Bill Freeman has created a lively group of characters as a way to teach young readers about a difficult and poorly known chapter of Canadian history. Time is spent not only on the racial unrest of the times but also on examining the minutiae of prairie life and homesteading. The details are exact and take up a good deal of the book, making it an exacting and initially very slow-moving read. The historical details, together with the daily life of the Bains as they make a home for themselves on the bare Manitoba prairie, help bring young readers a sense of the difficulties faced and would make the book a good accompaniment to a module about homesteading or early life on the Prairies. As the Bains' routine becomes more manageable, the subplot of racial relations speeds up. This leads to a rousing and satisfactory conclusion while opening new storylines for the next book in the series.

Recommended.