Heartdrum
Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories
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Featuring the voices of both new and acclaimed Indigenous writers and edited by bestselling Muscogee author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of interconnected stories serves up laughter, love, Native pride, and the world's best frybread.
The road to Sandy June's Legendary Frybread Drive-In slips through every rez and alongside every urban Native hangout. The menu offers a rotating feast, including traditional eats and tasty snacks. But Sandy June's serves up more than food: it hosts live music, movie nights, unexpected family reunions, love long lost, and love found again.
That big green-and-gold neon sign beckons to teens of every tribal Nation, often when they need it most.
Featuring stories and poems by: Kaua Mahoe Adams, Marcella Bell, Angeline Boulley, K. A. Cobell, A. J. Eversole, Jen Ferguson, Eric Gansworth, Byron Graves, Kate Hart, Christine Hartman Derr, Karina Iceberg, Cheryl Isaacs, Darcie Little Badger, David A. Robertson, Andrea L. Rogers, Cynthia Leitich Smith, and Brian Young.
In partnership with We Need Diverse Books.
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Book Details
ISBN:
9780063314269
EAN:
9780063314269
Binding:
Hardcover
Pages:
352
Authors:
Cynthia Leitich Smith , Kate Hart , Eric Gansworth , Marcella Bell , Darcie Little Badger , Karina Iceberg , Kaua Mahoe Adams , Andrea L Rogers , Cheryl Isaacs , Christine Hartman Derr , Brian Young , K A Cobell , Jen Ferguson , A J Eversole , Byron Graves , Angeline Boulley , David A Robertson
Publisher:
Heartdrum
Published Date: 2025-26-08
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Awesome stories by amazing writers.
This is an anthology featuring modern intertribal stories. The genre is Native YA literature.This is an interconnected YA collection of short stories and poems featuring magical realism.I don’t read a lot of anthologies. However the idea of Native/Indigenous author rep in YA lit is so important. I’ve never been exposed to stories like this.The magical Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-In ties together all of the stories. As well certain characters reappear.I was fascinated by the Frybread Drive-In. It’s a place that magically appears to native people when they need to find it. The main characters in these stories are young adults. However I didn’t feel like these stories felt too YA.All of the stories were good. However I think that my favorite is Patent Red by Cynthia Leitich Smirh.This anthology is both moving and meaningful. The idea behind it is both creative and educational. It is amazing to have so many stories featuring Indigenous characters in one place. I would definitely recommend checking this out.
LEGENDARY FRYBREAD DRIVE-IN s a warm and wonderful collection of voices from the Indigenous American writer community. Each original story is deliciously different, addressing themes of young love, family duty, spiritualism, and friendship. The focus audience is YA but the stories will appeal to all ages.Through it all is the image, lived experience, and cultural impact of frybread, acting as food often does in stories: to remind us of who we are and what we carry forward from our tribes of origin in the vast, diverse world.Thank you to Heartdrum for the complimentary copy.
Hate anthologies? You won't after reading Legendary Frybread Drive-In Intertribal Stories. Love anthologies? You will be over the moon with this title. Featuring diverse indigenous authors and a magical place known as Sandy June's Legendary FryBread Drive In. Thrilled to see stories and poems by some of my favorite authors such as Darcie Little Badger, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Angeline Boulley and Andrea L. Rogers to name just a few. I would be shocked if Legendary Frybread Drive In didn't win a Printz award (and maybe more), in 2026. It is definitely worthy.
I was priviledged to get to read this anthology of YA voices among indigenous authors. The stories are as diverse as the authors themselves, but they all have in common Sandy June's Legendary Frybread Drive-In. It’s a magical place for lost people in need, in some stories appearing unexpectedly and in others a well-known local hangout down the road. I know enough to know that there is symbolism and meaning that I am incapable of understanding from my White viewpoint, but even so, I was struck by how universal the themes are anyway. Things like figuring out who you are; what it means to belong; family; community and individuality; and being there for the teens in one's culture who are desperately trying their best. I was so excited to discover this broad range of new-to-me voices, and look forward to sampling more of their work in future.
