The Adventures of Amos Elliot, Loyalist

Al Stray is manager of the Port Credit Public Library.

Amos Elliot is the twelve-year-old son of a loyalist from New Hampshire. The family and their like-minded friends and neighbours have left their homes, farms, and jobs to seek a new beginning in Nova Scotia. While sailing on the “Betsy Ann,” both parents die within hours of each other, leaving Amos facing an uncertain future in the spring of 1783. Fellow passengers decide to share responsibility for the boy’s welfare, and one family is chosen to look after Amos for one year.

A slip of paper drawn from a hat decides his immediate future. Of all the families on board, the Carters are the last ones he wants to be with; the feeling is mutual. Guess whose name is drawn? How will Amos cope with a demanding foster father and three tormenting foster brothers? Adding to his woes is a missing family heirloom. The locked, carved mahogany box contains his only link with his parents, a miniature painting of them. Audrey Marsh’s book is really a long short story that provides young readers with a realistic glimpse of eighteenth century pioneer life. While it may be hard to identify with the living conditions of long ago, the antics of the Carter boys are timeless. Attention to historical detail and a familiarity with nature are evident throughout.

Packed with adventure and suspense, this book is proof that Canadian history is anything but boring.