Alfred Silver,
The Boy Kelsey
Great Plains Teen Fiction, 2009
Rating: G*
Henry Kelsey, known as the Boy Kelsey is a few years short of being a man and works as an apprentice for the Hudson’s Bay Company. He’s sent out as part of an expedition to reach more Natives in view of having more of them trade their furs at York, and was chosen to do this essentially because he is expendable. The expedition proves to be a turning point in his life. Among the Native tribes the Boy Kelsey matures a man. He meets a woman, becomes a father and embraces his new country.
Used as part of a Social Studies or History curriculum this short novel would give students an idea of life in Canada at the time. It provides a perspective on what this country was like prior to the influx of immigrants and settlements, and an interesting perspective on the fur trade. Imagine being in Canada in the late 1600’s, seeing the country when Native tribes lived as they had for centuries and only a few fortifications existed where the Europeans settled to trade for furs.
The main concern about this book is that Silver touches only lightly on the prevalent racism. He mentions that Natives were not allowed in the Fort but does not go into some of the more nefarious practices and mistreatments on the part of the Europeans. Silver does, however provide some notes at the end to discuss his research for this book.
Alfred Silver is an accomplished renaissance man. An actor, musician, and author, he’s written several books for adults and teens, plays, radio scripts and more. He won the Thomas H. Raddall Awardfor his novel Acadia and the Manitoba Historical Society’s Margaret McWilliams Award for A Place Out of Time.
Thematic Links : Canadian History; Fur Trade; Native People
Denise Corey
Vol. 15, number 1
October 2009
*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.
|
Reviews from Resource Link, Canada
