Jo Jo Makoons: The Used-to-Be Best Friend

Written by Dawn Quigley

Narrated by Jennifer Bobiwash

American Indian Youth Literature Award: Middle Grade Honor Book! Hello/Boozhoo—meet Jo Jo Makoons! Full of pride, joy, and plenty of humor, this first book in an all-new chapter book series by Dawn Quigley celebrates a spunky young Ojibwe girl who loves who she is.

Jo Jo Makoons Azure is a spirited seven-year-old who moves through the world a little differently than anyone else on her Ojibwe reservation. It always seems like her mom, her kokum (grandma), and her teacher have a lot to learn—about how good Jo Jo is at cleaning up, what makes a good rhyme, and what it means to be friendly.

Even though Jo Jo loves her #1 best friend Mimi (who is a cat), she’s worried that she needs to figure out how to make more friends. Because Fern, her best friend at school, may not want to be friends anymore…

The Heartdrum imprint centers a wide range of intertribal voices, visions, and stories while welcoming all young readers, with an emphasis on the present and future of Indian Country and on the strength of young Native heroes. In partnership with We Need Diverse Books.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: May 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063090538

Dawn Quigley

Dawn Quigley is a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe, North Dakota. Both her first book in the Jo Jo Makoons series, Jo Jo Makoons: The Used-to-Be Best Friend, and her debut YA novel, Apple in the Middle, were awarded American Indian Youth Literature Honors. She is a PhD education university faculty member and a former K–12 reading and English teacher, as well as an Indian Education program codirector. You can find her online at dawnquigley.com.

Reviews for Jo Jo Makoons

[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jo Jo is an endearing kid on interesting kid adventures, and this book is spot on for early chapterbook readers. The use of the Ojibwe language throughout adds to the book's appeal and it's great to see a book set on a Reservation that celebrates the culture without getting stuck in larger politics or history. Politics, history, culture -- those things are important when you're old enough to understand them. Jo Jo's learning other lessons, and keeping us laughing with her while she does. I loved the illustrations, too!

Advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cute chapter book with a fun protagonist whom many kids will love getting to know and learning some of her Ojibwe language.

[zoes_human · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jo Jo Makoons is a little bit different from everyone else on the Ojibwe reservation, and right now she has lots of friendship troubles. Is her best friend still her best friend? Humorous quirky, and highly relatable for anyone who has ever wondered if they're doing this people-thing right.An early chapter book intended for ages 6 to 8.