Trail of Fire

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

In 1840, following some “unpleasantness” involving a stable fire, a
horse, and a strict uncle, 14-year-old Paul McIntosh, a resident of the
Red River Colony at Fort Garry, is sent by his widowed mother to visit
with his doctor grandfather, Doc, at Fort Edmonton. An aspiring
physician, Paul is pleased when Doc announces his intention to remain in
the area for at least another year, for “this is what [Paul] had
dreamed about for the past three years—helping Doc take care of sick
folks; learning from him the way he used to.”

While the plot B.J. Bayle develops is largely episodic, two elements
run through the entire book. When Paul first arrives, Doc is caring for
a man whose young daughter had been abducted by some Sioux, and Paul
determines to assist in restoring the girl to her father, something he
achieves by book’s end. As well, Paul must deal with his self-concept,
which had been devastated by his judgmental uncle. Paul’s travels with
both his grandfather and Mr. Rundle, a missionary, present numerous
opportunities for action in this historical adventure story for
middle-school readers. Recommended.