Overview

It's 1755, and twelve-year-old Fidèle's life is quiet and pastoral--until a sudden shift in the political situation brings chaos to Acadie. The English are hunting down and deporting all the Acadians, and the only way to escape is to run far away or to live in the wilderness. Fidèle's parents are taken by the English along with their newborn baby. He, his sister, Prémélia, their grandfather, Pétard, and elderly Rosalie decide to brave life in the forest near their burned-down house in the hopes that their family members will return one day. Life in the woods is harsh and unforgiving, and they only survive with the help and knowledge of their Mi'kmaw friends and a mysterious spirit who appears during times of dire need. Spanning two decades of the terrible events of the Deportation and the long struggle to reunite and resettle afterward, The Lookout Tree is an English translation of the beloved French classic, La butte à Pétard, and a testament to the determination of the Acadian people to survive and thrive in their homeland.

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9781771087803

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Reviews

""While young readers may be familiar with the details of the Deportation of the Acadians in 1755, native New Brunswicker Diane Léger's account of this family's ordeal puts a personal face on the terrible event and provides a thoughtful depiction of what it meant to those affected: the initial shock and disbelief; the confusion, fear and anguish as families were separated; the feelings of betrayal and sadness at the incredible injustice of it all. She also highlights the support they received from Mi'kmaw friends who were themselves all too familiar with the scenario of being hunted by English soldiers. A very accessible account that humanizes this particular piece of Canadian history."" --Atlantic Books Today (Halifax, NS) ""Leger packs a lot of history into this relatively short novel, but the accuracy and details enable the Acadian Expulsion to come alive as the reader progresses through the story. The Lookout Tree is a perfect novel to accompany history lessons exploring the 1755 Acadian Expulsion, suitable for upper elementary and middle grade students."" --Resource Links (Pouch Cove, NF)

While young readers may be familiar with the details of the Deportation of the Acadians in 1755, native New Brunswicker Diane Leger's account of this family's ordeal puts a personal face on the terrible event and provides a thoughtful depiction of what it meant to those affected: the initial shock and disbelief; the confusion, fear and anguish as families were separated; the feelings of betrayal and sadness at the incredible injustice of it all. She also highlights the support they received from Mi'kmaw friends who were themselves all too familiar with the scenario of being hunted by English soldiers. A very accessible account that humanizes this particular piece of Canadian history. --Atlantic Books Today (Halifax, NS)

While young readers may be familiar with the details of the Deportation of the Acadians in 1755, native New Brunswicker Diane Leger's account of this family's ordeal puts a personal face on the terrible event and provides a thoughtful depiction of what it meant to those affected: the initial shock and disbelief; the confusion, fear and anguish as families were separated; the feelings of betrayal and sadness at the incredible injustice of it all. She also highlights the support they received from Mi'kmaw friends who were themselves all too familiar with the scenario of being hunted by English soldiers. A very accessible account that humanizes this particular piece of Canadian history. --Atlantic Books Today (Halifax, NS) Leger packs a lot of history into this relatively short novel, but the accuracy and details enable the Acadian Expulsion to come alive as the reader progresses through the story. The Lookout Tree is a perfect novel to accompany history lessons exploring the 1755 Acadian Expulsion, suitable for upper elementary and middle grade students. --Resource Links (Pouch Cove, NF)

While young readers may be familiar with the details of the Deportation of the Acadians in 1755, native New Brunswicker Diane Leger's account of this family's ordeal puts a personal face on the terrible event and provides a thoughtful depiction of what it meant to those affected: the initial shock and disbelief; the confusion, fear and anguish as families were separated; the feelings of betrayal and sadness at the incredible injustice of it all. She also highlights the support they received from Mi'kmaw friends who were themselves all too familiar with the scenario of being hunted by English soldiers. A very accessible account that humanizes this particular piece of Canadian history. --Atlantic Books Today (Halifax, NS) Leger packs a lot of history into this relatively short novel, but the accuracy and details enable the Acadian Expulsion to come alive as the reader progresses through the story. The Lookout Tree is a perfect novel to accompany history lessons exploring the 1755 Acadian Expulsion, suitable for upper elementary and middle grade students. --Resource Links (Pouch Cove, NF)

Author Information

For twenty years, Diane Carmel Léger lived in Victoria, British Columbia, where she taught French Immersion and wrote books in both French and English.Yet, it was her homesickness for the Maritimes that led her to writing over twenty-five years ago. Diane is now living near her native village of Memramcook which was called la-butte-à-Pétard before the deportation of 1755. La butte à Pétard, the French version of this book, is an Acadian bestseller.

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