Monday, March 28, 2011

Mable Riley by Marthe Jocelyn

Subtitle: A Reliable Record of Humdrum, Peril, & Romance

Mable Riley longs for adventure. She hopes that her new situation (as her sister's teaching assistant) in a new place away from all she's known will bring her some adventure. Not so. Her life is just as dull in Sellerton as it was in Ambler's Corners. However, when she befriends an unusual woman who wears bloomers and rides a bicycle, Sellerton is suddenly filled with adventure for Mable.

What I thought: A delightful book. Mable Riley reminded me just a bit of Anne Shirley. Could be because both the girls are native Canadians. Mable is a lively narrator and her account of events is often humorous. I can't begin to pas judgment on the historical details as I'm not that familiar with turn of the century Ontario, Canada, but I enjoyed the story nonetheless. Mable is a mischievous girl on the brink of womanhood. I wouldn't mind reading more adventures that feature her.

Favorite Quote: "If I had no books. I would shrivel up like a dead caterpillar" (23).

Read for the YA Historical Fiction Challenge hosted by Stephanie at Books Are a Girl's Best Friend

(Candlewick, 2004)

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