Nellie's Quest

Anne Hutchings, a former elementary-school teacher-librarian with the
Durham Board of Education, is an educational consultant.

Nellie’s Quest is a fictionalized account of the early life of Nellie
L. McClung, Canadian suffragette, reformer, crusader, and author. The
story takes place during the time that 22-year-old Nellie Mooney taught
school near her home just outside Wawanesa in southern Manitoba. It
describes her early involvement in the Women’s Christian Temperance
Union, her belief in the right of women to vote, and her friendship and
budding romance with young Wes McClung. In addition, the novel paints a
vivid picture of what life was like for residents of rural and
small-town Manitoba in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

In her extensive notes, the author acknowledges her indebtedness to
Nellie McClung’s own writings, primarily her autobiographies. Many of
the incidents described in Nellie’s Quest are based on actual events.

Teacher-librarians on the lookout for Canadian historical fiction and
biography will find Nellie’s Quest a valuable addition to their
collections. Teachers of Canadian history at the intermediate level will
also welcome this fine supplementary resource. (Two minor additions that
would have made the book more useful are a map of southern Manitoba
showing the locations of the places mentioned in the story and a
timeline.) Highly recommended.