Strawberry Moon

Elisabeth Anne MacDonald-Murray teaches English literature at Brandon
University, Brandon, Manitoba.

For young Ellie, life in Upper Canada in 1838 is good. The 12-year-old
lives with her widowed father and young brother in a log cabin near the
shores of a lake. There she cares for the family’s home and animals
while her father and brother clear the land to expand their growing
farm. In the three years since they emigrated from England, Ellie has
come to love her new home and her new friends from both the local farms
and the neighbouring Ojibwa village. When her formidable grandmother
arrives from England to take Ellie back to Britain to be raised as “a
proper young lady,” Ellie is outraged, and determined not to go. But
how can she defy her grandmother?

Becky Citra’s tale of two stubborn characters learning together as
their relationship develops is well-told and entertaining. Written for
younger readers, this relatively short chapter book has large print and
a vocabulary that will be sufficiently challenging without being
daunting for a developing reader. The character of Ellie is engaging,
and the particulars of her life in pre-Confederation Canada are
described with sufficient detail to create an accurate historical
picture. The relationship between the young girl, who has relished her
freedom in a pioneer society, and her prim grandmother, who has
different expectations for a young woman, will strike a chord with
readers with its echoes of contemporary tensions between the
generations. Recommended.