I Can Make This Promise

Christine Day (Upper Skagit) is the author of The Sea in Winter and I Can Make This Promise, which was a best book of the year from Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, NPR, and the Chicago Public Library, as well as an American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book and a Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book. You can visit her online at bychristineday.com

★ “The novel is enlightening and a must-read for anyone interested in issues surrounding identity and adoption. Debut author Day (Upper Skagit) handles family separation in Native America with insight and grace.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)★ “Beyond the mystery, important themes resonate throughout, including cultural identity and what makes a friendship worth keeping. Day’s affecting novel also considers historical truths about how Native Americans have been treated throughout U.S. history, particularly underlining family separations.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)“An incomparably vital story rendered with the tenderness of soft brushstrokes, Christine Day’s debut is a powerful portrait of a twelve-year-old girl trying to unravel the mystery of her family’s past. I Can Make This Promise manages to be both deeply sad and brightly hopeful, and Edie Green will steal readers’ hearts with her empathy and curious spirit—she certainly stole mine.”  — Hayley Chewins, author of The Turnaway Girls“I Can Make This Promise manages to be both deeply sad and brightly hopeful, and Edie Green will steal readers’ hearts with her empathy and curious spirit—she certainly stole mine.”  — Hayley Chewins, author of The Turnaway Girls“Day’s novel brings an accessible, much-needed perspective about the very real consequences of Indigenous children being taken from their families and Native Nations. The absence of one’s tribal community, loss of culture and lack of connection to relatives have ripple effects for generations.” — Traci Sorell (Cherokee Nation), award-winning author of We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga“A truly enticing, beautifully written story that delivers a historical reveal at just the right time.” — Betsy Bird, A Fuse #8 Production (SLJ blog)&#8220A glorious novel about friendship, emerging identity, family secrets, and lost culture, Day’s debut, while targeted at 8 to 12-year-olds at grade levels 3 to 7, will resonate with readers of all ages.” — BookTrib