In writing Diamond Willow, Helen Frost was partially inspired by her time living in Telida, Alaska, where she had worked as a teacher.

[3] Living in the fictional town of Old Fork, Alaska, Diamond Willow is a twelve-year-old girl of Athabascan and European descent.

[6][4] The story is interspersed with sections told by animals, such as foxes and chickadees, which are eventually revealed to be Diamond Willow's ancestors.

[6][3][7][8] A reviewer in The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books described Frost's use of the Alaskan landscape as "metaphoric gold" which resulted in an "elegant and moving story".

[10] Booklist reviews described Diamond Willow as "easy to read"[11] and recommended the book "to fans of dog stories and to readers who liked Gary Paulsen's Hatchet".

The review was more critical of the ancestors taking the form of animals, feeling that Frost's decision to include them "stretches credulity just a little too far".