Author: Anne Patton
Publisher: Coteau Books
Release Date: May 2011
Winner of the 2009 John V. Hicks Unpublished Long Manuscript Award!
Eleven-year old Dorothy Bolton makes the long journey to the Canadian prairies in 1903 with her parents, her sister Lydia, her brother Frank, and a boatload of new acquaintances. They travel with other Barr Colonists by steam train, steam boat, and another train on their way to settle in the Northwest Territories (now Saskatchewan and Alberta). Reverend Barr has promised them a fertile land with a gentle climate just waiting to welcome them to a new home. But when they get there, things are not quite as rosy as they thought…
Based on diaries and conversations with actual Barr colonists, this book brings the story of the Barr Colony to life for middle-grade readers.
Read more of the story in Dorothy’s own words at Barr Colony Adventures!
Read a review in Canadian Teacher Magazine.
Order from McNalley-Robinson, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Chapters-Indigo.ca, Orca Books, or Coteau Books.
Saskatchewan Children's Writers' Round Robin 
Anne, it looks fabulous! Congratulations! After all that precise work, all that wonderful research, now Dorothy is truly free to fly!
Just finished the book, Anne, and I absolutely loved it. Your character, Dorothy, so reminded me of you. Feisty and fun. What a way to learn history. Thank you. Congrats!
Hey Gabe,
I just read your comment about “Full Steam to Canada” on books4kids. Thanks for the kind words. I’m so happy to have met you, twice now, at the CANSCAIP conference.
Anne