Angeline Boulley
Born1966 (age 57–58)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationWriter
Notable workFirekeeper's Daughter

Angeline Boulley is a Chippewa (Ojibwe) author and has worked to improve education for Indigenous children. Her debut work, Firekeeper's Daughter, was named one of the top 100 young adult novels of all time by Time magazine,[1] was a New York Times best seller,[2] and won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Novel in 2022.[3] The novel will be adapted into a miniseries by Higher Ground.[4]

Personal life

Boulley is an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.[5] She was born and raised in "Bahweting (the place of the rapids) in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan."[6]

She is a graduate of Central Michigan University.[7]

Her "father is a traditional firekeeper, who strikes ceremonial fires at spiritual activities in the tribal community and ensures protocols are followed, while providing cultural teachings through stories told around the fire."[6]

Career

Boulley has worked in "Indian education at the tribal, state, and national levels."[6] At the tribal level, she served as the Educational Director and Assistant Director.[6] She also served on the Board of Regents at Bay Mills Community College before becoming the Director for the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education.[6]

At present, Boulley works as a full-time author.[6]

Firekeeper's Daughter

Main article: Firekeeper's Daughter

Boulley's debut novel, Firekeeper's Daughter, was published March 16, 2021 by Henry Holt and Co.[8] The book is a New York Times best seller.[2] Time magazine named it one of the best 100 young adult books of all time.[1] In 2022, it won the Michael L. Printz Award for young adult literature, the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Novel, the William C. Morris Award, and the American Indian Youth Literature Award Best Young Adult Honor.[9] In the same year, it was named to the Bank Street Children's Book Committee's Best Books of the Year List with an "Outstanding Merit" distinction and shared the Committee's 2022 Josette Frank Award with Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson's Milo Imagines the World.[10][11]The German translation, which retains the English title and was published in 2022 by cbj, was nominated in March 2023 for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in the category "YA novel".

The novel is being adapted for television at Netflix by Higher Ground Productions, former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's production company.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b "The 100 Best YA Books of All Time". Time. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  2. ^ a b "Firekeeper's Daughter". Kirkus Reviews. 2021-12-10. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  3. ^ "Category List – Best Young Adult". Edgar Awards. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  4. ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (2021-03-16). "How 'Indigenous Nancy Drew' Novel 'Firekeeper's Daughter' Caught the Eye of the Obamas". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  5. ^ "Angeline Boulley". Authors | Unbound. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "About Angeline". Angeline Boulley - #1 NYT Bestseller. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  7. ^ "Angeline Boulley". Book Series in Order. 2021-01-01. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
  8. ^ a b Harris, Elizabeth A. (24 January 2022). "Donna Barba Higuera Wins Newbery Medal for 'The Last Cuentista'". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  9. ^ "They didn't get the Newbery or Caldecott but these kids' authors won big this year". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  10. ^ Hare, Peter. "2022 Edition". Bank Street College of Education. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  11. ^ Hare, Peter. "Awards". Bank Street College of Education. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
Categories