Under a Shooting Star

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

Set during the War of 1812, this rousing adventure story features a trio
of young teens. Edward MacNeil is of mixed blood, English and Oneida,
but has been brought up in England. At 15, and on his first sea voyage,
he is already an experienced sailor. Kate, also 15, and her younger
sister Anne, come from a family of impoverished British gentlefolk.
When, during a terrible storm, their ship sinks in Lake Erie, Edward
takes responsibility for helping the two girls to survive. They manage
to reach an island in Lake Erie, whereupon the story becomes a wonderful
blend of Robinson Crusoe and some of the early 19th-century tales of
surviving in rural Ontario.

In the author’s notes, Trottier observes that writing historical
fiction can sometimes be “a little like tiptoeing across a
battlefield.” She tiptoes beautifully, blending fact and fiction
skilfully while drawing on what is now known about Crystal Cave (the
world’s largest geode), which was discovered on Lake Erie’s South
Bass Island in 1888. Under a Shooting Star is a convincing and
enthralling tale for young adults. This third volume in the Circle of
Silver Chronicles, follows A Circle of Silver (1999) and By the Standing
Stone (2000). Highly recommended.