Horn Book (Wed Jul 06 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Twenty years after Children of the Midnight Sun, Brown and Corral present ten additional portraits of contemporary Alaska Native children. Each Indigenous child receives two spreads telling about his or her daily life and culture. The book is strongest when centering the voices of the featured young people and their family members. Clear photographs of people, places, flora, and fauna enliven the workmanlike text. Glos.

Kirkus Reviews (Wed Jul 06 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Twenty-one years after Children of the Midnight Sun, Brown and Corral reteam for a follow-up.Before one gets to read the stories of the Alaska Native children highlighted in this book, the introduction makes the case that Alaska Native kids are "just like any other kid," as if to normalize Indigenous children for the evidently non-Native audience that the book seems to imagine. Author Brown and photographer Corral trek across Alaska to a sample selection of children from 10 Indigenous cultures of Alaska. Each chapter looks at the life of one child as representative of their culture. The stories tell of the day-to-day activities of each child, how they engage with their families, their traditional culture, and their aspirations. The overview is in Brown's voice, and interspersed within that narrative are snippets of quotes from the children. Photographs highlight the children with their family members, engaged in sports, having fun outdoors, or dressed in traditional clothing. Though the book attempts to celebrate these children and their respective cultures, the depictions at times feel objectified, seen through an ethnographic lens. Mention of the harsh colonial impact on their cultures is minimized; for example, readers learn that the missionary William Duncan established a rigidly evangelical Christian community on a Tlingit-populated island with a group of Tsimshian but not that he profited from their labor. Readers come away wishing for more of the children's voices and less of Brown's. (glossary) (Nonfiction. 8-12)

School Library Journal (Wed Jul 06 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Gr 2-5 An update to the 2006 title Children of the Midnight Sun introduces a new generation of Alaska Native children. Ten kids (most between nine and 12 years old) from the largest Alaska Native cultures are profiled. The two to three-page profiles feature the children engaged in familiar daily tasks and connecting with their culture. Gorgeous photographs show them in traditional regalia as well as participating in activities like jumping on a trampoline. Interspersed are snippets of Alaska Native history, such as the earthquakes and oil spills that shaped recent generations. These types of narratives that feature Native children in modern and traditional settings can help combat stereotypes and portray their experiences as both unique and universal. Due to the brevity of the profiles, they serve as more of an overview and may not fully capture all realities of Native life. However, for people unfamiliar with most of the culture, they serve as excellent ambassadors. VERDICT An excellent book profiling youth in Alaska Native cultures. A good first purchase for libraries and schools with an interest in geography or Indigenous peoples. Elizabeth Nicolai, Anchorage Public Library, AK