Terra Incognita

By Anne Metikosh

A young adult novel set in New France in 1670 that tells the story of Madeleine HZbert, who disguises herself as a boy to accompany her brother on the long and dangerous canoe trip to Michilimackinac in search of her father. On arriving in Quebec City, they learn that their father, with the Regiment de Carignan, is at Michilimackinac, and possibly ill. When her brother Philippe decides to go in search of their father, Madeleine refuses to stay behind. She cuts off her long hair and disguises herself as a boy. And then begins a series of adventures as the two children and their guide make the long canoe trip from Montreal up the Ottawa, over the height of land and down to Lake Huron and Michilimackinac. For a young girl it is an arduous trek, but Madeleine shows her high spirit and independence over the long days of paddling and the grueling portages. At a welcoming Huron village, Madeleine discovers something of the Native way of life and that the land is far from being a terra incognita to the original inhabitants. In writing this historical novel, Metikosh has done a superb job of recreating history as it might have been experienced by a young woman.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0921870760
• ISBN13: 9780921870760
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Ronsdale Press
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.2" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 8 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 9