BEAST

In his latest, Van Camp, a member of the Dogrib (Tłįchǫ) Dene Nation, weaves ’80s pop culture references and supernatural elements into a page-turning thriller that follows a teen who confronts a terrifying threat to his community.

Fort Simmer in Canada’s Northwest Territories is home to many different Indigenous groups. Lawson Sauren, whose family is Dogrib, has Chipewyan neighbors, the Cranes family. Their “ancestors used to be warring tribes,” but in the early 19th century, the two groups forged a peace treaty that still holds in 1986. As a Yabati, or protector, Lawson is charged with maintaining the peace treaty. But the town bully, Silver Cranes, keeps provoking and mocking him, trying to get him to lash out with violence. Due to Silver’s silver-colored hair, people believe he’s a reincarnated shaman or prophet with exceptional abilities. And in fact his brother Cody, who’s gay, a target of Silver’s homophobia, and friends with Lawson, says that Silver can read minds. When Silver resurrects a demon called the Dead One, Lawson—with help from his friend Isaiah Valentine, who’s Cree, and crush, Shari Burns, who’s Métis—must step up. Lawson is a realistic, awkward, strongly characterized teen hero dealing with growing pains. This engaging story focuses on the importance of relationships and how actions affect others, for example through the ripples created by Lawson’s mother’s death.

Delicately balances a gripping storyline with well-rendered cultural elements and accessible writing.