SUGAR FALLS

A Residential School Story
by David A Robertson| illustrated by Scott B. Henderson

Grade: for grades 9-12

BASED ON A TRUE STORY*

A school assignment to interview a residential-school survivor leads Daniel to Betsy, his friend’s grandmother, who tells him her story. Abandoned as a young child, Betsy was soon adopted into a loving family. A few short years later, at the age of 8, everything changed. Betsy was taken away to a residential school. There she was forced to endure abuse and indignity, but Betsy recalled the words her father spoke to her at Sugar Falls — words that gave her the resilience, strength, and determination to survive.

Sugar Falls is based on the true story of Betty Ross, Elder from Cross Lake First Nation. We wish to acknowledge, with the utmost gratitude, Betty’s generosity in sharing her story.

Support for using graphic-novels in your classroom can be found in Teaching With Graphic Novels: In All Grades 4–12 Classrooms. 

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Sugar Falls goes to support the bursary program for The Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation.

*Content may be disturbing to some readers.

AWARDS:

Shortlisted for SOLS First Nation Communities READ, 2013

Listed as one of 100 young adult books to read by CBC Books