Sarah and the People of Sand River

Gently used hardcover

Sarah, a young motherless girl, lives with her father on the shores of Lake Winnipeg. Her grandparents settled there during the Icelandic migration to Canada in the 1870s. Conditions were terrible at first, and without the help of the native people along Sand River, the family would have died. In return, when the native people were stricken by a small pox epidemic, Sarah’s family took them in and did what they could for them.

Sarah loves living by the lake, but she must go to Winnipeg to learn to be a proper young woman and speak English. Boarding with a widow and her spoiled daughter, however, soon becomes a nightmare as Sarah is exploited and abused. Only with the help of a raven and a mysterious native man and woman does she survive the cold and misery.

When Sarah can no longer bear the terrible cruelty, she decides to run away. Penniless, she sets out on foot and is soon surrounded by a swirling blizzard. Just as she is about to die of cold and hunger, her friends appear and guide her safety. When Sarah explains that she has been helped by the people of Sand River, she learns that they no longer exist. They died in the small pox epidemic long ago.

This powerful and original book, created by a noted author of Icelandic origin and one of Canada’s most renowned illustrators, combines magic and mystery with the harsh realities of Canada’s early years.