Pemmican Wars: A Girl Called Echo: Vol. 1

Author: Katherena Vermette

Illustrator: Scott B. Henderson

Inker: Donovan Yaciuk

Publisher: HighWater Press (2018)

For ages 12-14

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.

"Henderson’s realistic art and perfect pacing, particularly in the pages of wordless panels depicting Echo’s daily routine, highlight her silent nature and hint at the source of her unspoken sadness. Solitary teens are likely to strongly identify with Echo and look forward to more of her adventures."

–Booklist

"Vermette expertly juxtaposes the isolation of an aboriginal teen in the current day with the emphasis on working together in traditional Métis communities. Henderson’s artwork and Yaciuk’s colours help to emphasize the differences between the past and present, as gorgeous prairie panoramas in vibrant hues contrast with crowded, dingy hallways and buses. [...] This reviewer is eagerly awaiting the second volume of the series."

–Roseanne Gauthier