Little House on the East Coast

Those who have grown up in Newfoundland and other parts of Atlantic Canada are aware of our distinct and rich history. We have memories of life before many of today's luxury's.
Thanks to stories and photos from my grandparents are am also aware of a time before mine, where life revolved around fishing and often relocation for many.

I recently had a chance to read a short novel written for youth that had passages that took me back to my youth and back to my grandparents youth.

Wishing Stone and Other Myths: Learned on Gull Cliff Island by J.M.Lavelle may not be written based on a Newfoundland childhood (it is based on the Lower North Shore of Quebec) but the similarities still rang through with me. Especially the part when they moved their house across water to a new home. I have a painting on my wall of this spectacular undertaking as my grandparents lived throughout this.
Imagining the sheer manpower it took to move your house frown to the waterfront, get it on barrels and then have a boat tow it across water, praying every minute that it survived. Is amazing to me. I wish the book had gone into this remarkable feat a little more bit I am glad to see it in there anyways. Youth today may see an episode of "Big Moves" on television and watch amazed as they move houses with trucks and trailers, well how about moving it with none of that? That's amazing, that's our history.
The book moves quickly, weeks, months and years go by, in less than 100 pages, but it has an allure to it to see what life was like back then during the different seasons of the year. It reminded me a little  of a Little House on The Prairie book, Canadian style.

It is refreshing to see a book geared towards tweens that does not have sparkling vampires, hobbits or other imaginary creatures. This book has real history from the first page to the last. The main character in the story, Dot, has to come to terms with many of the pains of growing up that a teenage girl still deals with today; boys, love and finding your true self. She just dealt with then in the 1960's instead.

If you have a tween at home or you are just an individual proud of our heritage, take a look at Wishing Stone and Other Myths: Learned on Gull Cliff Island. You can purchase it at the link below.

http://morningrainpublishing.com/project/the-wishing-stone-and-other-myths/

There is also still time to enter a contest being held by the publisher, act out your favourite scene from the book and send it for submission. Sounds like a great class project for those teachers out there. Here is the link for that

http://morningrainpublishing.com/a-special-wishing-stone-and-other-myths-video-contest/

**I recieved a free copy of the book but the opinions are all my own**