This teen novel, written by Iqaluit-based Inuit author Aviaq Johnston, is a coming-of-age story that follows a young shaman named Pitu as he learns to use his powers and ultimately finds himself lost in the world of the spirits. After a strange and violent blizzard leaves Pitu stranded on the sea ice, without his dog team or any weapons to defend himself, he soon realizes that he is no longer in the word that he once knew. The storm has carried him into the world of the spirits, a world populated with terrifying creatures---black wolves with red eyes, ravenous and constantly stalking him; water-dwelling creatures that want nothing more than to snatch him and pull him into the frigid ocean through an ice crack. As well as beings less frightening, but equally as incredible, such as a lone giant who can carry Pitu in the palm of her hand and keeps caribou and polar bears as pets. After stumbling upon a fellow shaman who has been trapped in the spirit world for many years, Pitu must master all of his shamanic powers to make his way back to the world of the living, to his family, and to the girl that he loves.

 

This book is the winner of numerous awards. It was recognised by the Most Significant Work of Prose in English by an Emerging Indigenous Writer. It was recognised in the Best Books for Kids & Teens category by the Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards. It also was recognised by the Governor General's Literary Award. It was recognised in the Fiction - YA category by the Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award. Also it was recognised in the Inuit and Metis Literature category by the Burt Award for First Nations.

This book has been graded for interest at 12+ years.

There are 208 pages in this book. This book was published 2017 by Inhabit Media Inc .

Aviaq Johnston is a young Inuk author from Igloolik, Nunavut. Her debut novel Those Who Run in the Sky was released in the spring of 2017. In 2014, she won first place in the Aboriginal Arts and Stories competition for her short story "Tarnikuluk," which also earned her a Governor General's History Award. Aviaq is a graduate of Nunavut Sivuniksavut, and she has a diploma in Social Service Work from Canadore College. Aviaq loves to travel and has lived in Australia and Vietnam. She spends most of her time reading, writing, studying, and procrastinating. She goes back and forth between Iqaluit, Nunavut, and Ottawa, Ontario. Toma Feizo Gas has spent ten years working in entertainment arts, with experience in production art, creative direction, concept design, and illustration. Noel McDermott is a retired professor of literature at Nunavut Arctic College where he lived and taught in Inuktitut and English for thirty-five years as a classroom teacher, school principal, and lecturer in the teacher training program. He has held Teaching Appointments at many other educational institutions, including McGill University, Trent University, the University of Waterloo, Ontario, as well as at the Sami University in Kautokeino, Norway. Toma Feizo Gas has spent ten years working in entertainment arts, with experience in production art, creative direction, concept design, and illustration.