Giju’s Gift

Giju’s Gift is the first volume of the “Adventures of the Pugulatmu’j'' series by Brandon Mitchell, creator of the “Sacred Circles” comic series. This graphic novel series introduces young readers to Mali, a young Mi’kmaw girl who goes on adventures and, along the way, meets characters inspired by traditional Indigenous stories.

When readers first meet Mali, she is picking strawberries in a field when she notices something funny. A Little Person, or Pugulatmu’j is stealing strawberries from baskets. In her haste to stop him, Mali falls and loses her hair clip which was a gift from her Giju, or grandmother. Everyone assumes she lost it in the fields, but Mali knows better. It was stolen by a pugulatmu’j.

Later on in the day, Mali spots the pugulatmu’j again and confronts him. Mali is surprised to learn that Puug is on a mission. He has to collect certain items, and Mali sees this situation as her opportunity to get her beloved hair clip back. If she helps Puug get all the items on his list, Puug will return her Giju’s gift.

And so, Puug and Mali go on an adventure to retrieve these items. However, along the way, they meet a jenu, a zombie-like giant that destroys everything in its path. The giant is chasing them for a reason; he wants to destroy the memories that are contained in the items that Puug and Mali are collecting. Mali learns that even things, like her Giju’s gift, can have memories. Through her grandmother’s hair clip, Mali is transported to the residential school to which her grandmother had been sent, and Mali learns why the hair clip was so special to her Giju.

After escaping the residential school, Mali and Puug are confronted by the jenu again. Mali decides to use sweetgrass to cleanse his spirit, and, in the process, she releases his tormented soul. Mali and Puug part as friends, with Mali finally in possession of her Giju’s hair clip.

Steeped in traditional Mi’kmaw stories, Giju’s Gift is a gem of a graphic novel. It is all about family, love, loss and the power of memory. It is a quick read, but young readers will love the fast-paced adventure that frames the storyline. Plus, Veronika Barinova’s illustrations add real depth to the action of the story. When Mali and Puug visit the residential school, readers can literally see the fear in Mali’s face and the myriad of emotions that come with such a visit.

At its core, Giju’s Gift is so much more than just an action-adventure graphic novel. It is all about the power and love that memories contain. And for that, I highly recommend this book.