Description
All children have the right to a school…
This is the true story of Shannen Koostachin and the people of Attawapiskat, a Cree community in Northern Ontario, who have been fighting for a new school since the late 1970s when a fuel leak contaminated their original school building.
It is 2008, and thirteen-year-old Shannen and the other students at J.R. Nakogee Elementary are tired of attending class in portables that smell and don’t keep out the freezing cold winter air. They make a YouTube video describing the poor conditions, and their plea for a decent school gains them attention and support from community leaders and children across the country. Inspired, the students decide to turn their grade-eight class trip into a visit to Ottawa to speak to the Canadian government. Once there, Shannen speaks passionately to the politicians about the need to give Native children the opportunity to succeed. The following summer, Shannen is nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize. Her passion and that of the other students makes politicians stand up and take notice, and becomes a rallying point for the community and for the country.
Shannen will never see her dream fulfilled. Tragically, she was killed in a car crash in 2010. Her family, friends, and supporters are continuing to fight and to honor her memory as they work for equality for children in communities everywhere.
Contributor Notes
Janet Wilson is an author and fine artist. Her book Shannen and the Dream for a School won the First Nation Communities Read award, was nominated for the Silver Birch Award, and is soon to be a TV movie. Her picture book, Our Earth: How kids are saving the planet, was the winner of the Science in Society Book Award. Janet lives in Eden Mills, Ontario, a community with a strong environmental focus.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 9 to 13
- Grade:
- 5 to 8
- Reading age:
- 9 to 12
Awards
- Short-listed, Silver Birch Award
- Winner, First Nation Communities Read
- Winner, ForeWord Book of the Year Award
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Annotations
Librarian review
Shannen and the Dream for a School
The true story of thirteen-year-old Shannen Koostachin, who fought for the rights of the children in her community of Attawpiskat First Nation.
Organized in twenty chapters and accompanied by photographs, this nonfiction text tells the true story of Shannen Koostachin and her classmates’ efforts to get the Canadian government to replace their contaminated elementary school in Attawapiskat First Nation in northern Ontario. Teachers and librarians can use this book to bring the definitions of perseverance, equity, and justice to life. Share this book with students to show them the power young people have to raise their voices, get organized and fight for what is right.
Also available: Severn and the Day She Silenced the World by Janet Wilson
Author available for school visits.
Source: Association of Canadian Publishers. Top Grade Selection 2016.
Librarian review
Shannen and the Dream for a School
Shannen Koostachin was an Aboriginal girl who had a dream for a safe and proper education for all children and youth in her community of Attawapiskat, Ontario. In 2008, at the age of 13, she challenged the Canadian Government for reneging on promises that had been made to their community to build a school to replace the one that had been contaminated by a fuel leak in 1979. This dynamic young activist was killed in a car accident in 2010. The people of Attawapiskat are still waiting for a school, but progress has been made because of Shannen’s belief that it’s “possible for children to create a better world”. A timeline of Aboriginal History in Canada and Glossary of Aboriginal items and Cree words are included.
This book is a First Nation Communities Read 2012-2013 Feature Book Selection.
Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. Canadian Aboriginal Books for Schools. 2012-2013.
Librarian review
Shannen and the Dream for a School (A Kids’ Power Book)
Attawapiskat had nothing but a few portables where their children attended school. Shannen Koostachin was one of those children and she, along with her friends and community, decided to do something about it. They started off by making a YouTube video about the poor condition of the portables and travelled to Ottawa to speak to politicians, telling them they were failing First Nations children. Their story inspired children across the nation.
Source: The Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Best Books for Kids & Teens. Fall, 2012.
