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MAGGIE LOU, FIREFOX

Arnolda Dufour Bowes

Maggie Lou's grandpa doesn't call her Firefox for nothing. She's always finding ways to make life more interesting -- even if this means getting into big trouble.

The novel is separated into three parts: In "Boxer in a Tutu" Maggie Lou's grandfather finally agrees to teach her how to box, and she decides that the rank odors, endless drills and teasing won't stop her from wearing a tutu to the gym. Then in "A Girl and Her Hammer" she joins her father's construction crew and uncovers a surprising talent, and a great source of scrap wood to build a canine hotel for her dogs. Finally, when Maggie Lou turns thirteen in "Prairiewalker, Sister of Bushwalker" she figures out an ingenious way to make some smokin' good camouflage to wear on her first deer hunt, where she joins a long family tradition.

Through it all she is surrounded by her big extended gumbo soup of a family, pestered by annoying younger siblings, and gently guided by her strong female relatives -- her mother, her kokom and her ultra-cool cousin Jayda. "Keep taking up space," Maggie's mother says. "You're only making room for the girls behind you." A heroine for today, Maggie Lou discovers that with hard work and perseverance she can gain valuable new skills, without losing one iota of her irrepressible spirit.

Arnolda Dufour Bowes is a Métis writer who grew up in Saskatoon but has lived around the world, from New Zealand to Saudi Arabia. She has worked in construction and nursing, and she loves new adventures, from skydiving to surfing. She is the author of 20.12 m: A Short Story Collection of a Life Lived as a Road Allowance Métis, which won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award and the High Plains Book Award. MAGGIE LOU, FIREFOX is based on Arnolda's childhood, with stories showcasing a strong community of women, and a multigenerational family life full of banter and love.
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Published 2023-05-10 by Groundwood Books