Emma and the Silk Train

Krystyna Higgins is the former book review editor for the Catholic New
Times.

“Silker’s coming!” With her very first sentence Julie Lawson has
snared both our interest and our curiosity.

Part historical fiction, part pure adventure, the story of Emma pays
tribute to one of the lesser-known episodes in Canadian railway history.
The efficient, high-speed silk trains operated for some 40 years in the
early part of this century, carrying raw and processed silk and live
silkworms across North America from ports on the West Coast. This story
is based on the account of an actual derailment that occurred in British
Columbia in 1927.

In Lawson’s version the townspeople, tempted by the railway’s offer
of financial rewards following the accident, rush to retrieve bales of
the precious cargo from the river. Emma is fascinated by the gorgeous
fabric and longs to find enough for a hair ribbon or perhaps even a
blouse. Distracted by “silk-fishing fever,” she wanders too far
along the river and finds herself stranded on a lonely island.
Eventually her ingenuity, assisted by the sumptuous length of glowing
silk she has found, results in her rescue. On her birthday a few weeks
later the silk has been transformed by Mama into a new dress—Emma’s
dearest wish come true.

This book is a delight, from its rather unusual and fascinating subject
matter, to the suspense and humor of its telling, to its portrayal of a
determined and courageous young female character. Mombourquette’s
evocative full-color illustrations manage to convey both the excitement
of the story line and the whole spectrum of emotions experienced by the
characters, especially Emma herself. Highly recommended.