Elizabeth, Book 3: A Hornbook Christmas

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Powell,
Ohio.

Elizabeth begins to wonder why she has never seen her friend Mathilde
read the French books that she found buried on Pirate Island. When she
realizes that Mathilde has never learned to read, she makes a plan to
teach her and other children in the same way that her mother taught her.
Using the hornbooks that her mother brought from Connecticut, Elizabeth
begins to teach young Joshua Porter while Mathilde is working nearby,
and soon Mathilde’s curiosity leads her to join in. Elizabeth and
Mathilde try to keep their lessons a secret, but Sarah finds out and
becomes involved in the school as well. The parents are surprised and
very pleased when Mathilde is able to read from the Bible during their
Christmas Eve celebration.

The Our Canadian Girl books give young readers an excellent view of
day-to-day life in history using characters and situations (such as
forbidden love) that are perennially interesting. The girls in the story
work hard doing chores such as making butter and soap, milking cows, and
hand-washing clothes, but they try to make work a social time as well.
This is a very enjoyable story from an excellent series. Highly
recommended.