Maggie Lou’s grandpa doesn’t call her Firefox for nothing. She’s always finding ways to make life more interesting — even if this means getting into big trouble. 

When her grandfather Moshôm finally agrees to teach her how to box, she decides that the rank odors, endless drills and teasing won’t stop her from wearing a tutu to the gym. Joining her father’s construction crew uncovers a surprising talent — besides learning how to use a broom — and a great source of scrap wood to build a canine hotel for her dogs. And when she turns thirteen, she figures out an ingenious way to make some smokin’ good camouflage to wear on her first deer hunt, where she joins a long family tradition. 

Through it all she is surrounded by her big extended gumbo soup of a family, pestered by annoying younger siblings, and gently guided by her strong female relatives – her mother, her kohkom and her ultra-cool cousin Jayda. “Keep taking up space,” Maggie’s mother says. “You’re only making room for the girls behind you.” 

A heroine for today, Maggie Lou discovers that with hard work and perseverance she can gain valuable new skills, without losing one iota of her irrepressible spirit.

Key Text Features

author’s note

biographical note

chapters

dialogue

epigraph

illustrations

Maggie Lou’s grandpa doesn’t call her Firefox for nothing. She’s always finding ways to make life more interesting — even if this means big trouble.

Students will enjoy reading about Maggie's adventures.

Maggie Lou is ... absolutely unstoppable.

Maggie is irrepressible, brimming with ideas, energy and ambition … Many young readers will chuckle with her exploits and see Maggie as a role model.

Maggie Lou's connection to her immediate and extended family, her awareness of her Native roots and the Northern Michif language … and her interests, which are not constrained by gender norms, give these tales a distinctive and refreshing flavor.

An amusing story showcasing Métis humor at its finest. STARRED REVEIW

A funny, lovingly crafted book, with a rich cast of characters that is enhanced by artist Karlene Harvey's comic-like illustrations … The humour in Maggie Lou, Firefox will pull young readers in, and the warm heart of the stories will keep them reading. STARRED REVIEW

What a gem of a book! What I love most is the way Indigenous life is portrayed as just a normal way of being. Nothing tragic or stoic, it is just a large family with lots of love and mayhem.

Funny, upbeat … Maggie Lou approaches life with a can-do attitude, confidence, and a helping of sass.