Maggie Lou's grandpa doesn't call her Firefox for nothing. She's always finding ways to make life more interesting — even if this means getting into big trouble.

When her grandfather Moshôm finally agrees to teach her how to box, she decides that the rank odors, endless drills and teasing won't stop her from wearing a tutu to the gym. Joining her father's construction crew uncovers a surprising talent — besides learning how to use a broom — and a great source of scrap wood to build a canine hotel for her dogs. And when she turns thirteen, she figures out an ingenious way to make some smokin' good camouflage to wear on her first deer hunt, where she joins a long family tradition.

Through it all she is surrounded by her big extended gumbo soup of a family, pestered by annoying younger siblings, and gently guided by her strong female relatives – her mother, her kokhom and her ultra-cool cousin Jayda. "Keep taking up space," Maggie's mother says. "You're only making room for the girls behind you."

A heroine for today, Maggie Lou discovers that with hard work and perseverance she can gain valuable new skills, without losing one iota of her irrepressible spirit. (From Groundwood Books Ltd)

Arnolda Dufour Bowes is a Métis writer originally from Saskatoon. Her book 20.12m won the 2022 Danuta Gleed Literary Award and a 2022 High Plains Book Award.

Karlene Harvey is a Tsilhqot'in and Syilx illustrator and writer who grew up on territories of the Semiahmoo and Kwantlen Nations. They illustrated the picture books Drum from the Heart, written by Ren Louie and Every Child Matters, written by Orange Shirt Day creator Phyllis Webstad.