Description
Time of the Thunderbird is a short fantasy novel by Coast Salish author Diane Silvey. Twins Tala and Kaya live in a mythical time along the British Columbia coast. In their village all the children are missing because of a powerful monster. The twins venture out into this fantastic world to locate the source of the problem and secure the return of the village's missing children. The story of the quest is told in narrative form in a series of episodes. The twins are assisted and sometimes hindered in their journey to locate the children. Woven throughout the story are descriptions of Coast Salish village life, special foods, and other cultural details. The book presents an interesting story told in first-person and occasionally the third-person about the difficult topic of apprehending First Nations children for relocation and assimilation in the residential school system. Black and white sketches throughout the text may assist some students with imagining the narrative.