Margaret canāt wait to see her family, but her homecoming is not what she expected.
Two years ago, Margaret left her Arctic home for the outsidersā school. Now she has returned and can barely contain her excitement as she rushes towards her waiting familyābut her mother stands still as a stone. This strange, skinny child, with her hair cropped short, canāt be her daughter. āNot my girl!ā she says angrily.
Margaretās years at school have changed her. Now ten years old, she has forgotten her language and the skills to hunt and fish. She canāt even stomach her motherās food. Her only comfort is in the books she learned to read at school.
Gradually, Margaret relearns the words and ways of her people. With time, she earns her fatherās trust enough to be given a dogsled of her own. As her family watches with pride, Margaret knows she has found her place once more.
Based on the true story of Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, and complemented by evocative illustrations, Not My Girl makes the original, award-winning memoir, A Stranger at Home, accessible to younger children. It is also a sequel to the picture book When I Was Eight. A poignant story of a determined young girlās struggle to belong, it will both move and inspire readers everywhere.