Used price: $1.99
Collectible price: $1.95
Used price: $2.90
Buy one from zShops for: $4.76
Summary: Jeanne, orphan girl of france. She is chosen like many girls to go to New France to help populate it. These chosen girls are on a mission for france, they are suitably named "The Kings' Daughters". Jeanne marries an intense man and becomes an instant 19-year old mother taking care of her new hubby's children who she adores. Jeanne has her encounters and adventures.
I found the book cliched. Jeanne is so overly cliched and her romance is a bit too. Their was little character developpment. It is obvious Martel is bias between the relations of the French and the Iroquis but she exaggerates their anger and fury a bit too much. The language is simple due to translation but if you do read the french version, the vocabulary is better.
The one true thing I like about the book is that, it's interesting. The plot is just her and her adventures. She has many adventures which keeps you reading. It's modestly historically accurate. I still recommend it if you wish to be interested but it would be better for the preteens.
The vivid descriptions of life as a settler in Canada are wonderful, and the portrayal of interactions between the French and the native tribes is not horribly biased. The whole range of behaviour in the French, the Hurons, the Algonquins and the Iroquois is explored, with the message being that people, regardless of their skin, are individuals. All races have good and bad people.
The language is somewhat stilted, as is predictable in a translation -- I should probably read it in French some day to see what I'm missing! I thoroughly recommend this book to girls ages 10 to 14.
Used price: $13.51
Pi-Oui Rocks! Buy this book if you are a hockey fan.