Willow wants to go back to the city, but one thing keeps her on the rez. Aunt Pauline promises Willow that moving back to the rez and living with her grandmother is only temporary. As days and weeks pass, however, the twelve-year-old girl realizes that her aunt is not coming back and that her grandmother's house is now home. What is Willow supposed to do? Her elderly grandmother barely speaks; all her friends are back in the city, and Thomas, the boy next door, is hostile to her and cruel to his animals. But there is one thing that makes life bearable: Mistatim, Thomas's horse, with whom Willow established a connection as soon as she arrived. Finding herself more and more drawn to her new home, Willow explores the land around her seeking clues to her family's past--including the mysterious disappearance of her mother, years before. Meanwhile, her determination to protect Mistatim from the brutal treatment meted out by Thomas and his father grows, leading her to an unexpected friendship.

Willow wants to go back to the city, but one thing keeps her on the rez. Aunt Pauline promises Willow that moving back to the rez and living with her grandmother is only temporary. As days and weeks pass, however, the twelve-year-old girl realizes that her aunt is not coming back and that her grandmother's house is now home. What is Willow supposed to do? Her elderly grandmother barely speaks; all her friends are back in the city, and Thomas, the boy next door, is hostile to her and cruel to his animals. But there is one thing that makes life bearable: Mistatim, Thomas's horse, with whom Willow established a connection as soon as she arrived. Finding herself more and more drawn to her new home, Willow explores the land around her seeking clues to her family's past--including the mysterious disappearance of her mother, years before. Meanwhile, her determination to protect Mistatim from the brutal treatment meted out by Thomas and his father grows, leading her to an unexpected friendship.

When a young girl helps tend to her grandmother's garden, she begins to notice things that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long, braided hair and beautifully coloured clothing? Why does she speak another language and spend so much time with her family? As she asks her grandmother about these things, she is told about life in a residential school a long time ago, where all of these things were taken away. When We Were Alone is a story about a difficult time in history, and, ultimately, one of empowerment and strength. When We Were Alone won the 2017 Governor General's Literary Award in the Young People's Literature (Illustrated Books) category, and was nominated for the TD Canadian's Children's Literature Award.