Spruce Woods Adventure

Lorraine Douglas is the youth services co-ordinator at the Winnipeg
Public Library.

Donna Gamache’s first novel is set in Spruce Woods Park in southern
Manitoba. Ten-year-old Rachel and her 12-year-old brother, Jeff, have
been left on their own while their father is away and their mother
undergoes radiation therapy in Winnipeg. The siblings spend most of
their time riding their horses around the trails in the park looking for
suspected poachers. One day they are caught by the poachers, but manage
to escape on their horses.

This novel, with its flat plot, poor character development, unappealing
cover design (a painting of the woods), oddly placed chapter divisions,
double-spaced text, and unclear interior map of the park, is not one
that a young reader is likely to enjoy. Not recommended.