Wild Bird

by Leanne Baugh

Overview

In the opening pages of this historical novel, sixteen-year-old Kate Harding is desperately trying to assist her mother who is about to give premature birth to a child in their home in the small colonial community of Victoria in 1861.The experience is gruelling for mother and daughter, and in the end, though a local midwife gets there in time to assist, the baby does not live more than a few hours. It's ironic because Kate's father is one of only a few doctors in the colony, but was out tending patients while his wife was going through this tragic ordeal.

Though Wild Bird is set 160 years ago, it has a lot to say to the readers of today. First of all, in its spotlight on a young girl's yearning to involve herself in meaningful work in a society that thinks women are little more than decoration, and household managers. Secondly, in the description of the way in which Indigenous people relate to the recently arrived settlers who are quick to turn on them when it suits. Finally, the story includes some historical figures who made a significant impact on the early history of Canada, portrayed in dynamic ways.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780889956360
Publisher:	Red Deer Press
Publication date:	04/22/2021
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.81(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Leanne Baugh is a former screen-writer and the author of two young adult novels, including Last Words published by Red Deer in 2019 and The Story of My Face in 2018. She lives in Victoria, BC.

Editorial Reviews

2021-03-31
In 1861, a young woman has few choices.

Sixteen-year-old Kate Harding, whose family left London for the colony of Victoria on Vancouver Island, has passions for reading and everything medical. She aspires to help her father, a physician, but the family has fallen on hard times, and her mother’s plan is to marry her off to a wealthy Irish Catholic businessman twice Kate’s age. Sister Mary, a nun at her school, nurtures Kate’s intellectual curiosity with a steady supply of books and tells her about Elizabeth Blackwell, a woman who graduated medical school in New York. Meanwhile, 14-year-old Lucy, the new housemaid from the nearby Songish tribe, becomes a friend and ally. When she learns from Lucy that Native women—in a society Kate’s White European community considers inferior—can be healers, Kate further questions gender restrictions she’s been taught. Then smallpox arrives, bringing devastation. This story offers readers a snapshot of life during the gold rush in British Columbia, including the intense bigotry faced by Black and Indigenous people as well as the devastating effects of colonizers’ alcohol and disease. Modern readers may feel frustrated with Kate’s occasional passivity, which is understandable given the norms of the time; overall, Lucy comes across as the more compelling character. This novel resonates with both sadness and hope, and the past comes alive with connections to today’s issues.

A touching story of a teen’s determination to find the power inside her. (map, historical notes, author interview) (Historical fiction. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews