LEGENDARY FRYBREAD DRIVE-IN: INTERTRIBAL STORIES, edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith, cover art by Paula TopSky Houtz, cover design by Molly Fehr (Heartdrum, Aug. 26, 2025)
Featuring the voices of both new and acclaimed Indigenous writers, and edited by bestselling Muscogee author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of interconnected stories serves up laughter, love, Native pride, and the world’s best frybread.
The road to Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-In slips through every rez and alongside every urban Native hangout. The menu offers a rotating feast, including traditional eats and tasty snacks. But Sandy June’s serves up more than food: it hosts live music, movie nights, unexpected family reunions, love long lost, and love found again.
That big green-and-gold neon sign beckons to teens of every tribal Nation, often when they need it most.
Featured contributors: Kaua Māhoe Adams, Marcella Bell, Angeline Boulley, K.A. Cobell, A. J. Eversole, Jen Ferguson, Eric Gansworth, Byron Graves, Kate Hart, Christine Hartman Derr, Karina Iceberg, Cheryl Isaacs, Darcie Little Badger, David A. Robertson, Andrea L. Rogers, Cynthia Leitich Smith, and Brian Young.
Audio Edition Voice Actors: Tiffany Ayalik, Katie Anvil Rich, Darrell Dennis, Kinsale Drake, Elva Guerra, Mapuana Makia, Jessica Matten, Jesse Nobess, Tanis Parenteau, Rainy Fields, Isabella Star, Delanna Studi, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Erin Tripp, Jordan Waunch.
Published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books.
★ “…the perfect gateway to discovering the writing of noted authors…. Obvious thought and care went into the crafting and arranging of the stories, with expertly executed callbacks to previous entries. Superlative.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“…Smith’s uplifting poem ‘Open Mic at the Drive-In’ closes this liminal-feeling collection, which pays tribute to the Native traditions and intergenerational relationships preserved by the ‘run-down, neon’ drive-in, including frying bread, sipping sweetgrass tea, and ‘jammin’ to Redbone./ Uncles tunin’ sharp fiddles.'” —Publishers Weekly
“Stories in this noteworthy and absorbing compilation work as stand-alones, but to get the full benefit and sense of intertribal community, read them together…. In voices, styles, and scenarios as varied as the tribes and locations represented, the stories and poems…capture often-pivotal moments in young people’s lives.” —Shelf Awareness
“…a delightful reading experience….Native young adults from numerous intersecting identities venture to this communal space to meet a crush, read a poem, mourn, or reconnect with family. The stories are about their lived experiences, not white oppression.” —Peals & Ruby’s: Edith Campbell at School Library Journal
“A huge range of tribal affiliations and locales are represented, and distinct traditions and customs are easily woven in through dialogue, avoiding heavy exposition or explanation. Various characters thread through each other’s stories, allowing many of the players more depth and nuance had they only been in one tale, and encouraging the readers to make the thematic connections in cultural identities that are both individually specific and community-wide.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“The relatable struggles of the characters in this anthology will appeal to any young reader who wishes to read about teens facing challenges similar to their own.” —Butler Children’s Literature Center
10 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2025 by Caroline Cabe from Cowboys & Indians: The Premier Magazine of the West. PEEK: “These Western and Indigenous books are on our must-read list this year.”
12 Books with New England Ties to Read This Summer by Katherine Ouelette from wbur. PEEK: “Cynthia Leitich Smith, who served on Vermont College of Fine Arts’ faculty for 20 years, wrote two stories and edited the entire collection. Contributor Karina Iceberg earned her MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and contributor Brian Young graduated from Yale University.” Kaua Māhoe Adams and Christine Hartman Derr also are VCFA graduates.
From Frybread to Aliens: 2025 YA Anthologies for Your TBR by Kelly Jensen from BookRiot. PEEK: “I love Cynthia Leitich Smith’s books, but I especially loved her middle grade anthology ANCESTOR APPROVED, a collection of interconnected, intertribal stories centered around a powwow. Now she’s bringing a similar idea to a YA anthology—one of the only, if not the only, Native American anthologies for teen readers.”
Reads for the Rest of Us: Most Anticipated Feminist Reads of 2025 by Karla J. Strand from Ms. Magazine. PEEK: “Selected by bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith, the stories in this intertribal collection were contributed by writers such as Cheryl Isaacs, Darcie Little Badger, Kaua Mahoe Adams, and more.”
- Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection