Eight-year-old Irene and her two brothers are forced to leave their family to go to a boarding school far from home. It's the law! In this austere place, they are prevented from speaking their language and given a number as a name. At the end of the school year, the children go home and tell their parents about the appalling conditions they have to live in at boarding school. Will they find a way to hide the children so they never go back?
Inspired by the life of Jenny Kay Dupuis' grandmother, I Am Not a Number shines a light on a dark part of Canadian history in a way that educates children and allows them to learn a human and historical lesson from it.
7 yo and up
Red Cedar 2018 Award
Hackmatack 2018 Award
Diamond Willow 2017 Award