No Small Victory

Gr 4—6—The Great Depression has hit Bonnie's family hard. Her father is in debt, and they must move from their comfortable farm on Prince Edward Island in the middle of the night. The new farm is far up north in Lang, Ontario, and rented. Worse, it was quarantined because of disease, and some neighbors keep far away. To add to the upheaval, Bonnie's favorite cat is killed in the first few pages of the book, but he is soon replaced by a couple of good friends and a faithful dog. In episodic chapters, the girl survives a lice infestation, a scarlet-fever outbreak, and a difficult teacher, but in the end she becomes an integral part of her community and finds herself victorious at an important spelling bee, truly no small victory. Reminiscent of Bonnie's favorite book, Anne of Green Gables, in both character and tone, this is an entertaining story with a great basis in history (Lang actually exists, now as a historic site). Not remarkable, but a good read.—Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA