Reviews in 2025

While not usually a mystery lover, I was so excited to get my hands on The Case of the Pilfered Pin by Misipawistik Cree First Nations author Michael Hutchinson, a finalist in this year’s Indigenous Writer category. This fifth addition to the Might Muskrat Mysteries series works well as both a sequel and a stand-alone story. The book follows the Mighty Muskrats (Sam, Otter, Atim, and Chickadee) as they track down a missing survey pin that proves where the (fictional) Windy Lake First Nation’s reserve land ends.

This book is so cute. I can absolutely imagine my nieces and nephews trying to solve mysteries just like the Muskrats. The mystery flows so well that I could not put the book down. It was gone in one sitting. The characters and environment are so well-written that I had no trouble immersing myself in the Windy Lake reserve. There is also a good blend of history that accompanies the mystery, which is unsurprising, given that part of Hutchinson’s intention in writing the series is to educate young people, especially in Canada. It is like the Muskrats are not just finding clues to solve the case but also finding pieces of their own First Nations history. And I cannot stress enough how cute it is! I am buying the rest of the series for my nieces and nephews so they can feel like Mighty Muskrats too!

Tanning Moosehides: The Northern Saskatchewan Trapline Way, An Easy Step-by-Step Guide by Tommy Bird, Lawrence Adam, and Lena Adam (with Miriam Korner) is a finalist in the High Plains International Book Awards Indigenous Writer category.

The title says it all. One could actually do the task with this book in hand. Tanning was a critical skill passed down from generation to generation from a time when hide formed clothing, shelter, harnesses, snowshoe straps, and other items of survival. The authors of this book are carrying the skill forward and teaching others. Hides are still used to make traditional dress and moccasins. The arduous process requires a combination of traditional tools such as scrapers made from the back leg of a deer or bear. I did notice a piece of steel was used and modern tools were listed as an alternative. Small nod to this century.

The photographs show each part as one proceeds through building the frame to stretch the hide, removing the hair, scraping the flesh, making brain soup as a tanning agent, and smoking it. Along the way there is a lot of soaking and stretching. After each step, the book suggests the “tanner” keep notes of what to or not to do and asks that the knowledge be passed on. The book is easy to follow in part because it is devoid of sentiment, quips, and wisdom from the native people doing the work. But that in my mind also removes the essence of the process. While Korner has collaborated with elders and is attempting to learn traditional ways since migrating from Germany, the spirit of Bird, Adam, and Adam seems absent in the writing. I would have enjoyed - even expected - some stories from the People to add richness to the traditional heritage of tanning. However, it is truly a “Step-by-Step" guide, and from that point of view it does the job.