Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Ex-foster kid finds roots, dodges killers in thrilling tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
As SISTERS IN THE WIND opens, it's 2009, and Lucy Smith, aged out of foster care and on the run from shadowy enemies, wakes up in the hospital after a bomb destroys her workplace. The reasons for it all unfold in flashbacks, but meanwhile, there are new surprises. Sitting at her bedside and coming to her aid are Daunis Fontaine and Jamie Johnson, first seen in Firekeeper's Daughter, who bring news of her long-lost Ojibwe family and a loving home waiting to welcome her. Suddenly she has a lot of hidden history to cope with, connections to make, and lots to learn—if she can avoid the relentless pursuers determined to get her. She has a lot of secrets, but also, now, a lot of help.
Is It Any Good?
This is a thrilling, violent, heart-filled tale of family, survival, and healing. Angeline Boulley brings Firekeeper's Daughter characters to the aid of an aged-out foster kid dodging shadowy killers. Set in 2009 Michigan, with frequent flashbacks, Sisters in the Wind finds narrator Lucy discovering the Indigenous roots her late father never mentioned, and how they might transform her life. But she's also scarred by years in abusive homes. From mortal terror to moral dilemmas, she's dealing with a lot, and readers will be right there with her as she works through it all, following the example of The Count of Monte Cristo: "It's about playing the long game to get revenge on your enemies." (Fans of Daunis and Jamie from Firekeeper's Daughter will be happy to spend more quality time with them here.)
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about stories whose characters are in the foster care system. How do Lucy's experiences in Sisters in the Wind compare with those of other foster kids in stories you've read—and with those of foster kids you might know in real life?
Do you have any people you just feel accepted and at home with? What connects you with them—family? school? sports? music? just a feeling?
The disappearance of countless Native kids into the foster care system is an important subplot in Sisters in the Wind and the source of lots of trauma. Do you know any people who discovered Indigenous, or other surprising roots, later in life? How did it affect them?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Mystery
- Topics : Activism , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Perseverance
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Henry Holt & Company, Inc.
- Publication date : September 2, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 18
- Number of pages : 384
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : November 17, 2025
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