Mary of Mile 18

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is the
author of several books, including The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese
Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret Laurence: T

This 30th anniversary edition of Mary of Mile 18 is a welcome reissue of
a classic tale of the Canadian North and its fearful beauty. Ann Blades
was 19 when she went to teach in the tiny country schoolhouse at Mile 18
in northern British Columbia off the Alaska Highway. Her pupils had no
books that reflected their world, so Blades created one for them, the
first of her many award-winning titles.

Young Mary loves the pioneer conditions of her family life, despite
their harshness. Chores include feeding the chickens and bringing in
pails of water. On the day of this tale, Mary feels that something
special is going to happen. And it does.

A stray puppy turns up, part-wolf but adorable. Mary christens him
Wolf. Father believes that there is no room for a creature that does not
contribute to his family’s survival. Mary’s new pet seems doomed,
until Wolf saves the chickens from a marauding coyote. He will earn his
keep and will be allowed to stay, to Mary’s great joy.

Bold yet simple illustrations complement the tale perfectly. Mary is
shown carrying wood and water, riding horseback to school, and cradling
little Wolf in her arms. A predatory coyote looks terrifying against the
night sky. The lonely puppy is shown outside the farmhouse door beneath
another sky filled with northern lights. Highly recommended.