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Dear Canada
A Prairie as Wide as the Sea: The Immigrant Diary of Ivy Weatherall
Ivy Weatherall and her family leave a comfortable life in London for the promised riches of Canada's expanding West. Expecting to make their fortunes on Uncle Alf's ranch, the Weatheralls are shocked to find themselves living in a sod hut on a rented farm. Ivy is determined to taste life to the fullest, whatever hardships she may encounter. Writing in her diary, she recounts learning the new skills expected of a young farm girl. She struggles to help the family survive, but ultimately learns that responsibility brings its rewards.
205 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2001
About the author
Sarah Ellis
108books40followersWriter, columnist, and librarian Sarah Ellis has become one of the best-known authors for young adults in her native Canada with titles such as The Baby Project, Pick-Up Sticks, and Back of Beyond: Stories of the Supernatural. In addition to young adult novels, Ellis has also written for younger children and has authored several books about the craft of writing. Praised by Booklist contributor Hazel Rochman as "one of the best children's literature critics," Ellis "writes without condescension or pedantry.... Her prose is a delight: plain, witty, practical, wise."
Ellis was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 1952, the youngest of three children in her family. As she once noted, "[My] joy in embroidering the truth probably comes from my own childhood. My father was a rich mine of anecdotes and jokes. He knew more variations on the 'once there were three men in a rowboat' joke than anyone I've encountered since.
Ellis was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 1952, the youngest of three children in her family. As she once noted, "[My] joy in embroidering the truth probably comes from my own childhood. My father was a rich mine of anecdotes and jokes. He knew more variations on the 'once there were three men in a rowboat' joke than anyone I've encountered since.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
April 10, 2021
I am back on “kid row” with a wonderful “diary” that gives us a year (1926-27) in the life of a ‘tween-age’ English emigrant to the farming land of Canada.
At the start of this book we find the Weatherall family already packed and on their way to the ship that will take them from England to Canada. We see everything: family, friends, occasions, tragedies, and triumphs through the eyes of 11 year old, Ivy’s diary entries.
“I’m thinking of the story of the country mouse and the city mouse. I used to be the city mouse...I knew about the Underground, and feeding pennies in the meter for the gas and where the mummies are in the British Museum. But now I’m a country mouse and I know about milking and churning and chickens.”
But that knowledge doesn’t come from owning a farm. The Weatheralls are betting that the advertisements are right and that they can find a better life in southern Manitoba and get that farm of their own. Their skill sets don’t quite match what rural Manitoba needs but they are all willing to learn.
Sarah Ellis is very talented in putting us in the Ivy’s world. We come to understand this time and place in Canada. We learn how the language is different and challenging from the English of England. There are other differences, from manners to celebrations. But Ivy’s observations are down-to-earth and entertaining, as well as enlightening.
“The Weatherall family just got eight times bigger. Fifty chickens have arrived.”
“Woke up to the sound of the cock crowing. Whoever thought cocks said cock a doodle do? More like a rusty hinge on a door ending with the sound of somebody being strangled.”
It’s the many little touches in the authentic voice that Ellis gives us that makes it all work.
“Mr. Burgess gave William the bottom of a big tin of peanut butter. It was a bit dried up and he couldn’t sell it. But if you mix it with syrup it is just fine. Mother and Dad don’t like peanut butter. They think it too strange…Which is fine with me because I love it. On bread, toast and my finger. Almost as good as doughnuts and pumpkin pie.”
There are plenty of similarities with comparable life in 1920s America, but there are differences as well.
* This book is part of the Dear Canada series of young girl diaries. There is a comparable set for the USA.
At the start of this book we find the Weatherall family already packed and on their way to the ship that will take them from England to Canada. We see everything: family, friends, occasions, tragedies, and triumphs through the eyes of 11 year old, Ivy’s diary entries.
“I’m thinking of the story of the country mouse and the city mouse. I used to be the city mouse...I knew about the Underground, and feeding pennies in the meter for the gas and where the mummies are in the British Museum. But now I’m a country mouse and I know about milking and churning and chickens.”
But that knowledge doesn’t come from owning a farm. The Weatheralls are betting that the advertisements are right and that they can find a better life in southern Manitoba and get that farm of their own. Their skill sets don’t quite match what rural Manitoba needs but they are all willing to learn.
Sarah Ellis is very talented in putting us in the Ivy’s world. We come to understand this time and place in Canada. We learn how the language is different and challenging from the English of England. There are other differences, from manners to celebrations. But Ivy’s observations are down-to-earth and entertaining, as well as enlightening.
“The Weatherall family just got eight times bigger. Fifty chickens have arrived.”
“Woke up to the sound of the cock crowing. Whoever thought cocks said cock a doodle do? More like a rusty hinge on a door ending with the sound of somebody being strangled.”
It’s the many little touches in the authentic voice that Ellis gives us that makes it all work.
“Mr. Burgess gave William the bottom of a big tin of peanut butter. It was a bit dried up and he couldn’t sell it. But if you mix it with syrup it is just fine. Mother and Dad don’t like peanut butter. They think it too strange…Which is fine with me because I love it. On bread, toast and my finger. Almost as good as doughnuts and pumpkin pie.”
There are plenty of similarities with comparable life in 1920s America, but there are differences as well.
* This book is part of the Dear Canada series of young girl diaries. There is a comparable set for the USA.
August 1, 2020
Although Sarah Ellis does of course inA Prairie as Wide as the Sea: The Immigrant Diary of Ivy Weatherallalso detail many of the problems immigrating can cause and create (and yes, even if one is moving to a country where there actually is not supposed to be a so-called language barrier, since Ivy and her family are moving from England to Canada in 1926 because there are fewer and fewer acceptable job opportunities and prospects in post WWI England), I also and equally do very much appreciate that Sarah Ellis has Ivy’s imagined journal entries not be a continuous litany of doom and gloom, thatA Prairie as Wide as the Sea: The Immigrant Diary of Ivy Weatherallpresents a nicely balanced combination of positives and negatives, and yes, that many of Ivy’s fictional musings are actually often quite hopeful and even imbued with a delightful sense of humour (and totally age appropriate as well, as most appreciatively, Ivy’s Diary voice feels like that of a tween girl and not like Sarah Ellis masquerading as a young diarist).
And no,A Prairie as Wide as the Sea: The Immigrant Diary of Ivy Weatherallis also NEVER just absolute optimism and positivity either (since Ivy does experience language based cultural shock as she discovers that many typically British words either do not exist in Canadian English or have entirely different meanings, that there is a definite and palpable undercurrent of animosity towards the British in 1920s Saskatchewan and that the uncle with whom the Weatheralls are supposed to be living does not in fact own a ranch but is barely scraping by, even necessitating Ivy's father and brother to have to take menial jobs in order for them to help pay the uncle's many unpaid debts). But unlike those immigration stories that tend to just focus on portraying problems and misery, Sarah Ellis has her Ivy Weatherall also (and even in my opinion mostly) present her fictional journal entries as something inherently optimistic, with both curiosity and interest regarding the family's new life on the Canadian prairies and with the negatives also never being depicted as something insurmountable but as obstacles that can and should be embraced and dealt with.
And yes, the only reason why my rating forA Prairie as Wide as the Sea: The Immigrant Diary of Ivy Weatherallis three and not yet four stars is that I personally do think the story that Ivy tells in her diary about her best friend Elizabeth Muller's brother Gerhard (and him running away from home to become a musician) is kind of allowed to just fizzle out and to not go anywhere (in other words, I would definitely have wanted a bit more information about Gerhard and that there suddenly are no more diary entries about the Mullers at the end ofA Prairie as Wide as the Sea: The Immigrant Diary of Ivy Weatherall,this does feel a bit annoying, as though the thread has just been allowed to completely disappear, as even in the epilogue, none of the Mullers are mentioned by Sarah Ellis). But this little personal annoyance notwithstanding, I do still highly recommendA Prairie as Wide as the Sea: The Immigrant Diary of Ivy Weatherallas both a delightful instalment in theDear Canadaseries and yes also as an immigration to North America, to Canada account that does not dwell too much on the terrible and on the negative.
And no,A Prairie as Wide as the Sea: The Immigrant Diary of Ivy Weatherallis also NEVER just absolute optimism and positivity either (since Ivy does experience language based cultural shock as she discovers that many typically British words either do not exist in Canadian English or have entirely different meanings, that there is a definite and palpable undercurrent of animosity towards the British in 1920s Saskatchewan and that the uncle with whom the Weatheralls are supposed to be living does not in fact own a ranch but is barely scraping by, even necessitating Ivy's father and brother to have to take menial jobs in order for them to help pay the uncle's many unpaid debts). But unlike those immigration stories that tend to just focus on portraying problems and misery, Sarah Ellis has her Ivy Weatherall also (and even in my opinion mostly) present her fictional journal entries as something inherently optimistic, with both curiosity and interest regarding the family's new life on the Canadian prairies and with the negatives also never being depicted as something insurmountable but as obstacles that can and should be embraced and dealt with.
And yes, the only reason why my rating forA Prairie as Wide as the Sea: The Immigrant Diary of Ivy Weatherallis three and not yet four stars is that I personally do think the story that Ivy tells in her diary about her best friend Elizabeth Muller's brother Gerhard (and him running away from home to become a musician) is kind of allowed to just fizzle out and to not go anywhere (in other words, I would definitely have wanted a bit more information about Gerhard and that there suddenly are no more diary entries about the Mullers at the end ofA Prairie as Wide as the Sea: The Immigrant Diary of Ivy Weatherall,this does feel a bit annoying, as though the thread has just been allowed to completely disappear, as even in the epilogue, none of the Mullers are mentioned by Sarah Ellis). But this little personal annoyance notwithstanding, I do still highly recommendA Prairie as Wide as the Sea: The Immigrant Diary of Ivy Weatherallas both a delightful instalment in theDear Canadaseries and yes also as an immigration to North America, to Canada account that does not dwell too much on the terrible and on the negative.
December 13, 2018
This book was so adorably funny! But it made me cry too. Like I was laughing with tears running down my cheeks. Luckily, I was hidden in my room under my blankets so no one saw me in this embarrassing state.
I will be honest. When I first saw the cover, with a very vintage photograph of a girl, and the long title, I thought this book would be boring and like a non-fiction biography. I was mistaken, and thus I give you a piece of advice: "Never judge a book by its cover" (or its title, for that matter)! 😜
The story is about Ivy Weatherall and her family's immigration to Canada from England. When I read about Ivy's "Secret promise", I knew that I had yet again met another kindred spirit. And I was only on the 2nd page of the book.
I liked Ivy's father right away. And I found him even funnier when he kept singing about the blacksmith and his "ding, ding, ding," and Ivy's Mother got annoyed and "said she'd ding ding ding him if he didn't leave off." This part showed that there was humour in this family and I like humourous families.
Ivy's private thoughts are the funniest. For example, she writes: "Very last thing, a bit private. In the outhouse (Canadian word) there is a catalogue from the T. Eaton Company. You can read it and then you tear out a page and use it for loo paper. Is that what everybody uses in Canada?"😂
I almost got a stitch in my side from laughing over Ivy's "Cotton confusion". There are so many funny things that I want to remember and keep, but I don't own the book so 😕. The whole book was so delightful. And I want to read the other Dear Canada books.
"Woke up to the sound of the cock crowing. Whoever thought cocks said 'Cock a doodle doo'? More like a rusty hinge on a door ending with the sound of somebody being strangled."🤣 She is so right. I know, because we've got roosters.
This is Ivy's explanation for "being sweet" on someone. "I think being sweet on somebody is like some sort of influenza that causes a person to be stupid."
I got weepy when reading about the hailstorm, but I was laughing again right after that when she puts strawberry jam on William's toe, thinking it will work as a "cooling poultice". And I really agree with her "Thoughts on Mosquitoes".
When Ivy is left alone with the twins on moving day and there is a snowstorm, she is very brave and "resourceful". But I got all weepy again, along with the family. Do you know what I love about the Weatherall family? They know how to be together, laugh together, cry together, even their dad, and they're not shy about their emotions in front of each other. I wish our family was like that. We always hide our hurt and cry in private and treat each other "with cold disdain" when things aren't right.
I was pretty much amazed that 12-year-old Ivy was able to help her mother with midwifing. She is a strong-nerved girl. I don't think I'd have been able to do it even now. The first time I witnessed one of our ewes lambing, I started to cry because she was in pain and I couldn't comfort her, and I didn't know what to do. 😏 And I wanted to be a doctor. Sometimes, I think we never really know what we want to be.
I loved, loved, loved this book.
I will be honest. When I first saw the cover, with a very vintage photograph of a girl, and the long title, I thought this book would be boring and like a non-fiction biography. I was mistaken, and thus I give you a piece of advice: "Never judge a book by its cover" (or its title, for that matter)! 😜
The story is about Ivy Weatherall and her family's immigration to Canada from England. When I read about Ivy's "Secret promise", I knew that I had yet again met another kindred spirit. And I was only on the 2nd page of the book.
I liked Ivy's father right away. And I found him even funnier when he kept singing about the blacksmith and his "ding, ding, ding," and Ivy's Mother got annoyed and "said she'd ding ding ding him if he didn't leave off." This part showed that there was humour in this family and I like humourous families.
Ivy's private thoughts are the funniest. For example, she writes: "Very last thing, a bit private. In the outhouse (Canadian word) there is a catalogue from the T. Eaton Company. You can read it and then you tear out a page and use it for loo paper. Is that what everybody uses in Canada?"😂
I almost got a stitch in my side from laughing over Ivy's "Cotton confusion". There are so many funny things that I want to remember and keep, but I don't own the book so 😕. The whole book was so delightful. And I want to read the other Dear Canada books.
"Woke up to the sound of the cock crowing. Whoever thought cocks said 'Cock a doodle doo'? More like a rusty hinge on a door ending with the sound of somebody being strangled."🤣 She is so right. I know, because we've got roosters.
This is Ivy's explanation for "being sweet" on someone. "I think being sweet on somebody is like some sort of influenza that causes a person to be stupid."
I got weepy when reading about the hailstorm, but I was laughing again right after that when she puts strawberry jam on William's toe, thinking it will work as a "cooling poultice". And I really agree with her "Thoughts on Mosquitoes".
When Ivy is left alone with the twins on moving day and there is a snowstorm, she is very brave and "resourceful". But I got all weepy again, along with the family. Do you know what I love about the Weatherall family? They know how to be together, laugh together, cry together, even their dad, and they're not shy about their emotions in front of each other. I wish our family was like that. We always hide our hurt and cry in private and treat each other "with cold disdain" when things aren't right.
I was pretty much amazed that 12-year-old Ivy was able to help her mother with midwifing. She is a strong-nerved girl. I don't think I'd have been able to do it even now. The first time I witnessed one of our ewes lambing, I started to cry because she was in pain and I couldn't comfort her, and I didn't know what to do. 😏 And I wanted to be a doctor. Sometimes, I think we never really know what we want to be.
I loved, loved, loved this book.
March 10, 2020
Ivy Weatherall, of London, England, is excited about her family's new adventure- moving to the Canadian prairie. The brochures make Canada sound like the promised land! While things are not quite what the Weatheralls expected, they take up their new lives and learn to adapt. Ivy learns many new things: new skills, new slang, new holiday traditions and that not everyone is welcoming to immigrants. Over the next 11 months, Ivy chronicles her new life as a Canadian girl in her diary.
This book doesn't really have a central hook in the plot; it's more a series of small, ordinary events. At times it resembles Laura Ingalls Wilder's novels, right down to a decision Ivy's parents make for the family's future. Ivy is unaware of that since the Little House books had not yet been published. The story was pretty easy to put down and pick up again.
Ivy is a fun heroine. She's easy going, cheerful and enjoys her new adventure. I kept waiting for some angst but there isn't much. I liked how she was part of such a close knit family. She found her younger siblings annoying at times and occasionally longed for someone else's parents, she recognized how close her family was and that was important to her. That made a nice change from the drama of the last Dear Canada book I read. I also really liked her mischievous friend Elizabeth. The two of them get into some scrapes and sometimes they fight but they're true friends. Ivy's brother William is her closest friend. He's a kind brother and a nice young man. I felt bad for him for what he experienced in the story. The younger children, Gladys and Harry, were typical annoying little siblings. I didn't find them cute or entertaining.
There isn't a bad entry into the Dear Canada series from what I've read so far but this isn't the best of the bunch. It's not as deep or as exciting as some of the others.
This book doesn't really have a central hook in the plot; it's more a series of small, ordinary events. At times it resembles Laura Ingalls Wilder's novels, right down to a decision Ivy's parents make for the family's future. Ivy is unaware of that since the Little House books had not yet been published. The story was pretty easy to put down and pick up again.
Ivy is a fun heroine. She's easy going, cheerful and enjoys her new adventure. I kept waiting for some angst but there isn't much. I liked how she was part of such a close knit family. She found her younger siblings annoying at times and occasionally longed for someone else's parents, she recognized how close her family was and that was important to her. That made a nice change from the drama of the last Dear Canada book I read. I also really liked her mischievous friend Elizabeth. The two of them get into some scrapes and sometimes they fight but they're true friends. Ivy's brother William is her closest friend. He's a kind brother and a nice young man. I felt bad for him for what he experienced in the story. The younger children, Gladys and Harry, were typical annoying little siblings. I didn't find them cute or entertaining.
There isn't a bad entry into the Dear Canada series from what I've read so far but this isn't the best of the bunch. It's not as deep or as exciting as some of the others.
February 6, 2016
My favourite of this collection! I think it's because it's the only one that isn't sad! Ivy was pretty funny! It was a very light and sweet read!
January 19, 2023
Delightful, endearing, and enduring. I cared about the characters and really enjoyed this one.
August 24, 2013
I was seriously debating wether to rate this book three stars or four, and wish I could rate it three and a half stars. This book was a good novel that taught me much about olden times, and showed me how tough it was to be immigrating to a new place back then. My eyes were opened to the challenges that families faced while immigrating. Challenges such as looking for new jobs, getting accustomed to a new school and neighbours, being an outcast because of your accent or the words you use because you were from somewhere else and just didn't know any better. Ivy Weatherall, the main character in the story, was writing about all these problems she faced while immigrating from England to Saskatchewan, as well as the fun times she had and the great new things she did there that she couldn't do in England, such as getting a horse, celebrating Hallowe'en, and living on a farm and then helping her family run a hotel. I did enjoyed reading this book because it taught me lots about immigration in a way that I found interesting and enjoyable, from the perspective of a girl just two years younger then myself. The things I didn't particularly like about this book was just mostly that it wasn't my style of book. Actually now that I think about it, I realize that there wasn't anything I disliked in particular, it just didn't spark my interest. But overall, it was a fairly good novel.
March 1, 2010
This book is one of the Dear Canada series, which are historical novels, written in diary format, about fictional girls during different periods of Canadian history.
Eleven-year-old Ivy Weatherall's life changes forever in the spring of 1926, when her family decides to immigrate to Canada. Ivy begins a diary just before she leaves her London home. In it, she describes her journey to Canada, and then her family's life on her uncle's farm on the Saskatchewan prairie. She describes both the fun times in her new home as well as the hardships of life on the prairie such as harsh winters and the hard work of building a life there.
This book from the Dear Canada series is sure to appeal to fans of the series as well as readers who enjoy the Dear America series, also written in diary format. It's also an excellent historical novel for young readers who aren't familiar with the series but enjoy reading about life on the prairie. It wasn't my favorite Dear Canada book, but it's definitely a solid, well-researched, and enjoyable book from the series.
Eleven-year-old Ivy Weatherall's life changes forever in the spring of 1926, when her family decides to immigrate to Canada. Ivy begins a diary just before she leaves her London home. In it, she describes her journey to Canada, and then her family's life on her uncle's farm on the Saskatchewan prairie. She describes both the fun times in her new home as well as the hardships of life on the prairie such as harsh winters and the hard work of building a life there.
This book from the Dear Canada series is sure to appeal to fans of the series as well as readers who enjoy the Dear America series, also written in diary format. It's also an excellent historical novel for young readers who aren't familiar with the series but enjoy reading about life on the prairie. It wasn't my favorite Dear Canada book, but it's definitely a solid, well-researched, and enjoyable book from the series.
October 11, 2016
Reading this one is always a pleasure!!
April 22, 2021
My first Dear Canada. Well-written, engaging, funny. Loved the main character. Not as highly educational as some of the related Dear America I've read but that's probably because I grew up in a small farming community in the mid-west US so this was pretty close to home. I did learn a bit about immigration history in Western Canada though, which was new to me. I absolutely loved the scrapes Ivy kept getting herself into, and how many of them revolved around differences in British English and Canadian English word usage. Highly enjoyable. I would have been Ivy's friend no question.
Shelved as 'sony-or-android'
July 21, 2020Even Canadian English is sometimes different... Gundula points out the episode about buying 'cotton.'
December 11, 2018
I thought I would like it a lot, but turns out I don't really care for it! I still like it though. Pretty good book.
February 14, 2015
Its May 1926, Eleven year old Ivy Weatherall is an English girl growing up in London. Her family is one of the thousands that decide to make their way to The Canadian Frontier. They settle in the small town of Milorie, Saskatchewan in hopes of prospering on their Uncle Alf's ranch. But they find themselves living in a sod house that they can barely fit in, and paying off their uncle's debts. Until they get a house on their own. Ivy soon makes friends with a girl named Elizabeth Muller. She and Her brothers William and Harry and a sister Gladys learn to be like Canadians and go to the school house. Thats when Mr. and Mrs. Weatherall decide to start a hotel in town. Ivy is furios, and she will not leave her horse Dot. It turns out to be the better when she befriends Mr. Ambrose, a guest at the hotel. For a while Ivy and Elizabeth have a friendship dispute because of Nyla Muir. Ivy's accident-prone personality get her in trouble when she breaks her mother's wrist. Then a baby is born and Ivy finally gets to show her mother her gifts.
The book was amazing, one of the best Dear Canada books in the series. It wasn't boring at all. The only little thing that bothered me was that Ivy kept feeling sorry for herself when things didn't go her way. Other than that, Amazing. Recomend it to all of your friends.
The book was amazing, one of the best Dear Canada books in the series. It wasn't boring at all. The only little thing that bothered me was that Ivy kept feeling sorry for herself when things didn't go her way. Other than that, Amazing. Recomend it to all of your friends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2010
I think that my book was a very very good book i really liked that Ivy Weatherall, was from England moving over to Canada. Her aunt gave her a book and a journal where she wrote down everything that they did. she wrote about her journey to Canada and all about where she used to live, the things she liked to do in England, just every thing about her life so far and whats happening. When she finally got to Saskatchewan after a long boat ride, they went to live with her uncle Alf's, her auntie Millie and baby Jack. The house was to small for her whole family. so her, her dad, her mom, her brother William (14), and the twins Harry and Gladys (6) all went and moved in to a farm. they lived there for almost a year they got chickens a horse and a cow. Ivy made a new friend Elizabeth, she lived just down the street. they were almost always together. Ivy and the twins rode on the horse to school every day, then one day her parents told her that they could not live out there anymore, there was not enough money coming in. so they moved in to a building and made it in to a hotel, so they lived there and she said there until the story ends!
I for sure recommend this book! You will probably enjoy it as much as i did!
I for sure recommend this book! You will probably enjoy it as much as i did!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2010
Ages: 9-12
Plot: Ivy Weatherall and her family are moving to the prairies of Canada from England. The day before she leaves, her aunt gives her a diary to record her adventures.
Assessment: The diary format allows readers to feel that they are able to become an intimate part of Ivy's life. Her diary is where she confides her feelings and secrets, and therefore into the reader.
This is an great way to get children (particularly girls) interested in Canadian history. Ivy describes many aspects of typical life as a young girl growing up on the prairies in the early 20th Century, something that is reinforced by the historical photographs at the end of the novel. This novel also has a certain quality of relevance even today, as it shows some intolerance for new immigrants.
If you liked this book, you should try others in the Dear Canada series. Or:
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
My Story series by Scholastic (for boys)
Plot: Ivy Weatherall and her family are moving to the prairies of Canada from England. The day before she leaves, her aunt gives her a diary to record her adventures.
Assessment: The diary format allows readers to feel that they are able to become an intimate part of Ivy's life. Her diary is where she confides her feelings and secrets, and therefore into the reader.
This is an great way to get children (particularly girls) interested in Canadian history. Ivy describes many aspects of typical life as a young girl growing up on the prairies in the early 20th Century, something that is reinforced by the historical photographs at the end of the novel. This novel also has a certain quality of relevance even today, as it shows some intolerance for new immigrants.
If you liked this book, you should try others in the Dear Canada series. Or:
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
My Story series by Scholastic (for boys)
February 24, 2012
This is another in the "Dear Canada" series, and one of the best of Scholastic's "Dear" books I have read. I really prefer this type of book when there is no war or other hardship, and this was a pleasant "Little House on the Prairie" type read filled with day to day adventures of ink freezing at the schoolhouse, preparing for Halloween, the Christmas program, and tales of Dot, her horse.
Ivy Weatherall comes to Canada from England, and there are plenty of adventures she encounters because of the language barrier even though she speaks English, she doesn't speak Canadian English.
She wants her hair bobbed like is the current style, but she's told she is too young.
Basically it's a wonderful book for 8-12 year olds set in 1926 Canada. It's also a great afternoon read for an adult who enjoys historical fiction!
Ivy Weatherall comes to Canada from England, and there are plenty of adventures she encounters because of the language barrier even though she speaks English, she doesn't speak Canadian English.
She wants her hair bobbed like is the current style, but she's told she is too young.
Basically it's a wonderful book for 8-12 year olds set in 1926 Canada. It's also a great afternoon read for an adult who enjoys historical fiction!
May 14, 2013
The Dear Canada series is a wonderful way for teen girls to find out more about Canada's history with girls they can relate to rather than "Old Dead People."
This book is about eleven year old Ivy Weatherall and her family as they move from a comfortable life in England and start new dreams in Saskatchewan. but things don't go according as planed and some people who live in Milorie, Saskatchewan aren't very welcoming to English people. They eventually do find friends and start a new life in Canada.
When my friend recommended this series to me last year, I didn't know if I would like it that much or not. I'm not really a history fan, but this series has definitely made me one! Next I need to find one that takes place in New Brunswick because that's where I'm from!
Well Done, Dear Canada!
This book is about eleven year old Ivy Weatherall and her family as they move from a comfortable life in England and start new dreams in Saskatchewan. but things don't go according as planed and some people who live in Milorie, Saskatchewan aren't very welcoming to English people. They eventually do find friends and start a new life in Canada.
When my friend recommended this series to me last year, I didn't know if I would like it that much or not. I'm not really a history fan, but this series has definitely made me one! Next I need to find one that takes place in New Brunswick because that's where I'm from!
Well Done, Dear Canada!
January 5, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed “A prairie as wide as the sea”. The author really captured the Canadian prairie landscape and what it would look like through the eyes of an English immigrant. I’m not sure if Milorie was a real town (the map in the back of the book shows that it was along with historical notes?) but either way, I couldn’t help think of my Grandpa, who was born in 1917 and grew up in Biggar, Saskatchewan. He passed away at 96.5 years old, and my aunt has a book with pictures that look just like the ones in the back of this book. I will have to ask her what she knows about my Grandpa growing up during that time, as well as my Grandma (grandpa’s wife) who grew up in England.
(I guess this review took a more personal turn but hey, isn’t it good when a book brings about fond memories of loved ones?:) )
(I guess this review took a more personal turn but hey, isn’t it good when a book brings about fond memories of loved ones?:) )
April 12, 2013
Awesome! I thought it would be like the "Dear America" series, but it wasn't. It was WAY BETTER!!!!!!!!! It felt like the story was being told by a child, rather than an author. My Great-Grandmother came to Canada from England in 1928, and lived in Stanton, she was only five but she says she still remembers going to Milorie for a picnic one day. I also read her older sister's diary about their family's first year in Canada. My Great grandma's still alive so I could ask her some questions and she's reading the book right now!
Next Up, I'm reading Orphan At My Door. I'm about one third through it.
Love, Regina Mary Smith
Next Up, I'm reading Orphan At My Door. I'm about one third through it.
Love, Regina Mary Smith
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November 12, 2012This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not.
June 30, 2012
my grandma got my hooked on the "dear Canada" series when I was younger and this book was my favorite. Ivy was so sweet and her story was so relatable and my grandma was very smart to make me read novels that also taught me about Canadian history. Not even going to lie, to this day, I leaned more about Canadian history from these books than any of my history classes in school. And they were way more entertaining
January 21, 2014
My 10 year old self: This book is about an 11-year-old Ivy, who moves from her home in England to Saskatuan (Milorie). When she gets there she finds out that jobs are scarce and that they can barely make it through. She longs to have a home like the one she had in England, but she likes all the new things to explore in Canada. She faces many challenges through her journey. This is a great book! Please read this book.
October 25, 2011
Ivy used to live in England in 1926 when she was 11.Her parents wanted to move to Milorie Saskatchewan to live withe her aunt Millie,uncle Alf,and baby Jack.It took a long time to get there but it was fun.Once she moved 2 times she went to school and made a new friend named Elizebeth.In the end Ivy was 12,in Canada,and with 2 diaries.I learned how to draw a horse.Auryn 7yo
June 2, 2015
Simple, yet clever. This is the 3rd book I've read in as many weeks set during the 1920's in the Canadian West, and I'm really getting a feel for the culture: the values, the joys, the prejudices of that time. It seems like both a difficult time to live in, but also a genuine, family centered time.
February 22, 2016
The story behind this book is very intriguing and I was able to learn a little bit more about Canada's history from it. At times I did find that Ivy's writing was scattered however I do believe that was intended of Sarah Ellis. Therefore the author was able to keep her writing in the perspective of a young girl.
August 29, 2014
Another book from the Dear Canada series which provides a tame story regarding Canadian history. A Prairie as Wide as the Sea was a bit repetitive and therefore, a bit more difficult to get into the storyline. This book is still a good read and provides the readers with more Canadian history.
April 1, 2020
I read this book when i was about 11.
I really enjoyed it too! The Diary of Ivy Weatherall seemed pretty real to me...which probably meant that Sarah Ellis did a good job writing it:)
I also would recommend this book to anyone intersted in historical fiction books for young readers!
I really enjoyed it too! The Diary of Ivy Weatherall seemed pretty real to me...which probably meant that Sarah Ellis did a good job writing it:)
I also would recommend this book to anyone intersted in historical fiction books for young readers!
June 4, 2013
I read this contribution to the Dear Canada Series a few times, and I always really enjoyed it. Ivy Weatherall is an enthusiastic and mischievous narrator, very witty and entertaining. If you haven't read the Dear Canada series before, this would be a great place to start!
April 15, 2016
I read this book as part of some research for my newest novel. It was a delight! It is filled with historical information as well as well-researched stories of 1926. I found it very useful in my research as well as being written in an engaging and enjoyable style.
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