Millie, Book 3: The Star Supper

Susan Merskey is freelance writer in London, Ontario.

It is December 1914, and World War I has been raging in Europe for four
months. Following the passing of the War Measures Act in Canada, some
80,000 European immigrants have been labelled “enemy aliens.” For
Millie, too, everything is different. Her father, a naval engineer, is
away in England and the servants have left either to work in factories
or to join the army.

As Christmas approaches, Millie, along with Edwina and Edwina’s
mother, become more involved in the plight of the enemy aliens, even
though this initially leads to difficulties with her own mother and some
of her friends. But in the end, Millie, Edwina, and their mothers
welcome a variety of needy people, who come together to experience a
Christmas they will never forget.

This is the third book in the Our Canadian Girl series to feature
Millie and her friends. While much of the action springs from a desire
of people like Edwina’s mother, and to some extent Millie herself, to
help those less fortunate than themselves, they are refreshingly free of
any “Lady Bountiful” attitudes toward them. Troon Harrison uses
clear, simple language to explain what is essentially a complex social
and political situation in such a way that preteen readers can gain some
understanding of Millie’s life and times. Recommended.