Runaway

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Powell,
Ohio.

Max has heard disturbing rumours about his new neighbours, the Blacks.
His friend Red, whose family operates the general store at The Landings,
told him that Sam Black killed a man once and that everyone is afraid of
him.

When Max’s dad goes to confront Sam about the fact that his bull has
been wreaking havoc on their farm, Sam, who is prone to drinking
alcohol, is rude and aggressive. A boy who is there, whom Max assumes to
be Sam’s son, shows obvious signs of neglect and abuse. Before long
Max learns that the boy, whose name is Lucas, is not related to Sam.
When Lucas runs away from home, Max decides to help him escape from the
abusive Sam for good.

Runaway is an accessible, interesting, and well-written story. The
clear writing and detailed descriptions give the reader a good sense of
what rural life in Upper Canada in the 1830s was like. Although this is
a work of historical fiction, the topic of abuse is always an extremely
important one, and in this novel the author deals with it skilfully.
Recommended.