Nor'Wester, The

Following his parents’ death in Scotland, fifteen-year-old Duncan abandons his sister and stows away on a ship headed for Quebec and upon arrival in Montreal he gets a job with the North West Company. He takes part in Simon Fraser’s perilous Columbia River voyage and Duncan must dig deep to find the courage within him and overcome his belief that he was a coward to abandon his sister. This engaging and thought-provoking novel for grades 4-7 brings to life the history of the fur trade and exploration of B.C. Suitable as a class novel, read-aloud, or independent novel study, it can launch discussion of events and relations between the voyageurs and Indigenous peoples.