Elizabeth, Book 4: Wide as Wings

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

In the fourth and final instalment of the Elizabeth books, the young
heroine continues to grapple with the social and political inequalities
of Nova Scotia in the 1760s. Elizabeth’s family has emigrated from New
England to the Annapolis Valley, following the expulsion of the
Acadians, to take over a farm that had been seized from an Acadian
family. She soon befriends both a young Acadian girl whose family is
persecuted by the English settlers and prevented from owning land, and
the domestic slave of a neighbouring family. As Elizabeth discovers her
own talent as a teacher, she hopes to offer a home school during the
long winter months. But she encounters opposition from the community,
who do not want their children educated alongside Acadians and slaves.
Elizabeth wants to help her friends realize their own dreams, but she
learns that life is not like a fairy tale—sometimes sacrifices have to
be made to achieve one’s goals.

Carter does a good job of bringing to life this early period in
Canadian history. She frames the story within the context of the Acadian
deportations and the Treaty of Paris, illustrating the effect that such
historical events had on ordinary individuals. As with all the books in
the Our Canadian Girl series, Elizabeth’s story has been well
researched and is supported by an excellent website that offers
additional educational and fun resources. Highly recommended.