With soldiers evicting the ill and unemployed, the Quinlans are forced to accept the offer of a passage to Canada. Appalling conditions onboard contribute to many deaths so that by the time they reach Grosse Île, Quebec, Bridget and her sister are alone in the world. The two are adopted by a kind farming family and gradually settle into their new life. After all the sadness and loss, a surprising turn of events brings them lasting joy.
Dorothy Perkyns is the author of Last Days in Africville, which was nominated for the Silver Birch Award, the Red Cedar Award, the Diamond Willow Award, the Hackmatack Award, and the CLA Children's Book of the Year. She is also the author of Rachel's Revolution, which won the Geoffrey Bilson Award in 1989. She lives in Blandford, Nova Scotia.