7 Generations
A Plains Cree Saga
- Publisher
- Portage & Main Press
- Initial publish date
- Sep 2012
- Category
- NON-CLASSIFIABLE, Historical, Mental Illness, Prejudice & Racism
- Recommended Age
- 12 to 18
- Recommended Grade
- 8 to 12
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781553793557
- Publish Date
- Sep 2012
- List Price
- $34.99
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781553793854
- Publish Date
- Oct 2012
- List Price
- $27.00
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Illustrated in vivid colour, 7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga is an epic story that follows one Indigenous family over three centuries and seven generations. This compiled edition was originally published as a series of four graphic novels: Stone, Scars, Ends/Begins, and The Pact.
Stone introduces Edwin, a young man who must discover his family’s past if he is to have any future. Edwin learns of his ancestor, Stone, a Plains Cree warrior who came of age in the early 19th century. When Stone’s older brother is tragically killed during a Blackfoot raid, he must overcome his grief to avenge his brother’s death.
In Scars, the story of White Cloud, Edwin’s ancestor, is set against the smallpox epidemic of 1870–1871. After witnessing the death of his family one by one, White Cloud must summon the strength to find a new home and deliver himself from the terrible disease.
In Ends/Begins, readers learn about Edwin’s father James and his experiences in a residential school. In 1964, two brothers are taken from the warm and loving care of their grandparents, and spirited away to a residential school. When James discovers the anguish that his little brother is living under, it leads to unspeakable tragedy.
In The Pact, the guilt and loss of James’s residential school experiences follow him into adulthood, and his life spirals out of control. Edwin, mired in the desolation of his fatherless childhood, struggles to heal. As James navigates his own healing, he realizes, somehow, he must save his son’s life—as well as his own.
Find ideas for using this book in your classroom in the Teacher’s Guide for 7 Generations.
About the authors
DAVID A. ROBERTSON is the winner of the Beatrice Mosionier Aboriginal Writer of the Year Award, the John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer and the TWUC Freedom to Read Award. His books include The Barren Grounds: The Misewa Saga; When We Were Alone (winner of the Governor General’s Award, a finalist for the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and a McNally Robinson Best Book for Young People); Will I See? (winner of the Manuela Dias Book Design and Illustration Award, graphic novel category); and the YA novel Strangers (recipient of the Michael Van Rooy Award for Genre Fiction). He is the creator and host of the podcast Kiwew. Through his writings about Canada’s Indigenous peoples, Robertson educates as well as entertains, reflecting Indigenous cultures, histories and communities while illuminating many contemporary issues. David A. Robertson is a member of Norway House Cree Nation. He lives in Winnipeg.
David A. Robertson's profile page
Scott Henderson (he/him/his) is author/illustrator of the sci-fi/fantasy comic, The Chronicles of Era and has illustrated select titles in the Canadian Air Force’s For Valour series and Tales From Big Spirit series, the graphic novel series 7 Generations and A Girl Called Echo, select stories in This Place: 150 Years Retold, Fire Starters, an AIYLA Honour Book, and Eisner-award nominee, A Blanket of Butterflies. In 2016, he was the recipient of the C4 Central Canada Comic Con Storyteller Award. https://scotthendersonart.wordpress.com/
Editorial Reviews
David weaves an engrossing and unforgettable story with the precision of a historian and the colour of a true Indigenous storyteller.
Rosanna Deerchild, author of "This Is a Small Northern Town"
Healing lies in knowing our past, not just of our lives, but also the distant past of our ancestors. The interweaving movements from present to past and past to present are like waves of cleansing waters washing in to the present, and back out to that distant past. It's mesmerizing.
Beatrice Mosionier, author of "In Search of April Raintree"
Selected for CCBC's Best Books for Kids & Teens list
Canadian Children's Book Centre
A masterpiece of traditional knowledge; a powerful gift to share!
Betty Ross, Elder, Cross Lake First Nation
Emotionally powerful works. Recommended.
CM Magazine
Among recommended Indigenous titles for building an Inclusive Graphic Novel Collection
Booklist
An excellent Canadian teen graphic novel series...[and] an honest portrayal of a young Cree man learning about his family's hardship.
Ottawa Public Library
Reconciliation is about respect...and self-respect is where it starts. A good story is worth telling, and when told well is worth reading. Especially this one.
Justice Murray Sinclair, Chair, Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
A powerful message through image and artwork [that] will engage readers in an historical and insightful story.
David Booth, author and educator
Other titles by
God Flare
The Sleeping Giant
The Misewa Saga, Book Five
The Portal Keeper
The Misewa Saga, Book Four
The Kodiaks
Home Ice Advantage
The Stone Child
The Misewa Saga, Book Three
The Song That Called Them Home
Version Control
The Great Bear
The Misewa Saga, Book Two
Sugar Falls
A Residential School Story
