Fidler, Kathleen The Desperate Journey. Illustrated by
Mike Charlton. 161 pgs. Floris Books, 2012. $9.95.
Chapter Book. Content: G.
The Murray family is forced to leave their home in northern Scotland and must find a new place to live. They first stop in Glasgow where the twins, Kristy and David, must work in a child labor mill and scarcely make enough to feed and house their family. Determined to keep their children safe, the decision is made to board a ship bound for Canada. There they are promised a new life with free land which they can farm and where they can prosper. The journey is a hard one. The Atlantic is treacherous and once they get to their new land, they encounter the Norwesters who burn their forts and run them off the land. Many times they wonder if they made the right decision to leave their homeland and start life anew.
This is a great children’s historical fiction. The story is well written and gives the reader a good idea of what life was like for Scottish children during the Highland Clearances in the early 1800’s. This book could be used in any unit on people leaving their birth places to travel to America.
EL - ADVISABLE. Reviewer: SL
The Murray family is forced to leave their home in northern Scotland and must find a new place to live. They first stop in Glasgow where the twins, Kristy and David, must work in a child labor mill and scarcely make enough to feed and house their family. Determined to keep their children safe, the decision is made to board a ship bound for Canada. There they are promised a new life with free land which they can farm and where they can prosper. The journey is a hard one. The Atlantic is treacherous and once they get to their new land, they encounter the Norwesters who burn their forts and run them off the land. Many times they wonder if they made the right decision to leave their homeland and start life anew.
This is a great children’s historical fiction. The story is well written and gives the reader a good idea of what life was like for Scottish children during the Highland Clearances in the early 1800’s. This book could be used in any unit on people leaving their birth places to travel to America.
EL - ADVISABLE. Reviewer: SL
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