Wenjack

Young “Charlie” Wenjak escapes from a residential school in Northern Ontario armed with only a map to make his way back to his family. On his long lonely journey the forest comes to life and the animals shape shift to secretly help him on his journey home. Based on a true story, the book provides an accurate, grim portrayal of life in residential schools and the risks children would take to escape. This short novella, for grades 8-12, is useful as a class novel to give context to units on the residential school system and introduce indigenous story structure. The true story of Chanie Wenjack is contained in an appendix at the end of the book.