Firekeeper's Daughter

An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller! A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick! A Printz Medal AND Morris Award Winner!

Soon to be adapted at Netflix for TV with President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground.

“One of this year's most buzzed about young adult novels.” —Good Morning America

With four starred reviews, Angeline Boulley's debut novel, Firekeeper's Daughter, is a groundbreaking YA thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption in her community, perfect for readers of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange.

Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team.

Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. At the same time, she grows concerned with an investigation that seems more focused on punishing the offenders than protecting the victims.

Now, as the deceptions—and deaths—keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

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Published Jan 16, 2022

Average rating: 8.18

917 RATINGS

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Readers say *Firekeeper's Daughter* is a gripping, emotional thriller rich in Ojibwe culture and community. Reviewers agree the story is powerful and ...

Margie Pettersen

Oct 27, 2025

8/10 stars

I started reading this book and nearly put it down, but I’m glad I didn’t. This is a murder and some interesting surprises that kept me reading. Daunis is a bright girl on her way to college. Her plans get altered when her uncle dies and her grandmother has a stroke. She decides to go to a local school and stay closer to home.

Several young people in the community die due to drug overdoses. When Daunis is approached by an under cover officer, she is at first reluctant to help, but eventually her role becomes essential.

There is so much about Native American culture in this book and I was delighted to see a Native teen as the main character. She relates folk stories told to her, attends powwows, and is loving towards the elderly in her community.

abookwanderer

Oct 09, 2025

8/10 stars

I'm having a hard time rating this one. On the one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed it, but it was so very different than what I expected. I loved being in this world, learning about Daunis and her tribe, but I think I would have enjoyed it more had it focused less on the mystery and more on Daunis' day to day life. This novel covers A LOT in what's supposed to be a few short months, and it was a little overwhelming--and unbelievable--for me at times. But it's written so well, so beautifully done, and it's an important subject that deserves all the attention, so I'll still highly recommend it.

#popsugarreadingchallenge2022 (advanced prompt #2 - A book that features two languages)

Moonie

Nov 15, 2024

10/10 stars

Love. Love. Love.

Rhianna Delano

Sep 01, 2024

10/10 stars

All I can say is, you better be prepared to read this in one sitting, because you’re not gonna want to put it down.

Ali Nurmikko

Aug 27, 2024

10/10 stars

September Book Club pick, but finished before September 🤭 If there is one book that I will recommend forever, it’s going to be this one. Truly a masterpiece. It is characterized as a YA/teen book, but truthfully, it has so much more depth and integrity than what I would consider a stereotypical “teen” book. I always love a Michigan read because I feel so much connection to the story. Sault Ste Marie and its beauty were definitely captured in the setting. The author is Native American, and the story follows a Native American girl and her tribe and the customs, traditions, and problems they face. The culture was written about so well with providing the reader with context, but making it so pertinent to the story. Additionally, it was so eye-opening about the internal and external displacement that Daunis felt being half Native and half white- the feeling of not fully belonging in either place. Reading about the reservation and community was beautiful and heartbreaking. Not only was this story a remarkable depiction of Ojibwe women, but it was a CRAZY thriller! I was so enraptured in the story that I was sweating. The pace was incredible and it wrapped up in the best, most frustrating way. I also loved the hint of romance and love. The book was so fully layered in its complexities of love, culture, and crime; to be so multifaceted as a story, there was nothing lacking and I find that the most compelling.