In 1760, thirteen-year-old John MacNeil leaves England and becomes a cartographer of the Canadian wilderness.

(#20 in the 2006 book challenge)
I picked this up two summers ago when we went to Fort Niagara. It's middle reader fiction, about an English boy who comes to the Great Lakes area with his father, who is an officer in the British army during colonial days. He meets Indians and trappers and such, and has many adventures in the New World. Some of the book is told in letters back and forth between the boy and his sister back in England. Includes subtle messages about the role of women and the rights of Native peoples. It's a very thoughtful book, which I think probably makes it somewhat dull for kids, unless they already have a keen interest in things related to the French and Indian War.

Grade: B. It's so sincere. It feels like one of those books that is written for adults who like to read children's books, because I liked it, but I would only give it to a child if I already knew he or she was precocious about things like Pontiac's Rebellion.
Recommended: To people who like the Great Lakes, Canadian history, and/or Detroit history. ( )