The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls (Paperback)
Staff Reviews
We all make mistakes but what’s important is that we learn from them. The only way you can grow and change is if you take the time to learn and grow. When Benjamin refuses to learn, his parents are forced to take the hard road, and send him to his father’s house on the Ojibwe. Forced to learn about himself and how his actions affect others. Watch as he learns about his culture, his dad, and himself.
-Izabel
— From Snazzy September Staff PicksDescription
A middle-grade novel by James Bird about a boy sent to his Ojibwe family to straighten out his life.
Benjamin Waterfalls comes from a broken home, and the quickest fix he’s found for his life is to fill that emptiness with stuff he steals and then sells. But he’s been caught one too many times, and when he appears before a tough judge, his mother proposes sending him to “boot camp” at the Ojibwe reservation where they used to live.
Soon he is on his way to Grand Portage, Minnesota, to live with his father – the man Benny hasn’t seen in years. Not only is “boot camp” not what he expects, but his rehabilitation seems to be in the hands of the tribal leader’s daughter, who wears a mask. Why? Finding the answer to this and so many other questions prove tougher than any military-style boot camp. Will answers be enough for Benny to turn his life around and embrace his second chance?
About the Author
James Bird's debut middle-grade novel, The Brave, was a Book Riot Best Book of 2020. He is also a screenwriter and director at the independent film company, Zombot Pictures; his films include We Are Boats and Honeyglue. Originally from California, James Bird is of Ojibwe descent, and now lives in Massachusetts with his wife, the author and actor Adriana Mather, and their son.
