Congratulations to Sharon Plumb, whose book The Mystery of the Giant Kohlrabi has won a Silver Moonbeam Award in the category of Pre-Teen Fiction: Mystery! The same book was also a finalist in the 2022 High Plains Book Awards in the category of Children’s Literature.
Author: Anne Patton
Publisher: Coteau Books
In this third installment of the Barr Colony Adventures, Dorothy and her family are living in a sod hut on a homestead near what is now Lloydminster. They have crossed an ocean by ship, a continent by train, and a prairie by horse-drawn cart. But they have no idea how harsh a prairie winter can be. When Dorothy’s Dad goes to Edmonton to work for the winter and her brother Frank away in Battleford to buy supplies, Dorothy, Lydia and Mam must fend for themselves in the winter storm. If only their sod house wasn’t letting in so much of the cold…
Based on a true story, this book is a riveting ending to the Bolton family’s adventures on the Saskatchewan prairies.
The previous books in this series were Full Steam to Canada and Through Flood and Fire.
For more about Dorothy and her previous adventures, see the Barr Colony Adventures website.
Available now! For where to buy, see the Coteau Books website.
Three books by three Robins have been included in the current #WeHaveDiverseBooks catalogue – an initiative of the Association of Canadian Publishers’ Top Grade: CanLit for the Classroom program.
The books are:
Congratulations to Anne Patton and Judith Silverthorne, whose books have both been awarded 2015 Moonbeam awards!
Anne’s book Through Flood and Fire won a Silver medal in the Pre-Teen Fiction–Historical/Cultural category. Judith’s book Honouring the Buffalo won a Silver medal in the Environmental Issues category.
Author: Anne Patton
Publisher: Coteau Books
Release Date: August 2015
Through Flood and Fire is the sequel to Anne’s first Barr Colony Adventure, Full Steam to Canada!
In the first book, Dorothy’s family makes the arduous journey to the Canadian Northwest Territories as part of the Barr Colony group in 1903. When the rest of her family falls seasick on the journey, Dorothy experiences freedom she has never had before. When they arrive in Canada, they take the train to the tent city of Saskatoon. Things are different than in England – even getting the small things like food and water takes a lot of work– but Dorothy is excited about the adventure and her new life.
In the second book, her family is ready to make the final leg of their journey from Saskatoon to their new homestead, several days’ travel away by horse-drawn wagon. Unfortunately, there is an outbreak of measles in the camp, and Dorothy’s mother has to stay behind. So Dorothy sets out with the rest of her family and a few other people they met on the first part of their journey. It’s a good thing Dorothy has grit, because they will face many daunting adventures before they can build their new home.
These stories are based on the recollections of Dorothy Boan, who came to Canada as a child with the Barr Colonists, and the diaries of some of the other people who were there. To see some of Anne’s research and hear Dorothy’s further thoughts on the journeys, check out Anne’s Barr Colony Adventure website.
Buy Through Flood and Fire as a print or e-book at:
A Swift Current teacher has put together a video showcasing all 10 books nominated for the 2012 Willow Awards. Included are Anne Patton‘s Full Steam to Canada! and Judith Silverthorne‘s Ghosts of Government House.
Congratulations to the following Robins, whose books have been shortlisted for the 2012 Saskatchewan Book Awards!
The Award Gala takes place on April 28. Best of luck, Robins!
Authors: Anne Patton and Wilfred Burton
Illustrator: Sherry Farrell Racette
Publisher: Gabriel Dumont Institute, 2011
Book 3 in the trilogy: Fiddle Dancer, Dancing In My Bones, Call of the Fiddle.
Call of the Fiddle is the third and final book in the trilogy of a young boy as he learns to embrace his Métis heritage through storytelling, family love, and jigging. It follows Fiddle Dancer and Dancing in My Bones.
Order from McNalley-Robinson or The Gabriel Dumont Institute.
Saskatchewan Children's Writers' Round Robin 