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list price: $2.99
edition:Paperback
category: Fiction
published: Jun 2015
ISBN:9781771454216
publisher: Books We Love Ltd.
imprint: Canadian Books We Love

West to the Bay

by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

tagged: historical, Canadian Studies, Language Arts, History, Race, Colour, Ethnic Origin
Description

In 1750, Thomas Gunn, along with three friends, join the Hudson's Bay Company and sail from Stromness on the Orkney Islands of northern Scotland to York Factory fort on Hudson's Bay. They believe they are starting a new and exciting life in what is called Rupert's Land, but tragedy follows them, striking for the first time on the ship.

At the fort Thomas finds his older brother, Edward, who had joined four years earlier. He also meets Little Bird, sister of Edward's wife, and her family. During the first year Thomas takes part in the goose

and duck hunts, the fishing, the woodcutting, Guy Fawkes Day, the Christmas celebrations, and the burial of a friend. He also deals with the snowfall, the cold, the boredom, and a suicide, and learns how to survive in the lonely and sometimes inhospitable land.

About the Author

Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

Contributor Notes

Joan Donaldson-Yarmey likes to travel and has written seven travel books, the research for which took her throughout Alberta, B.C., the Yukon, and Alaska. She has now switched to fiction writing andhas published three novels in her Travelling Detective Series. She lives on a small acreage in the Alberni Valley on Vancouver Island. Follow her blog here:

http://thetravellingdetectiveseries.blogspot.com/

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
Age:
14 to 18
Grade:
5 to 12
Editorial Reviews

"I can't imagine many boys at fifteen years of age leaving their families to go work overseas in a foreign land on the other side of the world for five years. Yet they did in the 1700's. So begins Thomas Gunn's journey into manhood. Meanwhile native girl, Little Bird, is old enough to become married and must begin picking a husband soon and starting her family, only none of the native men appeal to her. So begins the love between these two, what we would call kids today, but back then were already adults in a harsh world that left no room for the weak....A must read for historical buffs, be prepared to be thrust into a past that created strong characters, where survival was never remotely guaranteed and where finding your true love even harder. " Frank Talaber, Author of Raven's Lament


I can't imagine many boys at fifteen years of age leaving their families to go work overseas in a foreign land on the other side of the world for five years. Yet they did in the 1700's. So begins Thomas Gunn's journey into manhood. Meanwhile native girl, Little Bird, is old enough to become married and must begin picking a husband soon and starting her family, only none of the native men appeal to her. So begins the love between these two, what we would call kids today, but back then were already adults in a harsh world that left no room for the weak. Joan does excellent at portraying the two very different worlds, both long gone and the bitter reality of the 1700's and even better at the blossoming love between Little Bird and Thomas. A must read for historical buffs, be prepared to be thrust into a past that created strong characters, where survival was never remotely guaranteed and where finding your true love even harder.

— Frank Talaber, Author of Raven's Lament

I have visited Churchill on the Hudson Bay and this book took me back 300 years to what it was like? A good read cannot put it down

— Reader

I have visited Churchill on the Hudson Bay and this book took me back 300 years to what it was like? A good read cannot put it down

— Reader

I have visited Churchill on the Hudson Bay and this book took me back 300 years to what it was like? A good read cannot put it down

— Reader

I can't imagine many boys at fifteen years of age leaving their families to go work overseas in a foreign land on the other side of the world for five years. Yet they did in the 1700's. So begins Thomas Gunn's journey into manhood. Meanwhile native girl, Little Bird, is old enough to become married and must begin picking a husband soon and starting her family, only none of the native men appeal to her. So begins the love between these two, what we would call kids today, but back then were already adults in a harsh world that left no room for the weak. Joan does excellent at portraying the two very different worlds, both long gone and the bitter reality of the 1700's and even better at the blossoming love between Little Bird and Thomas. A must read for historical buffs, be prepared to be thrust into a past that created strong characters, where survival was never remotely guaranteed and where finding your true love even harder.

— Frank Talaber, Author of Raven's Lament

I can't imagine many boys at fifteen years of age leaving their families to go work overseas in a foreign land on the other side of the world for five years. Yet they did in the 1700's. So begins Thomas Gunn's journey into manhood. Meanwhile native girl, Little Bird, is old enough to become married and must begin picking a husband soon and starting her family, only none of the native men appeal to her. So begins the love between these two, what we would call kids today, but back then were already adults in a harsh world that left no room for the weak. Joan does excellent at portraying the two very different worlds, both long gone and the bitter reality of the 1700's and even better at the blossoming love between Little Bird and Thomas. A must read for historical buffs, be prepared to be thrust into a past that created strong characters, where survival was never remotely guaranteed and where finding your true love even harder.

— Frank Talaber, Author of Raven's Lament

I can't imagine many boys at fifteen years of age leaving their families to go work overseas in a foreign land on the other side of the world for five years. Yet they did in the 1700's. So begins Thomas Gunn's journey into manhood. Meanwhile native girl, Little Bird, is old enough to become married and must begin picking a husband soon and starting her family, only none of the native men appeal to her. So begins the love between these two, what we would call kids today, but back then were already adults in a harsh world that left no room for the weak. Joan does excellent at portraying the two very different worlds, both long gone and the bitter reality of the 1700's and even better at the blossoming love between Little Bird and Thomas. A must read for historical buffs, be prepared to be thrust into a past that created strong characters, where survival was never remotely guaranteed and where finding your true love even harder.

— Frank Talaber, Author of Raven's Lament

I can't imagine many boys at fifteen years of age leaving their families to go work overseas in a foreign land on the other side of the world for five years. Yet they did in the 1700's. So begins Thomas Gunn's journey into manhood. Meanwhile native girl, Little Bird, is old enough to become married and must begin picking a husband soon and starting her family, only none of the native men appeal to her. So begins the love between these two, what we would call kids today, but back then were already adults in a harsh world that left no room for the weak. Joan does excellent at portraying the two very different worlds, both long gone and the bitter reality of the 1700's and even better at the blossoming love between Little Bird and Thomas. A must read for historical buffs, be prepared to be thrust into a past that created strong characters, where survival was never remotely guaranteed and where finding your true love even harder.

— Frank Talaber, Author of Raven's Lament

Annotations

Top  Grade
Librarian review

West to the Bay

In 1750, Thomas Gunn, along with three friends, join the Hudson's Bay Company and sail from Stromness on the Orkney Islands of northern Scotland to York Factory fort on Hudson's Bay. They believe they are starting a new and exciting life in what is called Rupert's Land, but tragedy follows them, striking for the first time on the ship. At the fort Thomas finds his older brother, Edward, who had joined four years earlier.

Learning what the world was like almost four hundred years ago can be challenging for students to grasp. In this book, young adult readers will learn about the working conditions of the York Factory fort, survival, and the long ago relationships with indigenous peoples. The book is a story of courage and perseverance.

Author available for class visits.

Source: Association of Canadian Publishers. Top Grade Selection 2016.

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