Emily, Book 2: Disaster at the Bridge

Kristin Butcher writes novels for young adults. Her most recent works
are Cairo Kelly and the Mann, The Gamma War, and The Tomorrow Tunnel.

Disaster at the Bridge is the second book in the adventures of Emily
Murdoch, one of the 10-year-old heroines in Penguin’s popular Our
Canadian Girl series.

It is March of 1896. At home, Hing, the Murdoch’s cook, is preparing
to leave the family’s employment and start up his own restaurant,
while at school Emily finds herself in a heated competition with
Florence for a spot on the running team, as well as for the friendship
of long-time chum, Alice. Everything comes to a head on the
much-anticipated Victoria Day weekend. When the streetcar carrying
Emily, Florence, Alice, Hing, and 140 other passengers crashes into the
Gorge Waterway, Emily discovers what is truly important and comes to
appreciate how fortunate she really is.

Though the novel is part of a continuing story, it can also stand
alone. Lawson provides background from the first book to ensure that
references to elements from that story (e.g., the much desired bicycle
and Hing’s daughter Mei Yuk) have sufficient meaning. At the same
time, Lawson weaves in just enough unfinished business to make the
reader look forward to Book 3. An introduction at the front and a
historical note at the back provide other pertinent information not
covered in the story itself. An accomplished veteran of historical
fiction for young people, Lawson does an admirable job of bringing to
life this period in Victoria’s past. Recommended.