, war approaches their doorstep. British and American forces prepare for battle at Fort Wayne while Native Americans from multiple tribes gather at Kekionga to defend their homeland. Trading halts and vital supplies like salt disappear. The fort faces siege and violence spreads across the territory. The boys watch their families choose sides as conflict tears through everything they know. Anikwa and James must decide where they belong when friendship collides with loyalty to family and tribe.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 19th-century, native-american
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Indiana Territory, Fort Wayne, Kekionga
Period: 1812
1 pages · Audio CD · Recorded Books, Inc. and Blackstone Publishing
Content warnings: violence