Stealing Little Moon: The Legacy of the American Indian Boarding Schools (Scholastic Focus)

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

"Stealing Little Moon is both a moving family saga and an expertly told true story that all Americans should know." —Steve Sheinkin, New York Times bestselling author of Bomb and UndefeatedScholastic Focus is the premier home of thoroughly researched, beautifully written, and thoughtfully designed works of narrative nonfiction aimed at middle grade and young adult readers. These books help readers learn about the world in which they live and develop their critical thinking skills so that they may become dynamic citizens who are able to analyze and understand our past, participate in essential discussions about our present, and work to grow and build our future.Little Moon There Are No Stars Tonight was four years old when armed federal agents showed up at her home and took her from her family. Under the authority of the government, she was sent away to a boarding school specifically created to strip her of her Ponca culture and teach her the ways of white society. Little Moon was one of thousands of Indigenous children forced to attend these schools across America and give up everything they'd ever known: family, friends, toys, clothing, food, customs, even their language. She would be the first of four generations of her family who would go to the Chilocco Indian Agricultural School.Dan SaSuWeh Jones chronicles his family's time at Chilocco--starting with his grandmother Little Moon's arrival when the school first opened and ending with him working on the maintenance crew when the school shut down nearly one hundred years later. Together with the voices of students from other schools, both those who died and those who survived, Dan brings to light the lasting legacy of the boarding school era.Part American history, part family history, Stealing Little Moon is a powerful look at the miseducation and the mistreatment of Indigenous kids, while celebrating their strength, resiliency, and courage--and the ultimate failure of the United States government to erase them.

About the Author

Dan SaSuWeh Jones is the critically acclaimed author of Living Ghosts and Mischievous Monsters: Chilling American Indian Stories and was a storyteller and consultant for National Geographic Encyclopedia of the American Indian. A former Chairman of the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma and former member of the Producers Guild of America, he is also a filmmaker who has produced work for Sesame Street, NBC, TBS, and other national and international networks. He worked as an honorary Imagineer and consultant for the Walt Disney Company’s Disney America theme park and as a field producer for the television miniseries 500 Nations, produced by Kevin Costner. As a bronze sculptor, he was a finalist in the competition for the American Indian Veterans Memorial at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC. He holds a seat in the House of Warriors, a traditional Ponca Warrior Society.