Those Pink Mountain Nights

Publisher's Description (Harper Collins): 
Overachievement isn’t a bad word—for Berlin, it’s the goal. She’s securing excellent grades, planning her future, and working a part-time job at Pink Mountain Pizza, a legendary local business. Who says she needs a best friend by her side?

Dropping out of high school wasn’t smart—but it was necessary for Cameron. Since his cousin Kiki’s disappearance, it’s hard enough to find the funny side of life, especially when the whole town has forgotten Kiki. To them, she’s just another missing Native girl.

People at school label Jessie a tease, a rich girl—and honestly, she’s both. But Jessie knows she contains multitudes. Maybe her new job crafting pizzas will give her the high-energy outlet she desperately wants.

When the weekend at Pink Mountain Pizza takes several unexpected turns, all three teens will have to acknowledge the various ways they’ve been hurt—and how much they need each other to hold it all together. 

Author's Biography (Heartdrum): 
Jen Ferguson is Michif/Métis and white, an activistm an intersectional feminist, an auntie, and an accomplice armed with a PhD in English and creative writing. Her debut novel, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, was named a William C. Morris Award finalist and a aStonewall Honor Book and won the Governor General's Award. Her go-to-number-one-absolute-favourite pizza topping is pineapple.

Resource type: Book (Fiction/Poetry)

Age recommendation:  Grades 4-6, 7-9, 10-12

Keywords:  Pizza, friendship, breakup, mistakes, consequences, body autonomy, autonomy, radical exploration of identity, heteropatriarchial gender norms, intersectionality, intersectional lens, activism, two-spirit, grief, stereotypes, labels, MMIW, Missing Native women, missing women, Indigenous Women, First Nations Women, MMIWG, Missing and Murdered Indegenous Women and Girls, MMIP, Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, crime, injustice, racism, depression, trauma, coping mechanism, cancer, childhood illness, mental illness, abuse, abusive home, domestic abuse, anti-Indigenous, model Métis citizen, mental health

Year of publication: 2023

Publisher information: Heartdrum