Our Canadian Girl

The Our Canadian Girl Series

OCG: Keeley/Turtle Mountain - Deborah Ellis
After her mother's death, nine-year-old Keeley and her father need a new start. The frontier town of Frank, Alberta seems like a good place: in 1901 there are lots of jobs, as well as plenty of room for Keeley to breathe, play and explore. On a dare from a schoolmate, Keeley decides to investigate one of the few places off limits to children in freewheeling Frank—the coal mine where her father works. But what starts as a game soon becomes a life-threatening adventure...

OCG: Millie/Ride the River - Troon Harrison
With a new baby in the house, Millicent MacCallum's parents need a break. For the summer of 1914 they decide to send her to her aunt and uncle's in the Kawarthas. Millie quickly discovers life in Stoney Lake is quite different than the city. Ojibway Indians, Millie's aunt and cousins teach her about swimming, building a canoe—even how to milk a goat! But her biggest challenge is yet to come. When the lighthouse goes dark can Millie save an incoming ship from the rocky shores?

Emily Book 1: Across the James Bay Bridge
Emily lives with her parents and two sisters in Victoria BC, with the all the comforts middle-class life in 1896 can provide. But her world is shaken when she befriends the family's servant Hing, a Chinese immigrant. As she uncovers the disparities of Hing's life in Chinatown and the tragic story of the family he's left behind in China her heart is changed forever.

Emily Book 2: Disaster at the Bridge
Emily is looking forward to one of her favourite times of the year: the four-day celebration of Queen Victoria's birthday. On May 26, Emily, her family, and friends climb on board streetcars for the ride to Esquimalt to witness the climax of the holiday celebrations. As Car 16 rolls onto the Point Ellice Bridge, the centre span of the bridge collapses, and the streetcar -- packed with more than 120 passengers -- plunges into the Gorge!

Emily Book 3: Building Bridges
When Hing's family finally arrives, Emily becomes fast friends with his daughter Mei Yuk. But as Emily brings Mei Yuk into her social life, she finds some things changing between her and her best friend, Alice. Inspired by her art teacher, a young Emily Carr, Emily learns the importance of staying true to oneself and the meaning of tolerance and friendship.

Marie-Claire Book 1: Dark Spring
It is Montreal's "Dark Spring" of 1885, when smallpox rages through the city. Marie-Claire lives in a humble home with her working-class family. Through Marie-Claire's story, we glimpse the difficulties faced by a family besieged by poverty and disease, and witness one girl's struggle to persevere through the sickness and death of those closest to her. Can she retain her optimism for the future?

Marie-Claire Book 2: A Season of Sorrow
In A Season of Sorrow, Marie-Claire is looking forward to leading a normal life again. Her brother Louis is home from the west, and she's able to go back to school. But then smallpox descends on Montreal, and it seems that no one will be spared -- not even the people that Marie-Claire loves the most. How will she and her family survive?

Marie-Claire Book 3: The Visitors
Marie-Claire is facing the consequences, both good and bad, of her generous offer to house the Linteaus, a family who has lost their home in a fire. While their presence fills the house with the vitality and laughter missing since Emilie's death, it's a small house and there are too many people in it. Marie-Claire decides to take matters into her own hands, with surprising results.

Penelope Book 1: Terror in the Harbour
It is 1917 and Penelope and her little sisters, Emily and Maggie, live with their father in a humble house in Halifax. The girls' mother died giving birth to Maggie the year before, and her father, a building contractor, is left with the task of raising three daughters alone. On the morning of December 6, Penny's father is at work, leaving Penny to get her sisters ready for the day. It is then that a catastrophic explosion rocks Halifax.

Penelope Book 2: The Glass Castle
Although Halifax is in ruins after the explosion, Penny is desperate to stay with her father and sisters, no matter how bad things get. But Papa has made up his mind: Penelope will go to Grandmama in Montreal, and her sisters will go to an aunt in Toronto. But life in Montreal is not what Penny expected. It's a life fit for a princess -- and Penny is definitely not a princess!

Penelope Book 3: An Irish Penny
The Great War in Europe continues to cast its shadow over the world. Penny's Aunt Colleen is constantly worried about her brother, Robert, serving in France. Though Penny is also concerned for her uncle, she has more immediate problems. At a new school -- a posh private academy -- the upper-class girls tease Penny about her poor Irish father. But Penny learns to be proud of her heritage from an unexpected source.

Rachel Book 1: A Mighty Big Imagining
It is 1783 and ten-year-old Rachel and her family have arrived in northern Nova Scotia after escaping slavery in South Carolina. Their joy at their newfound freedom is dashed as they face the challenges of life in a barren land and must fight harsh winter conditions with barely enough food. How will they survive?

Rachel Book 2: The Maybe House
In The Maybe House, Rachel's wish for a real house to call her own is granted, thanks to her stepfather Titan's hard work. And her determination to learn to read and write also begins to bear fruit. But these wonderful accomplishments are tenuous at best, for the atmosphere in Shelbourne, Nova Scotia, is an increasingly intolerant one, as Rachel's neighbours begin to look with resentment on the newcomers.

Rachel Book 3: Certificate of Freedom
Racial tensions are at a boiling point in Shelbourne, Nova Scotia, as delisted white soldiers become desperate for work. On the pretense of checking their certificates for freedom, one such soldier spirits Rachel and her mother away and sells them back into servitude. Determined to reclaim her freedom and her home, Rachel plots her escape, with the help of a most unlikely ally.

Elizabeth Book 1: Bless This House
When the Acadians are deported from their land by the British in 1762, Elizabeth and her family are offered one of their farms in Nova Scotia. Elizabeth is deeply unhappy about leaving her home in New England but the beauty of the Annapolis Valley soon wins her over. Her misgivings return, however, when she discovers that someone is stealing eggs and milk from the farm and, much worse, that Acadians are imprisoned in barracks nearby. Will she be able to fight injustice?

Ellen Book 1: Hobo Jungle
In Depression-era Vancouver, times are tough. It is 1939 and Ellen's dad has lost his job, forcing Ellen and her family to move to cramped quarters with her grumpy grandfather. Living far away from her friends, with little to entertain her and few luxuries, Ellen is lonely and frustrated with her lot in life. But Ellen's view of things changes when she meets a hobo, who teaches her the true meaning of generosity and goodwill.

Angelique Book 1: Buffalo Hunt
It's 1865, and Angelique, a ten-year-old Métis girl, is getting ready for the annual buffalo hunt on the prairies. This year's hunt will be special because Angelique is now old enough to participate alongside the grownups. Excited, and a little bit scared, she knows it will be hard work, with new and important responsibilities. Just how important becomes clear on the day Angelique wanders off exploring and finds herself in the middle of a buffalo stampede. The consequences to her, and to everyone else taking part in the hunt, may well be costly.

Izzie Book 1: The Christmas That Almost Wasn't
It's 1941, and Izzie and her family are preparing for a very special Christmas. With all the soldiers, sailors and ships crowding into nearby Halifax, World War II seems especially close at hand. Despite the hardships of war, Izzie's extended family is coming to stay for the holidays and Izzie, her little brother and their friends have been placed in charge of making Christmas decorations. When a terrible storm threatens to spoil the festivities, Izzie decides it is up to her to save Christmas -- for everyone!

Lisa Book 1: Overland to Cariboo
It's 1862, and an expedition is making the perilous journey to the west coast of Canada, where gold has been discovered. At Fort Garry (now Winnipeg), ten-year-old Lisa, an orphan, joins the group with her aunt, uncle, and cousins. As Lisa and her family battle their way across the prairies and over the mountains to the goldfields of Cariboo, they encounter terrible hardships -- and learn how important they are to one another.

Margit Book 1: Home Free
It is 1944, and Margit and her mother, who have fled from war-torn Czechoslovakia, are refugees in Canada. They are Jews, and although life is difficult in this unfamiliar land, they know it would have been much, much worse had they stayed behind. Margit manages to make some new friends but she cannot help wondering what will happen to her when the war ends. And what has become of her father, who was taken away by the Nazis?