Talking Leaves

Talking Leaves 
by Joseph Bruchac

I read this novel over the winter vacation and found it really interesting, and good!
Told from the perspective of the great Cherokee leader Sequoyah's 13-year-old son, Uwohali, the story relates how the Cherokee alphabet was first invented. At the time, tribe members thought Sequoyah was crazy--or engaging in witchcraft--when he first began to write strange characters and claim to use them for  communication...but eventually his genius invention helped unify the Cherokee people and inspire pride and autonomy.
Joseph Bruchac also wrote Code Talker, which I love.

www.native-languages.org