The Queen's Silver

Lynn Manuel, a writer of mystery novels for young adults, is the author
of Return to Cranberry Farm.

With his parents away, 11-year-old Jon Sinclair is shipped off to spend
his holidays with his uncle, a chaplain to the Mohawks on the Tyendinaga
Reserve. Although Jon is half-Indian, he has never shown any interest in
his heritage. And Quinte Bay is an alien environment to a boy who finds
concrete and traffic more his style. But, when John watches a ceremonial
re-enactment of the 1784 Landing of the Mohawks, something begins to
stir inside him. He is drawn more and more to the Indian world. When the
silver that Queen Anne gave the Mohawks in 1711 disappears, Jon sets out
with his cousin Lynn and his new friend Rick to track down the villains
and bring the Queen’s silver back to the Mohawks.

While the story line moves rapidly and the style is smooth and
uncontrived, the book has several weaknesses including a far-fetched
plot that fails to tie up several loose ends. The novel is gripping
enough to hold the young reader, but the more sophisticated may question
the implausibly motivated villain and the incompetent authority figures.
The author is at her best detailing the Canadian setting and portraying
the ceremonial aspects of the First Nation’s culture. However, little
attention is paid to her Mohawks’ distinctive vision of life or to the
emotional and spiritual link between the people of the present and of
the past. Suitable for the 10- to 14-year-old reading audience.