The Secret Under the Whirlpool

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

Spending July on Prince Edward Island with dull old Aunt Kate is a
dismaying prospect for 12-year old Maggie. Ever since her mother’s
death six years ago, Maggie has lived with her relatives in New
Brunswick. Now she’s stuck with Marc, the neighbor’s son, who is
struggling to recover physically and emotionally from a car accident
that cost him his legs. The two young people reluctantly agree to share
their misery. During a canoeing excursion, a storm sweeps them into a
cave and a whirlpool transports them back in time—to an Acadian
settlement in the year 1757. As Marguerite and Jean-Marc, the children
of two families expelled from Nova Scotia by the British in 1755, the
young people endure hardships and develop a healthy respect for the
courage and spirit of the Acadian people. When the British once again
deport the Acadians, Lkimu, a Micmac, helps Maggie and Marc return to
their own time.

The ease with which Maggie and Marc adapt to the primitive conditions
and adversities of their Acadian world strains credibility. The strength
of this novel lies in its authentic portrait of domestic and social life
in the Acadian settlement. Recommended.