Set in 1842 aboard a convict ship for convicted female prisoners, Convictions follows the story of Jennie, a teenage girl convicted for stealing a loaf of moldy bread from a garbage bin. Now she finds herself heading to Australia with no hope of ever seeing her family again.
Meticulously researched and true to the time, this is Judith’s 8th book with Coteau.
Sisters Jennifer and Sarah were once part of a happy, stable family, but their idyllic life comes to an abrupt halt with the death of their mother. Unable to cope with his grief and the needs of his two young daughters, their father finds comfort in alcohol, gets fired from his job, and loses his grip on his family. As twelve-year-old Jennifer approaches maturity, she starts to develop a tough exterior, especially when she attracts unwelcome attention from one of her father’s friends.
With nothing left to lose, the two sisters decide run away to their mother’s sister in Vancouver, setting out with very little money and no clear plan. Along the way, they must overcome fear, loneliness, illness, and the conflict inherent in their sibling relationship. This emotional story deals with mature themes, but it is ultimately about the enduring bonds of family.
An earlier version of this book was published by Roussan in 1999. It was given an “Our Choice” citation from the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, and nominated for a Saskatchewan Book Award in the Children’s Literature category.
Saskatchewan Children's Writers' Round Robin 