Honor Bound

Lisa Arsenault is a public-school teacher in Ajax, Ontario.

This charming adventure story will delight young readers and adults
alike. It traces the flight of a family of Loyalists from
postrevolutionary Philadelphia, their relocation to a farm in Ontario,
and the trials and accomplishments of their first year there. The reader
is drawn into the story and made to feel a member of the family,
participating initially in the flight from the mob and then in the daily
tasks and chores that will eventually enable them to wrest a viable farm
from the wilderness. To enliven the daily routine there are meetings
with Indians, encounters with unhelpful officialdom, the development of
valuable friendships, the capture of a robber, and even a hunt for
buried treasure. Thirteen-year-old Miles, the main protagonist,
gradually loses his long-cherished ambition to train in Britain as a
soldier as he participates in these experiences and his love for his new
home develops.

Imbued with a high moral tone, this book is, however, never preachy.
Moral precepts, expressed principally through Miles, are expounded
naturally as various issues arise and are dealt with. The book is
adventure-packed and fast-paced. It is replete with historical detail
that crowns it with verisimilitude. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and
highly recommend it to young readers.