The Star That Always Stays

Set in Michigan in 1914, the novel follows fourteen-year-old Norvia, an Ojibwe girl raised on Beaver Island with stories of Migizi and the Wintermaker, as she moves to the city and is forced by her mother to conceal her heritage. At her new school she faces a first crush, a blended family, and the pressure to hide her identity while dealing with overt racism and cultural bias. Norvia must navigate family secrets, personal longing, and the challenge of staying true to her roots in a world that demands she be invisible. The story explores her internal struggle to reconcile pride in her Ojibwe culture with the need to survive in a hostile environment.