Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story - Paperback

by David A. Robertson (Author), Scott B. Henderson (Illustrator), Donovan Yaciuk (Illustrator)

A great read and teaching tool for National Indigenous History Month!

Inspired by true events, this story of strength, family, and culture shares the awe-inspiring resilience of Elder Betty Ross.

Abandoned as a young child, Betsy is adopted into a loving family. A few short years later, at the age of 8, everything changes. Betsy is taken away to a residential school. There she is forced to endure abuse and indignity, but Betsy recalls the words her father spoke to her at Sugar Falls--words that give her the resilience, strength, and determination to survive.

Sugar Falls is based on the true story of Betty Ross, Elder from Cross Lake First Nation. We wish to acknowledge, with the utmost gratitude, Betty's generosity in sharing her story. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Sugar Falls goes to support the bursary program for The Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation.

This 10th-anniversary edition brings David A. Robertson's national bestseller to life in full colour, with a foreword by The Hon. Murray Sinclair, Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and a touching afterword from Elder Betty Ross herself.

Author Biography

David A. Robertson (he/him/his) is the 2021 recipient of the Writer's Union of Canada's Freedom to Read Award. He is the author of more than 25 books for young readers including When We Were Alone, which won a Governor General's Literary Award and was a finalist for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award. David's most recent works include the graphic novel Breakdown (The Reckoner Rises, Vol. 1), middle grade novel The Barren Grounds, children's book On the Trapline, and memoir Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory. He is also the writer and host of the podcast Kíwew, which won the 2021 RTDNA Prairie Region Award for Best Podcast.

A sought-after speaker and educator, David is a member of Norway House Cree Nation. He lives in Winnipeg.

Scott B. Henderson (he/him/his) is author/artist of the sci-fi/fantasy comic The Chronicles of Era and has illustrated select titles in the Tales From Big Spirit series, as well as the A Girl Called Echo, The Reckoner Rises, and 7 Generations series. He is also the artist for AIYLA Honour Book Fire Starters, Eisner Award-nominee A Blanket of Butterflies, and select stories in This Place: 150 Years Retold. In 2016, he was the recipient of the C4 Central Canada Comic Con Storyteller Award. Find Scott on social media with @ouroboros09.