Lost in Spain

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

A bequest from Uncle Roger, who was killed in an airplane accident,
finances a European vacation for Ted Ryan and his parents, Will and
Catherine. In Perpignan, France, July 1936, word of revolution in Spain
prompts Ted’s socialist father to go to Spain to observe the fighting
firsthand. “I have a responsibility,” Will insists, “to find out
all I can and take word back to Canada.”

Caught in a riot involving “black shirt” fascists and workers,
Catherine is seriously injured, rendered unconscious, and hospitalized.
With the assistance of a medical student, Ted makes his way into Spain.
Accompanied by revolutionary-minded Delores, he embarks on a dangerous
journey to find his father.

As a result of their adventures, they are arrested and Ted is seriously
injured by a gunshot. In the anarchist’s camp Ted finally connects
with Will and together they return to Perpignan to a recovered
Catherine, then home to the Okanagan. In an epilogue, Ted, now 77,
finally achieves his dream of watching a Barcelona bullfight accompanied
by his wife, Delores, and his grandson, Will.

Setting this historical adventure in the turbulent times of the Spanish
Civil War gives young readers a glimpse into an often violent period of
1930s European politics. The story, which is supported with a Spanish
history timeline, a map, and author’s notes, presents detailed
descriptions replete with the constant menace of danger and death. Ted
is an appealing and credible narrator, while Delores is a passionate and
committed guide through both the political ideology and physical
terrain. Recommended.