Lost at Windy River: A True Story of Survival
CCBC Review:
In remote, northern Canada in 1944, 13-year-old Ilse (Cree) and her siblings prepare their dogsleds to do a trip around the trapline. What should have been a straightforward outing as part of their family’s fur-trade route quickly escalated into a dramatic story of survival. Ilse Schweder was an experienced young outdoorswoman and respected in her family for her skills and connection to nature. On this fateful day, Ilse was running her own dogsled to train the smaller dogs rather than riding along with her older brothers in a sled pulled by the big dogs. After their first night on the tundra, quick weather changes develop into whiteout conditions. Initial strategizing to break into two groups proves dangerous, and soon Ilse becomes isolated and lost. Miraculously, she survives for nine days on her own. The details of her survival, which resulted in severe frostbite and other trauma, are recounted with dramatic precision in graphic novel format. Thought bubbles, text boxes, sensory-rich illustrations, and informational sidebars, including on Indigenous culture, explain Ilse’s grueling journey to reach help. Additional information from the author explores how Ilse’s true story was previously, and inaccurately, co-opted by Canadian author Farley Mowat. This riveting account draws from the author’s extensive research to honor the story as her grandmother had lived it. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Alina Pete, Jillian Dolan
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 10-14
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Subjects:
20th Century
Biography
Cree People
Families
First/Native Nations
Independence/Self-Reliance
Nature/Environment
Survival
Diversity subject:
Indigenous
Publisher:
Orca
Publish Year: 2024
Pages: 91
ISBN: 9781459832268
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 741.5 Rathgeber