The Irrepressible Maggie Lou Returns in a New Chapter Book from Arnolda Dufour Bowes

Today, we’re delighted to feature an exciting new chapter book in Maggie Lou Meets Her Match (Groundwood Books), the lively sequel to Maggie Lou, Firefox by Arnolda Dufour Bowes. As we kick off this new adventure, readers are reunited with the irrepressible Maggie Lou, who suddenly finds herself with a brand-new cousin, Rosie, and a horse! From the moment the girls meet at Uncle Bobby and Aunt Bonnie’s wedding, a fierce rivalry takes root. Rosie’s farmland world of horses and riding is everything Maggie Lou has dreamed about, but learning the ropes isn’t as easy as she imagined.

What follows is a whirlwind of missteps, laughter, and a few daring escapades, including a secret midnight ride and some hilarious, heartwarming training for the famous Otipîm'sowak Race, a Métis voyageur relay that carries on a proud family tradition. With humour, heart, and the vibrant illustrations of Karlene Harvey, Maggie Lou’s story gallops forward with all the energy, mischief, and resilience fans of this series have come to love.

Check out our Bright Young Things interview with the author right here!

Open Book:

Tell us about your new book and how it came to be.

Arnolda Dufour Bowes: 

It was always part of the plan for Maggie Lou, Firefox to become a series. I had an idea for book two to share something a little deeper than most young girls talk about, but something they might face — the unwanted competition of other girls or women in their life. I have had to deal with passive-aggressive conflicts with women who are insecure in themselves, and their only justification is indirect confrontations through snide remarks, blatant competitiveness or talking behind someone’s back. I find it childish, and I felt this book was a perfect place to share how we, as women, can become each other’s biggest allies. It’s our differences and similarities that highlight our uniqueness and help us shine the brightest we were meant to shine.

OB:

Is there a character in your book that you relate to? If so, in what ways are you similar to your character and in what ways are you different?

ADB:

Maggie Lou is based partially on me. Many of her adventures and mishaps are based on my experiences. Although, as a child, I was never as bold as her, I was shy and quiet and didn’t have many friends. I lived out these ridiculous adventures mostly on my own, with the exceptions of the boxing ring/microwave, run-away horses, and “escape room” adventures, which were with my little sisters. But I carefully built Maggie Lou to be the girl I wish I had been as a kid — confident, outspoken, and spunky. I feel that, as an adult, I’m more like her now than I was as a child, and I hope some little girl out there reads Maggie Lou and feels seen and celebrated.

OB:

What was the strangest or most memorable moment or experience during the writing process for you? 

ADB:

They say to write what you know. I knew I wanted to write about my horse experiences, as there were many mishaps and hospital visits. So, as an adult, I signed back up for riding lessons, and yes, it was just as uncertain as it was when I was a child. I grew up having horses. I spent many summers cleaning stalls and getting bucked off. During the writing process of Maggie Lou Meets Her Match, the most memorable moment was getting back on the horse. It was not enjoyable, and I am most definitely not a cowgirl. So, to my readers, you know I love you and that I am willing to relive my childhood traumas all for the sake of a good story!

OB:

What do you need in order to write — in terms of space, food, rituals, writing instruments?

ADB:

For me, I need deadlines. I am a procrastination and side-quest queen. If I do not have clear deadlines, I will work slowly and not with the fervour my work deserves. I blame my overactive imagination and busy body; I can find a million other things to start, restart or create at any time of the day.  I need time outside; walking is my favourite way to clear my mind. The fresh air, sunshine, and quietness give my active brain time to recharge, be refreshed, and replay ideas. I require copious amounts of caffeine, to quote Lorelei Gilmore, “I need coffee in an IV!” I also make sure to visit the gym once a day; the Iron Sanctuary is my place of deep contemplation. It’s where I exhaust my body, which gives my brain more energy and space to work and do its magic.

OB:

Was there a YA book you read as a young adult that is particularly meaningful to you?

ADB:

The most memorable book I read as a young adult was Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume. At age ten, my parents were in a horrible car accident in which my dad broke his spine in three places. It was the eighties, so medicine for this type of injury was not as advanced. They put two eighteen-inch rods in his back and told my mom he’d be bedridden for the rest of his life. This was also during a time when family wasn’t as valued in the healing process, and we, as kids, were not allowed in the hospital ward he was in. But my mom and her friend snuck me in one night, and it was the scariest thing to see my giant father hooked up to a million machines and not able to sit up. He seemed so helpless; he was a construction worker, so this was the worst predicament he could have been in. I remember wandering through the library for hours, just trying to process our new life, when I saw the cover of Tiger Eyes. I picked it up and reread it for the following year. The part that sang to my soul was when Davey took her dad’s bloodied clothes to a cave and lit a candle. Following my parents’ accident, I found my dad’s bloodied clothes in a white hospital bag in the back of my parents’ closet. I remember taking them and just holding them. If I remember correctly, I threw them away in the hope that if they were gone, our whole life situation would disappear. But when I read Tiger Eyes, I felt seen and felt that I was not alone in my struggle as a confused and frightened young girl.

OB:

What are you working on now?

ADB:

I am currently working on a play with Gordon Tootoosis Nikaniwin Theatre, which is set for a 2026 production. I am also in the development stages of two screenplays, a feature and a short, each with an attached director. Additionally, I hope to return to a dystopian YA novel I started eight years ago, which my kids keep harassing me to finish, as they want to know how it ends.

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Arnolda Dufour Bowes is a Métis writer, playwright, screenwriter and artist with ties to Sakitawak (Île à la Crosse) and George Gordon First Nation. She grew up in Saskatoon but has lived around the world, from New Zealand to Saudi Arabia. She is the author of 20.12 m: A Short Story Collection of a Life Lived as a Road Allowance Métis, which won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award and the High Plains Book Award. Arnolda lives with her husband, three children and two dogs in Dalmeny, Saskatchewan.

Karlene Harvey (she/they) is an illustrator and writer who lives on the unceded and ancestral home territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh people. Karlene is Tšilhqot’in and Syilx and grew up on territories of the Semiahmoo and Kwantlen Nations. They have illustrated several children’s books, including Maggie Lou, Firefox by Arnolda Dufour Bowes, Drum From the Heart by Ren Louie, Every Child Matters by Phyllis Webstad and Kaiah’s Garden by Melanie Florence.