Last Summer in Louisbourg

Darleen R. Golke is a high-school teacher-librarian in Winnipeg,
Manitoba.

The first two Andrea Baxter adventures were The Girl from Away and The
French Isles. As Last Summer in Louisbourg opens, Andrea, now 15, wins a
Canadian history essay contest; her prize is the offer of a job at the
Fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island. Despite her mother’s
reservations, Andrea accepts the offer and spends her summer working as
caregiver to the 12 children who help “to recreate life as it had been
lived in 1744 in the Fortress of Louisbourg.” Andrea dons the era
costume and discovers that working at the fortress is something like
being in a play; you’re part of the cast, but still yourself.

Andrea and her roommate, Justine, are invited to join the cast of a
movie being shot at the fortress. Stage-struck Andrea takes on an extra
role, partly to be near Calvin, an attractive member of the film crew.
During one of the shoots, Andrea finds herself adrift in a birchbark
canoe and in need of rescue by the RCMP. Her film career interferes with
both her job and her friendships. Then her mother arrives unexpectedly
and reveals some surprising family skeletons.

Mowat incorporates historical information smoothly into the story but
focuses most of the attention on Andrea’s evolving relationships, her
fantasies and dreams, and her new experiences. Young readers should
enjoy encountering Andrea again or for the first time. Recommended.