Michael turned fourteen in May. By June both his parents are dead, victims of a car crash. For Michael, who has lived all his life in a small Newfoundland outpost community, this means being suddenly uprooted and sent to live with relatives in St. Albert, a city hundreds of miles away.
Sent to live with relatives after his parents are killed, 14-year-old Michael finds his uncle intolerable. When he runs away, his cousin accompanies ...
Michael turned fourteen in May. By June both his parents are dead, victims of a car crash. For Michael, who has lived all his life in a small Newfoundland outpost community, this means being suddenly uprooted and sent to live with relatives in St. Albert, a city hundreds of miles away.
Sent to live with relatives after his parents are killed, 14-year-old Michael finds his uncle intolerable. When he runs away, his cousin accompanies him.
"A classic innocent who sometimes sounds like a sort of Newfoundland Holden Caulfield, Michael is more than redeemed as a character by the directness and strength of his emotions . . . Major projects all the actions as Michael experiences it, with the same directness and vigor." — Kirkus Reviews
Children's Literature
Michael stubbornly attempts to holdfast to his dreams in the face of displacement, rejection, loneliness, and ridicule that he experiences after the unexpected death of his parents. In this story set in Newfoundland, the adolescent protagonist is banished to little-known relatives in a distant city, away from his younger brother, beloved grandfather, admired family and friends and away from the traditional culture of the village where hunting, fishing, swimming, and riding skidoos are daily ritual. The story, told from Michael's point of view, exposes to readers to a multitude of themes dealing with issues that cause him to rebel and literally plow through in his own way. There are tender times as Michael develops new relationships with his cousin Curtis and classmate Brenda. The humorous tone keeps the tempo upbeat in spite of the trials and tribulations that plague his coming-of-age. Author Kevin Major originally wrote the book in 1978; Ironically, the issues addressed are still prominent among teens twenty-five years later. Profanity and sexual content may make the book inappropriate for less mature readers. 2003 (orig. 1978), Groundwood Book, Ages 13 to 18.
—Barbara Troisi
Kevin Major is one of the best Canadian writers of his generation, and in 1992 he won the Vicky Metcalf Award for a Body of Work. He has written ten novels, many of which have been translated into other languages. His books include Hold Fast (Hans Christian Andersen Honor List, winner of the Governor General's Literary Award, the Canadian Library Association Award and the Ruth Schwartz Award), Far from Shore (winner of the Canadian Young Adult Book Award), and The House of Wooden Santas (Mr. Christie's Book Award and the Ann Connor Brimer Award). Most recently, Ann and Seamus was shortlisted for eight book awards including the Governor General's Award. Kevin lives in St. John's, Newfoundland.
Overview
Sent to live with relatives after his parents are killed, 14-year-old Michael finds his uncle intolerable. When he runs away, his cousin accompanies ...