Those Who Run in the Sky

Aviaq Johnston Illustrated by Toma Feizo Gas Inhabit Media This is one of three books with Indigenous content that made this year’s short list for the Governor General Literary Awards in English children’s books. (The Marrow Thieves, by Métis author Cherie Dimaline, published by Dancing Cat Books, is described as a dystopian novel about North America’s Indigenous people being hunted and harvested for their bone marrow; When We Were Alone, a picture book by David Alexander Robertson, published by Highwater Press, is about a girl who learns of her grandmother’s life in a residential school, and was nominated on the strength of the illustrations by Julie Flett. Winners will be announced Nov. 1.)

Johnston, an Inuk author who divides her time between Iqaluit, Nunavut, and North Bay, Ont., tells the story of a 16-year-old boy recognized for his skills as a hunter who is told he will one day lead his community and serve as its shaman. In an author’s note, Johnston says she based her fictional account on stories she heard growing up, and that it reflects “the days before Inuit traditions began to change and adapt to include the things that whalers, traders, and missionaries taught Inuit.”

With occasional black-andwhite illustrations by Toma Feizo Gas, the result is a riveting glimpse of a lifestyle many of us can only imagine — together with some truly hair-raising scenes involving the spirit world.

For ages 10 and older.