​Recognition for Bernice and the Georgian Bay Gold:

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Winner of The Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People 2024.

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First Nation Communities Read, Longlist of 2024-2025 Adult/YA Nominated Titles.

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"A treasure map sparks a coastal Canadian Métis eight-year-old’s search for gold in an exuberant, richly detailed novel from a Métis author sharing her family’s fictionalized history.... A sweet historical fiction pick for fans of well-intentioned young protagonists with enlightening Indigenous representation.” Parry Sound North Star

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"A compelling novel about an adventurous girl who finds that the real gold on Georgian Bay is right where she lives." Canadian Review of Materials

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"An excellent complementary read for indigenous or Canadian history studies. It is a worthwhile and thoughtful read and an admirable way of paying tribute to past generations. Highly Recommended." Winnipeg Free Press

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"Author Jessica Outram has given us a story with a difference: a book that incorporates many phrases in the Métis language, Michif.... When eight-year-old Bernice is shown a piece of rock with gold streaks and finds a map that once belonged to famous artist Tom Thomson, she’s convinced she can find the gold and solve her family’s financial problems. After many false starts she sets out alone to try to reach the secret location. Will she succeed? Mid-level readers (9-12) will be urging her on." Historical Novel Society

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"As a story, it will interest readers of all ages, moving deftly between the warm family scenes, industries across the water, and the dangerous storms of Georgian Bay." CBC Books. Included in "15 Canadian middle-grade and YA books to read this summer."

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“Bernice and the Georgian Bay Gold is an amusing and informative story that serves both to entertain and educate the reader. It would be a positive addition to any home or school library.” Anishinabek News

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"An immersive story of an Indigenous girl seeking adventure and finding it close to home. This story shared the language and culture of the Métis in Georgian Bay in the early 1900s… Jessica Outram weaves a sincere story about a loving family who follow the teachings and traditions of their Métis ancestors… This story was tied to a place and left me thinking about history, place, and family... A shining treasure of a children’s novel.” Jury comments from the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People.

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Recognition for The Thing with Feathers:

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"The Thing With Feathers takes you on an intimate journey of truth, transformation, and healing of spirit. From cherry blossom tree trunks to the shores of Georgian Bay, these poems evoke reverence, recalling past lives and ancestral Métis blood memory passed down from grandmothers." Sarah Lewis, First Poet Laureate of Peterborough, ON

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"Poetry that’s both affective and effective in recognizing the power of expression as a means of revealing the human spirit. There is clarity of language in these poems, and in that clarity the reader finds what it means to feel alive." Antony Di Nardo, Poet

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"Here are poems that show a way to build belonging. With clarity and sharp imagery, Outram’s poetry aches with the will to transform. They swirl beyond the whirlpool of rules because it’s all possible. Slowly, a new self emerges by breaking down threads / pulled by uncertainty. Through the deliberate act of seeing, facing, and confronting, a knowing, more integrated self comes to light. A fresh, vivid and heartfelt debut." Catherine Graham, Poet

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"The bravery and emotional honesty of the collection are its greatest strength. I recommend The Thing With Feathers for the power of Jessica Outram’s personal journey and the courage it took to share it." Kate Rogers, periodicities : a journal of poetry and poetics