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The Root Cellar
It looked like an ordinary root cellar, the kind of place where you'd store canned goods and winter vegetables. And if twelve-year-old Rose hadn't been so unhappy in her new home, where she'd been sent to live with unknown relatives, she probably would never have fled down the stairs to the root cellar in the first place. And if she hadn't, she never would have climbed up into another century, the world of the 1860s, and the chaos of Civil War...
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
20 people are currently reading
1231 people want to read
About the author
Janet Lunn
31 books35 followersJanet was born Janet Louise Swoboda on December 28, 1928 in Dallas, Texas, U.S.A, moved to Vermont when she was two and lived there until she was ten when the family moved to the outskirts of New York City. She came to Canada in 1946 to go to Notre Dame College in Ottawa and then to Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. There she met and married Richard Lunn, a fellow student. She has lived in Canada ever since. Janet has five children, ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Her husband died in 1987.
"Those," she says, "are the bare bones of my life story. The part that's interesting to readers has to do with reading, writing and daydreaming which are all, in my case, one and the same." She calls herself a dedicated daydreamer and says she has been that, "almost from the moment I was born. Even before I could read I was dreaming up stories. The sound of the wind in the ancient pine tree outside my window in our old farmhouse accompanied all my childhood imaginings. When I was in my teens and living far from that beloved home, I began writing stories with the sound of that tree still singing in my head."
Years later, in Canada, when her children were in their school years, the Lunn family went to live in an old farmhouse at the edge of a bay on the north shore of Lake Ontario. "I loved that house, too, she says, "and I began writing stories about it and the people who might once have lived in it. The stories I made up about the Vermont house have long since vanished but the ones I wrote about the Ontario-house families are The Root Cellar, Shadow in Hawthorn Bay and The Hollow Tree."
Janet lives in Ottawa now in a small city house but, chances are, her stories will still reflect her love of the countryside and those old farmhouses.
"Those," she says, "are the bare bones of my life story. The part that's interesting to readers has to do with reading, writing and daydreaming which are all, in my case, one and the same." She calls herself a dedicated daydreamer and says she has been that, "almost from the moment I was born. Even before I could read I was dreaming up stories. The sound of the wind in the ancient pine tree outside my window in our old farmhouse accompanied all my childhood imaginings. When I was in my teens and living far from that beloved home, I began writing stories with the sound of that tree still singing in my head."
Years later, in Canada, when her children were in their school years, the Lunn family went to live in an old farmhouse at the edge of a bay on the north shore of Lake Ontario. "I loved that house, too, she says, "and I began writing stories about it and the people who might once have lived in it. The stories I made up about the Vermont house have long since vanished but the ones I wrote about the Ontario-house families are The Root Cellar, Shadow in Hawthorn Bay and The Hollow Tree."
Janet lives in Ottawa now in a small city house but, chances are, her stories will still reflect her love of the countryside and those old farmhouses.
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October 27, 2010
This is another wonderful orphan story and time travel story.
It reminded me of many other books including Time At The Top, The Twins at Thatchem Quickett, A Long Way to Go, Homecoming, and The Secret Garden (mentioned in the book); all are books I’ve enjoyed.
I love that these people read!!!
There’s a wonderful family cat who doesn’t get enough page time, but is enjoyable when he’s around.
There are terrific descriptions of immediately post American Civil War circumstances for soldiers and other citizens, and of 1860s New York and Washington, D.C. I could feel that coal dust over and in every inch of my body. The differences in lifestyles both in different eras and within the same time frame are vividly told. I wasn’t that eager to read about the civil war, but it and its aftermath was told so well, I thought.
There’s a map in the inside cover pages that shows the locations in Canada and the U.S. of the journey undertaken.
By the end of the book, I was near tears because of the heartwarming friendship between two people who lived more than one hundred years apart from one another.
It’s a very satisfying story. Aspects of the time travel part of the story were particularly creative and unique. The characters were interesting and I was happy to get to know them.
I read this for the International Book Club (in October the country is Canada!) over at the Children's Books group. It was an excellent choice, even though I want to read most of the other nominated books too.
Upping this from 4 to 5 stars. I was vacillating between the two choices at the time I originally wrote this review. I just read an author interview with this author that appears in the back of some editions of this book, and I realized just how powerful this book is. I initially rated it 4 stars, I think, because it was so painful for me re the issues around loss and (not) belonging.
It reminded me of many other books including Time At The Top, The Twins at Thatchem Quickett, A Long Way to Go, Homecoming, and The Secret Garden (mentioned in the book); all are books I’ve enjoyed.
I love that these people read!!!
There’s a wonderful family cat who doesn’t get enough page time, but is enjoyable when he’s around.
There are terrific descriptions of immediately post American Civil War circumstances for soldiers and other citizens, and of 1860s New York and Washington, D.C. I could feel that coal dust over and in every inch of my body. The differences in lifestyles both in different eras and within the same time frame are vividly told. I wasn’t that eager to read about the civil war, but it and its aftermath was told so well, I thought.
There’s a map in the inside cover pages that shows the locations in Canada and the U.S. of the journey undertaken.
By the end of the book, I was near tears because of the heartwarming friendship between two people who lived more than one hundred years apart from one another.
It’s a very satisfying story. Aspects of the time travel part of the story were particularly creative and unique. The characters were interesting and I was happy to get to know them.
I read this for the International Book Club (in October the country is Canada!) over at the Children's Books group. It was an excellent choice, even though I want to read most of the other nominated books too.
Upping this from 4 to 5 stars. I was vacillating between the two choices at the time I originally wrote this review. I just read an author interview with this author that appears in the back of some editions of this book, and I realized just how powerful this book is. I initially rated it 4 stars, I think, because it was so painful for me re the issues around loss and (not) belonging.
July 11, 2023
Re-read 2023
I appear to be carrying a vibe of nostalgia when it comes to book choices this year. Canadian-American children's author,Janet Lunn was one of my go to favorites in my upper elementary years. The Root Cellar and Shadow in Hawthorn Bay were very well read by this reader. As a young twenty something, I managed to find both of them to add to my permanent book shelves.
Twelve year old Rose was used to travelling the world with her grandmother. Losing her parents at a young age, Rose felt a kinship with Mary Lennox, her favorite literary heroine. Always in the company of adults, Rose never attended regular school and socialized with children her own age. When Rose's grandmother dies and Rose is sent to live in Canada with her Aunt Nan, her father's only sister, it is a jarring experience. Rose doesn't know how to cope with four rambunctious boy cousins and a very scatterbrained aunt. But she will soon discover that this ancestral home has a few secrets in store that transports Rose back to Hawthorn Bay in the 1860's.
A richly detailed historical that still held me in its grip.
2013 thoughts
Another "time travel" story from my elementary years. I remember borrowing this from my school library over and over again. It was an absolutely fantastic story.
Goodreads review published 12/03/23
I appear to be carrying a vibe of nostalgia when it comes to book choices this year. Canadian-American children's author,Janet Lunn was one of my go to favorites in my upper elementary years. The Root Cellar and Shadow in Hawthorn Bay were very well read by this reader. As a young twenty something, I managed to find both of them to add to my permanent book shelves.
Twelve year old Rose was used to travelling the world with her grandmother. Losing her parents at a young age, Rose felt a kinship with Mary Lennox, her favorite literary heroine. Always in the company of adults, Rose never attended regular school and socialized with children her own age. When Rose's grandmother dies and Rose is sent to live in Canada with her Aunt Nan, her father's only sister, it is a jarring experience. Rose doesn't know how to cope with four rambunctious boy cousins and a very scatterbrained aunt. But she will soon discover that this ancestral home has a few secrets in store that transports Rose back to Hawthorn Bay in the 1860's.
A richly detailed historical that still held me in its grip.
2013 thoughts
Another "time travel" story from my elementary years. I remember borrowing this from my school library over and over again. It was an absolutely fantastic story.
Goodreads review published 12/03/23
May 28, 2021
Well, with regard to Janet Lunn’s 1981 time-slip historical fiction novel The Root Cellar and with main protagonist Rose as a character, albeit my analytical and critical self certainly quite understands why and how some readers might find Rose’s extreme introversion, her lack of socialisation and that she generally prefers solitude to coming out of her shell and trying to make friends rather annoying and frustrating, to tell the truth, my emotional self tends feel and react the exact opposite and definitely sees in Rose both very much a major kindred spirit and someone whose depiction by Janet Lunn is delightfully close to how I myself was and often acted and behaved during my childhood and when I was a teenager, alone, often misunderstood, a bit self-absorbed, and also not really wanting to deal with children my own age and to make friends with my classmates (and equally also often wanting somewhere to hide and run away from life, and perhaps even back in time like Rose does in The Root Cellar). So yes, I cannot help but totally adore and understand Rose and to feel that I am seeing myself and reading about myself with regard to Janet Lunn’s narrative, with regard to how in The Root Cellar she has rendered and shown Rose.
And indeed and furthermore, I also do massively adore how historically accurate Janet Lunn in The Root Cellar tends to be with regard to the US Civil War and that she shows war in general as being something utterly horrible and useless and with in my humble opinion The Root Cellar thus also and very much appreciatively portraying a very strong and heartfelt pacifism and anti-war general message, with in particular Will as a character demonstrating this, how he originally is all ready and willing to leave what is now the nation of Canada and to join up with the Union army and fight against the Confederacy, but then realising from painful first hand experience that war is unacceptable, terrible and that the American Civil War is also not his war and the US flag not really his flag (very much a strong message against nationalism and also a realistic reaction in my opinion, as for example during WWI, many of the French, British and German soldiers who had originally gladly joined their respective armies more often than not ended up not only experiencing hell on earth but also totally despising the very concept of and reasons for war due to, because of their experiences in battle, and it also to me therefore totally makes sense that similar attitudes would likely be present and maybe even prevalent during the American Civil War).
A delightful and emotionally satisfying (as well as educational) account is The Root Cellar, and yes, a novel that I wished I had encountered in 1981 (when The Root Cellar was first published and when I was fifteen years old), and definitely one of the best time-slip novels I have read to date and with characters (and indeed especially Rose) for me to totally, immensely love, love, love.
And indeed and furthermore, I also do massively adore how historically accurate Janet Lunn in The Root Cellar tends to be with regard to the US Civil War and that she shows war in general as being something utterly horrible and useless and with in my humble opinion The Root Cellar thus also and very much appreciatively portraying a very strong and heartfelt pacifism and anti-war general message, with in particular Will as a character demonstrating this, how he originally is all ready and willing to leave what is now the nation of Canada and to join up with the Union army and fight against the Confederacy, but then realising from painful first hand experience that war is unacceptable, terrible and that the American Civil War is also not his war and the US flag not really his flag (very much a strong message against nationalism and also a realistic reaction in my opinion, as for example during WWI, many of the French, British and German soldiers who had originally gladly joined their respective armies more often than not ended up not only experiencing hell on earth but also totally despising the very concept of and reasons for war due to, because of their experiences in battle, and it also to me therefore totally makes sense that similar attitudes would likely be present and maybe even prevalent during the American Civil War).
A delightful and emotionally satisfying (as well as educational) account is The Root Cellar, and yes, a novel that I wished I had encountered in 1981 (when The Root Cellar was first published and when I was fifteen years old), and definitely one of the best time-slip novels I have read to date and with characters (and indeed especially Rose) for me to totally, immensely love, love, love.
October 21, 2010
Loved it!!! Reading this book was a truly delicious experience. Sometimes a reader just "clicks" with an author's style. I knew from the first few pages that I was smitten with Ms. Lunn's wordweaving and it was this, almost more than the story itself, that truly captivated me about this book.
But the story is a good one! The blending of history (War Between the States) and fantasy (a modern girl is able to travel from present-day to the 1860s via a magical root cellar) could have been a disaster--but Lunn manages to pull it off. The changes in time and place (1980s Canada, 1860s Canada--1980s New York, 1860s New York, Virginia, Washington DC) could have also proven a huge burden for a less skilled author, but, again, it all manages to work here. The "silly" little concerns of youth (that are, none the less, immensely important in that moment!) are handled with sensitivity--as are the heart-wrenching accounts of wartime as childhood is robbed from the young soldiers. And while the causes of the war were perhaps a bit too simplified, and President Lincoln portrayed a tad too saintly, overall I think it's a fine piece of historical fiction--but could be read simply as a good story, too. The characters are all vivid, the descriptions are fabulous (especially the lovely Canadian countryside), and there's a hint of romance and a lot of adventure.
I also think this is a good choice for young people struggling with finding a sense of belonging, whether it be to a new city or a new family (foster kids, adoptions, etc.)
At heart, it's about growing up, learning what you believe in, where you belong... becoming the sort of person you want to be, even though, as our heroine says, it's HARD to be a person sometimes! It's not easy, but ultimately friendship gets us through.
I'm so grateful to the Children's Book Group for introducing me to this Canadian author! I'll definitely look for more from the talented pen of Janet Lunn.
But the story is a good one! The blending of history (War Between the States) and fantasy (a modern girl is able to travel from present-day to the 1860s via a magical root cellar) could have been a disaster--but Lunn manages to pull it off. The changes in time and place (1980s Canada, 1860s Canada--1980s New York, 1860s New York, Virginia, Washington DC) could have also proven a huge burden for a less skilled author, but, again, it all manages to work here. The "silly" little concerns of youth (that are, none the less, immensely important in that moment!) are handled with sensitivity--as are the heart-wrenching accounts of wartime as childhood is robbed from the young soldiers. And while the causes of the war were perhaps a bit too simplified, and President Lincoln portrayed a tad too saintly, overall I think it's a fine piece of historical fiction--but could be read simply as a good story, too. The characters are all vivid, the descriptions are fabulous (especially the lovely Canadian countryside), and there's a hint of romance and a lot of adventure.
I also think this is a good choice for young people struggling with finding a sense of belonging, whether it be to a new city or a new family (foster kids, adoptions, etc.)
At heart, it's about growing up, learning what you believe in, where you belong... becoming the sort of person you want to be, even though, as our heroine says, it's HARD to be a person sometimes! It's not easy, but ultimately friendship gets us through.
I'm so grateful to the Children's Book Group for introducing me to this Canadian author! I'll definitely look for more from the talented pen of Janet Lunn.
June 24, 2017
I read this story when it first was published.
December 14, 2019
At one point in Janet Lunn's The Root Cellar - a time-slip adventure story first published in 1981, and considered a classic of modern Canadian children's literature - the heroine, Rose Larkin, lying in a quiet hospital room, recalling the terrible tales of war she had just been hearing that afternoon, and reflecting on the deep and lasting hurt inflicted by that war on the soldiers who had fought in it, even on those who had survived, reflects with heartfelt grief: "Being a person's too hard...it's just too hard."
That hardness, that difficulty in being a "person" - of not knowing where you belong, or where you should want to belong, or who you even are; of not understanding all the complicated forces at work in the world, forces that sometimes help, but often wound, and still being subject to them - is at the heart of this story of a contemporary twelve-year-old girl who, at the death of the grandmother who had raised her, goes to stay with her aunt, uncle and cousins on a small Canadian island just across Lake Ontario from New York state, and finds herself continually thrown back into the past, to the time of the American Civil War.
Rose's adventures in the past, as she befriends Susan Anderson and Will Morrissey, who once lived in the very house her aunt and uncle now own; her journey south with Susan to discover Will's fate, when he runs off to enlist in the Union Army (being American on his mother's side), come to feel more real to her than her life with Aunt Nan and Uncle Bob, and her four (boy) cousins. But is the past, with all its pull, all its reality, truly where she belongs? The process whereby Rose discovers the answer to that question, learning quite a bit about herself in the process - that she can be "mean" (ie: greedy), but also generous, that she can work hard, and, when occasion demands, fight for her rights - make for a story that is as entertaining as it is moving.
I really enjoyed The Root Cellar, a book I have been meaning to read for some time now, and am glad it was chosen as our October selection, over in the International Books Club to which I belong, where we are currently "visiting" Canada. I'm especially glad that I had the chance to read this commemorative edition, with lovely full-page color plate illustrations by Scott Cameron! All in all, a wonderful reading experience! More than enough to convince me that I need to read more of Janet Lunn...
That hardness, that difficulty in being a "person" - of not knowing where you belong, or where you should want to belong, or who you even are; of not understanding all the complicated forces at work in the world, forces that sometimes help, but often wound, and still being subject to them - is at the heart of this story of a contemporary twelve-year-old girl who, at the death of the grandmother who had raised her, goes to stay with her aunt, uncle and cousins on a small Canadian island just across Lake Ontario from New York state, and finds herself continually thrown back into the past, to the time of the American Civil War.
Rose's adventures in the past, as she befriends Susan Anderson and Will Morrissey, who once lived in the very house her aunt and uncle now own; her journey south with Susan to discover Will's fate, when he runs off to enlist in the Union Army (being American on his mother's side), come to feel more real to her than her life with Aunt Nan and Uncle Bob, and her four (boy) cousins. But is the past, with all its pull, all its reality, truly where she belongs? The process whereby Rose discovers the answer to that question, learning quite a bit about herself in the process - that she can be "mean" (ie: greedy), but also generous, that she can work hard, and, when occasion demands, fight for her rights - make for a story that is as entertaining as it is moving.
I really enjoyed The Root Cellar, a book I have been meaning to read for some time now, and am glad it was chosen as our October selection, over in the International Books Club to which I belong, where we are currently "visiting" Canada. I'm especially glad that I had the chance to read this commemorative edition, with lovely full-page color plate illustrations by Scott Cameron! All in all, a wonderful reading experience! More than enough to convince me that I need to read more of Janet Lunn...
November 27, 2016
Rose, twice orphaned goes to live with her Aunt, Uncle and cousins. Rose is suffering from loss and struggles to adjust to her new life. Feeling she doesn't fit in she finds she can travel to the past and has an adventure and journey during the civil war. We enjoyed the concluding chapter and found it moving and philosophical of the feelings of lives lived in a house over different generations.
January 10, 2023
Janet Lunn lived to be age 88 in 2017. An instant favourite of mine recently in my 40s, I love that being a dedicated daydreamer was her writing muse and loving places she used to live. All three novels written by imagining the original families of her Lake Ontario farmhouse, are award winners: “Shadow In Hawthorn Bay”, “The Hollow Tree”, and “The Root Cellar”. It is baffling that my review is the sole Goodreads record of this 1981 treasure. I am introducing it and the 1968 début “Double Spell” to future readers, avidly enjoyed by me in 2022. Janet wrote paranormal mysteries like these, picture books, edited true ghost stories, and collaborated on well researched history.
Janet observed about children’s literature “No matter what field you’re in, if you work for kids, you’re at the bottom on the totem pole.” She was born in Texas, lived in Vermont, New York, and went to university in Ontario. She fell in love with Canada and her husband, Richard. In 1988 she won Governor General’s Literary Awards, the Vicky Metcalfe Award For Literature For Young People, and the Matt Cohen Award: In Celebration Of A Writing Life. In 1996, she was named to the Order Of Ontario, and in 1997, the Order Of Canada. She was Canada’s first children’s editor in 1972, for Clarke Irwin.
“The Root Cellar” combines Rose Larkin’s home with the nearby Civil War. In 1865, Rose and a time slip neighbour search for a friend. I give 4 stars because growing-up drama delays reaching the mysterious elements I like best and adventurous pacing. Meeting spirits was as gripping as seeing girls, Rose & Susan, walk through a war. I wanted to know whence the magic of the root cellar came but all the novel’s families and friendships are memorable.
Janet observed about children’s literature “No matter what field you’re in, if you work for kids, you’re at the bottom on the totem pole.” She was born in Texas, lived in Vermont, New York, and went to university in Ontario. She fell in love with Canada and her husband, Richard. In 1988 she won Governor General’s Literary Awards, the Vicky Metcalfe Award For Literature For Young People, and the Matt Cohen Award: In Celebration Of A Writing Life. In 1996, she was named to the Order Of Ontario, and in 1997, the Order Of Canada. She was Canada’s first children’s editor in 1972, for Clarke Irwin.
“The Root Cellar” combines Rose Larkin’s home with the nearby Civil War. In 1865, Rose and a time slip neighbour search for a friend. I give 4 stars because growing-up drama delays reaching the mysterious elements I like best and adventurous pacing. Meeting spirits was as gripping as seeing girls, Rose & Susan, walk through a war. I wanted to know whence the magic of the root cellar came but all the novel’s families and friendships are memorable.
September 11, 2023
This time-travel novel features Rose Larkin, who is an orphan, and who just lost her grandmother as well. She moves in with her aunt's family and is not fitting in with her cousins (all boys), who don't understand her. Naturally, a disengaged young girl such as Rose is born to find the portal to another time. When she discovers an old root cellar on her aunt's property, she goes down to investigate and finds herself back in the 1860s with the family who lived in the farmhouse at that time. Susan, the family maid discovers her, and brings her into the life of the family, which includes young Will, who wants to be a musician. Rose visits a few times, only to discover that Susan and Will have moved on in time, where for Rose, the time that has passed is a few days. She goes back to discover that Will wants to run off to join the Union Army and fight in the Civil War (they are in Canada, but many Canadians fought). Susan is desperate to discourage him, but he goes off to war anyway. The next time Rose visits, she finds that the Civil War is over, but Will has not come home. She and Susan must travel to the hospitals in Washington to try to find him.
The balance of the book tells of Rose and Susan's travels to the US. Rose, of course, is the more savvy traveller and she poses as a boy for protection for Susan. They forge a friendship and Rose learns about the give and take of a relationship, about the feeling of belonging. It's a lovely novel, well-written and engaging and highly recommended.
The balance of the book tells of Rose and Susan's travels to the US. Rose, of course, is the more savvy traveller and she poses as a boy for protection for Susan. They forge a friendship and Rose learns about the give and take of a relationship, about the feeling of belonging. It's a lovely novel, well-written and engaging and highly recommended.
February 20, 2016
My Review: I read this book back when I was about 11 years old and I remember being utterly entranced by it as it transported me to different eras that, until then, I knew nothing about. Even after a few decades have passed I still vividly remember the images it invoked in me as I read it so I opted to read it again for my 2015 Reading Challenge.
This book has a lot going on for such a short book. It's a historical fiction read for children with some fantasy (hence the time travel) plus action and adventure. There were a couple of times when I was on the edge of my seat (especially near the end - wow!). Overall, The Root Cellar is a sweet coming of age story of a plucky young orphaned girl and her deep friendship with two people from the past.
The magic behind this book is Lunn's writing style which has a very easy going vibe to it. While the pace of the book is rather slow (with some action thrown in here and there) it's her characters and descriptions of the settings that make the book feel authentic. I think part of that has to do with her great use of the speech and vocabulary that was used during both eras that Rose lives in. Lunn's descriptions of Rose's time (1960's Canada) and the United States in the 1860's were vivid and a big part of why this book has stayed with me. It felt authentic and like you were there with Rose but her descriptions of post American Civil War didn't hold back any punches. They're not gory but there is quite a bit of emotion regarding the state of soldiers and how these boys and men find out the devastating truth about war and how they were treated post-war.
The friendship that Rose has with Susan and Will was strong yet sweet but it was the ups and downs that Rose and Susan face on their adventure that felt the most real to me. Friendship isn't all 'rainbows and unicorns' and Lunn provides a very accurate description of the different sides of friendship.
This was once again a great read and a Canadian classic for tweens. While my 11 year old self would still give this book a 5 star rating, this *ahem* 40-something year old book reviewer thinks that it's more of a 4 star. Still a great read with simple dialogue that deals with the effects of war, friendship, family, loss and finding our own way to belong.
Note: Some editions provide a rather lengthy and informative interview with the author which I quite enjoyed.
My Rating: 4/5 stars
** This book review can also be found on my blog, The Baking Bookworm (www.thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca) where I also share my favourite 'tried and true' recipes. **
This book has a lot going on for such a short book. It's a historical fiction read for children with some fantasy (hence the time travel) plus action and adventure. There were a couple of times when I was on the edge of my seat (especially near the end - wow!). Overall, The Root Cellar is a sweet coming of age story of a plucky young orphaned girl and her deep friendship with two people from the past.
The magic behind this book is Lunn's writing style which has a very easy going vibe to it. While the pace of the book is rather slow (with some action thrown in here and there) it's her characters and descriptions of the settings that make the book feel authentic. I think part of that has to do with her great use of the speech and vocabulary that was used during both eras that Rose lives in. Lunn's descriptions of Rose's time (1960's Canada) and the United States in the 1860's were vivid and a big part of why this book has stayed with me. It felt authentic and like you were there with Rose but her descriptions of post American Civil War didn't hold back any punches. They're not gory but there is quite a bit of emotion regarding the state of soldiers and how these boys and men find out the devastating truth about war and how they were treated post-war.
The friendship that Rose has with Susan and Will was strong yet sweet but it was the ups and downs that Rose and Susan face on their adventure that felt the most real to me. Friendship isn't all 'rainbows and unicorns' and Lunn provides a very accurate description of the different sides of friendship.
This was once again a great read and a Canadian classic for tweens. While my 11 year old self would still give this book a 5 star rating, this *ahem* 40-something year old book reviewer thinks that it's more of a 4 star. Still a great read with simple dialogue that deals with the effects of war, friendship, family, loss and finding our own way to belong.
Note: Some editions provide a rather lengthy and informative interview with the author which I quite enjoyed.
My Rating: 4/5 stars
** This book review can also be found on my blog, The Baking Bookworm (www.thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca) where I also share my favourite 'tried and true' recipes. **
May 19, 2021
Rose Larkin grew up with only her cold grandmother for company. She travelled the world or stayed alone in their New York apartment while her grandmother was out. By 12, Rose is comfortable with her life and doesn't miss what she's never known. It comes as a huge shock when her grandmother announces Rose is to go to boarding school in Paris! On the eve of Rose's big first day, her grandmother passes away and Rose is shuttled off to relatives in Hawthorn Bay, Canada. Aunt Nan and Uncle Bob Henry have recently purchased an old, old fixer-upper farmhouse and live a lively, chaotic lifestyle with their four boys and one baby on the way. Rose is uncomfortable and unhappy with these strangers who don't make her feel welcome and the house may be inhabited by ghosts. She wants to run, somewhere, anywhere, even an orphanage. Rose gets her wish when she stumbles through a portal in a root cellar back in time to the 1860s! Rose must depend on the kindness of two strange children, Will and Susan and rely on her own wits to find her way. Soon Rose feels more comfortable with her new friends than her family but can she find a way back to them if she returns home? Will is eager to join his cousin Steve in the United States and go fight in the Civil War. When Rose returns, it's three years later and Will has disappeared. He's made good on his threat to join the U.S. Army and now the war is over, he hasn't returned. What does that mean and where can he be? Rose is determined to find her friend and bring him home. Her journey brings unexpected setbacks and surprises but shows her own inner strength. Finally, she learns the meaning of home but can she ever get back to her own time?
I'm certain I must have LOVED this book when I was a tween. How could I resist a time slip novel about the Civil War? This story was tailor made for me. Yet, reading it now, I don't have ANY memory of the plot whatsoever. That's unusual for me. Mostly it comes back once I open the book again even if I've forgotten I ever read the book. I KNOW I read her other two Hawthorn Bay novels.
Anyway, Janet Lunn is a very skilled writer. I've read a few of her historical fiction books and am always impressed with her ability to paint a picture of what life was really like back then. This time I was struck by how similar life in Hawthorn Bay in the 1980s was to life in 1860s compared to today. My sister's kids would totally flip out if they time travelled to the 1980s-no wifi- no wifi means no iPads, no iPads no video chat, video games or social media O.M.G! A lot has changed for us but Janet Lunn is such a good writer, she shows what life was like in both time periods rather than drop a lot of references that TELL the reader what year it is. I'm not even 100% certain Rose's time IS the 1980s but assuming Hawthorn Bay is isolated, it seems like time has stood still there aside from a few differences. I liked seeing how it was the same but different.
Janet Lunn does not hold back on the details of life in the 1860s. She shows us farm work, depression from the loss of a spouse (briefly, Will's mother), other daily life skills that have been forgotten and of course, the Civil War. The author is skilled enough to weave the war into her story and put what happened and when into the mouth of her character so it becomes a story about HIS experiences which makes it personal. I can't stand it when author's dump in facts into the narrative. I know all that. I went to school and studied the Civil War extensively, thank you. Show or tell me what happened to the CHARACTER I feel connected to. This part of the novel is very effective and again she doesn't hold back telling the horrors of war. Not all of the story flows smoothly, however. There are some clunky plot points that don't serve much of a purpose except to fill in the story to make drama for the characters and show the reader some of the grittier side of life in the 1860s. I LOLd at a rare mistake at the end. Mutton Chop SLEEVES? LMBO! Try mutton chop whiskers and leg o'mutton sleeves. Leg o'Mutton sleeves weren't even in style until the end of the 19th-century. Gigot sleeves (puff) were popular in the 1820s and 30s but in the 60s it was about bishop sleeves or pagoda sleeves. Wide and comfortable but not puffy at the top and tight on the bottom as with leg o'mutton. This was a rare misstep from the author and yes even in the 80s I knew that so there's no excuse for faulty research. (Mutton Chop whiskers, however, took on a new name at this time from the Union General Ambrose Burnside.)
I figured out the plot twist about the ghosts, or at least I thought I did. It wasn't quite what I expected but close. This is a time slip novel and not a ghost story or time travel story so it's a little different. I liked the twist but thought Rose was a little dense not to figure it out.
Rose is a tough character to like. Her favorite book is The Secret Garden so I'm guessing she's loosely based on Mary Lennox. However, Mary was a product of the British Raj and unbends due to the firm, but loving, guidance of the Sowerbys plus plenty of fresh air and exercise. Rose doesn't unbend until the end of the novel. She's unsocialized so I can see how the chaotic family in the rundown farmhouse was too much for her. I would probably find them overwhelming too and cry a lot but be angry with my cousins. My attitude would have been "You don't want me here? Fine. I don't want to be here either!" Aunt Nan is nothing but kind. She's about 7 months pregnant, has four sons, her husband recently retired from the military and they have this albatross of a farmhouse to deal with. It's amazing she can keep track of herself let alone her family. It was cold to leave Rose all alone on her first day. Couldn't Rose come too since it involved children? I don't think Aunt Nan is the prickly one. Uncle Bob is firm but kind. The teenage boys, Simon and George, are not very welcoming but they're teenage boys so how kind would they be to a little girl? The twins seem sweet and they were curious about Rose. She didn't even try to get along with them. She just ran away.
It's unclear why Rose feels so comfortable with Will and Susan or why she's so bold in the 1860s! Her behavior is completely different. Perhaps it's because Susan welcomes Rose with simple kindness, shielding Rose from Will's ma. Susan is a hired girl and doesn't have much education. She's isolated on this island and hasn't been off it or out of Canada before. She comes across as timid and whiny with Rose being a bit of a bully. I would not have made the decisions Rose does. She's crazy! Susan has the right idea-stay home and wait. If I were Rose, I'd go home and do extensive research FIRST and get Susan writing lots of letters to find out what happened to Will BEFORE I set out on am impossible journey. Also, I would have known to travel with someone going to see a family member in the hospital. I would have known it wasn't safe even to pretend to be a boy. (Does no one question her odd clothing styles? Surely her sneakers and her shirt are unfamiliar?). I would have tried to travel with food, medicine and supplies. I feel like this is the part of the novel that doesn't make sense for Rose and Susan's characters. Susan makes a big mistake and Rose, true to form, reacts badly. I didn't like the way Rose handled the Peter Maas situation either. I figured out what he meant but I'm an adult and a child would expect an adult to keep their word. It's only at the end of the novel does Rose realize the important things in life, while also being nostalgic for the past.
Will is a complex character. He's friendly to Rose, optimistic and a big dreamer. He loves music and the simple island life yet he wants more than just farming. I don't blame him and with the Civil War raging in the United States, he needs to make a decision. He identifies as half American on his mother's side. He doesn't hold with slavery and since his cousin is eager to join, Will figures he'll go join up too. Of course it's not that simple. I was disappointed and unhappy I guess it's supposed to be part of the theme of belonging and parallel Rose's story.
This is a fun story for young adults and adults looking for nostalgia. I'm not sure how well modern day 12 year olds would enjoy this book. I know one who won't pick it up and a 1o year old who might read it but probably would find it too slow and too old-fashioned.
Other similar books I read at that age and loved were Can I Get There by Candlelight?, Running Out of Time, Switching Well and Something Upstairs. A more recent readalike from Canada is Winds of L'Acadie.
I'm certain I must have LOVED this book when I was a tween. How could I resist a time slip novel about the Civil War? This story was tailor made for me. Yet, reading it now, I don't have ANY memory of the plot whatsoever. That's unusual for me. Mostly it comes back once I open the book again even if I've forgotten I ever read the book. I KNOW I read her other two Hawthorn Bay novels.
Anyway, Janet Lunn is a very skilled writer. I've read a few of her historical fiction books and am always impressed with her ability to paint a picture of what life was really like back then. This time I was struck by how similar life in Hawthorn Bay in the 1980s was to life in 1860s compared to today. My sister's kids would totally flip out if they time travelled to the 1980s-no wifi- no wifi means no iPads, no iPads no video chat, video games or social media O.M.G! A lot has changed for us but Janet Lunn is such a good writer, she shows what life was like in both time periods rather than drop a lot of references that TELL the reader what year it is. I'm not even 100% certain Rose's time IS the 1980s but assuming Hawthorn Bay is isolated, it seems like time has stood still there aside from a few differences. I liked seeing how it was the same but different.
Janet Lunn does not hold back on the details of life in the 1860s. She shows us farm work, depression from the loss of a spouse (briefly, Will's mother), other daily life skills that have been forgotten and of course, the Civil War. The author is skilled enough to weave the war into her story and put what happened and when into the mouth of her character so it becomes a story about HIS experiences which makes it personal. I can't stand it when author's dump in facts into the narrative. I know all that. I went to school and studied the Civil War extensively, thank you. Show or tell me what happened to the CHARACTER I feel connected to. This part of the novel is very effective and again she doesn't hold back telling the horrors of war. Not all of the story flows smoothly, however. There are some clunky plot points that don't serve much of a purpose except to fill in the story to make drama for the characters and show the reader some of the grittier side of life in the 1860s. I LOLd at a rare mistake at the end. Mutton Chop SLEEVES? LMBO! Try mutton chop whiskers and leg o'mutton sleeves. Leg o'Mutton sleeves weren't even in style until the end of the 19th-century. Gigot sleeves (puff) were popular in the 1820s and 30s but in the 60s it was about bishop sleeves or pagoda sleeves. Wide and comfortable but not puffy at the top and tight on the bottom as with leg o'mutton. This was a rare misstep from the author and yes even in the 80s I knew that so there's no excuse for faulty research. (Mutton Chop whiskers, however, took on a new name at this time from the Union General Ambrose Burnside.)
I figured out the plot twist about the ghosts, or at least I thought I did. It wasn't quite what I expected but close. This is a time slip novel and not a ghost story or time travel story so it's a little different. I liked the twist but thought Rose was a little dense not to figure it out.
Rose is a tough character to like. Her favorite book is The Secret Garden so I'm guessing she's loosely based on Mary Lennox. However, Mary was a product of the British Raj and unbends due to the firm, but loving, guidance of the Sowerbys plus plenty of fresh air and exercise. Rose doesn't unbend until the end of the novel. She's unsocialized so I can see how the chaotic family in the rundown farmhouse was too much for her. I would probably find them overwhelming too and cry a lot but be angry with my cousins. My attitude would have been "You don't want me here? Fine. I don't want to be here either!" Aunt Nan is nothing but kind. She's about 7 months pregnant, has four sons, her husband recently retired from the military and they have this albatross of a farmhouse to deal with. It's amazing she can keep track of herself let alone her family. It was cold to leave Rose all alone on her first day. Couldn't Rose come too since it involved children? I don't think Aunt Nan is the prickly one. Uncle Bob is firm but kind. The teenage boys, Simon and George, are not very welcoming but they're teenage boys so how kind would they be to a little girl? The twins seem sweet and they were curious about Rose. She didn't even try to get along with them. She just ran away.
It's unclear why Rose feels so comfortable with Will and Susan or why she's so bold in the 1860s! Her behavior is completely different. Perhaps it's because Susan welcomes Rose with simple kindness, shielding Rose from Will's ma. Susan is a hired girl and doesn't have much education. She's isolated on this island and hasn't been off it or out of Canada before. She comes across as timid and whiny with Rose being a bit of a bully. I would not have made the decisions Rose does. She's crazy! Susan has the right idea-stay home and wait. If I were Rose, I'd go home and do extensive research FIRST and get Susan writing lots of letters to find out what happened to Will BEFORE I set out on am impossible journey. Also, I would have known to travel with someone going to see a family member in the hospital. I would have known it wasn't safe even to pretend to be a boy. (Does no one question her odd clothing styles? Surely her sneakers and her shirt are unfamiliar?). I would have tried to travel with food, medicine and supplies. I feel like this is the part of the novel that doesn't make sense for Rose and Susan's characters. Susan makes a big mistake and Rose, true to form, reacts badly. I didn't like the way Rose handled the Peter Maas situation either. I figured out what he meant but I'm an adult and a child would expect an adult to keep their word. It's only at the end of the novel does Rose realize the important things in life, while also being nostalgic for the past.
Will is a complex character. He's friendly to Rose, optimistic and a big dreamer. He loves music and the simple island life yet he wants more than just farming. I don't blame him and with the Civil War raging in the United States, he needs to make a decision. He identifies as half American on his mother's side. He doesn't hold with slavery and since his cousin is eager to join, Will figures he'll go join up too. Of course it's not that simple. I was disappointed and unhappy I guess it's supposed to be part of the theme of belonging and parallel Rose's story.
This is a fun story for young adults and adults looking for nostalgia. I'm not sure how well modern day 12 year olds would enjoy this book. I know one who won't pick it up and a 1o year old who might read it but probably would find it too slow and too old-fashioned.
Other similar books I read at that age and loved were Can I Get There by Candlelight?, Running Out of Time, Switching Well and Something Upstairs. A more recent readalike from Canada is Winds of L'Acadie.
January 1, 2008
This was my favorite book when I was twelve. I dug it out of the basement a few months ago and re-read it. This time, I still liked it, but thought it was a bit sappy at parts. Hence the four stars. My twelve-year-old self would have given it five stars. Still a great read. I'll pass it along to my unborn children.
March 19, 2008
I read this book in elementary school, and remember really enjoying the idea that you could climb down into a root cellar and then climb out into the 1860's. I loved the whole theme that it doesn't matter when you come from, but only where you belong, especially when you are young and have lost your parents. I picked it up again, recently, out of nostalgia, and it brought back a lot of memories.
May 23, 2021
Read on OpenLibrary for Children's Books here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Well, I am done. I appreciated it much more this time than I recall doing so several years ago, elsewhere in this group iirc. But I can't quite say I actually enjoyed it. Not sure why. Maybe just being an adult, rather burnt out on juv. historical fiction. Maybe not being fond of the ghostly appearances... it seems to me that the (not completely logical) time slip was sufficient for 'suspension of disbelief.'
But Rose's adventures are adventurous indeed! I imagine some youngsters would thrill to see this setting through her eyes, and would find the educational history pretty painless. Especially interesting was having Rose, with her short hair, passing as a young boy, and being expected to do nearly a man's work.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Well, I am done. I appreciated it much more this time than I recall doing so several years ago, elsewhere in this group iirc. But I can't quite say I actually enjoyed it. Not sure why. Maybe just being an adult, rather burnt out on juv. historical fiction. Maybe not being fond of the ghostly appearances... it seems to me that the (not completely logical) time slip was sufficient for 'suspension of disbelief.'
But Rose's adventures are adventurous indeed! I imagine some youngsters would thrill to see this setting through her eyes, and would find the educational history pretty painless. Especially interesting was having Rose, with her short hair, passing as a young boy, and being expected to do nearly a man's work.
November 26, 2007
Rose is a lonely and unhappy orphan who one day discovers an old root cellar, and finds herself in the 1860s with an important role to play in the Civil War . . .
February 3, 2021
A favourite of mine and of my daughter for decades.
Read
April 29, 2019listen this book taught me about love and time travel and i feel like every romance scene i have ever read since i'm like, hmm okay, but wheres the boat and the lily pond? (also just realized this could apply to Anne of Green Gables, which explains so much). Do you like Canadian kids fiction? then read this! I have very little memory of the actual plot, and i'm sure i didn't care about the actual plot when i read it because THEO WAS ALL ABOUT THE LUV, BABEY!
March 8, 2022
Another book I read for my Children’s Literature course. This was a good one, but for some reason, it took me forever to read.
The concept of it all is very interesting and creative, and the friendships formed by the end of the book are quite heartwarming.
It is similar to "The Secret Garden" in some ways, which is another book I read for this class and really liked.
The concept of it all is very interesting and creative, and the friendships formed by the end of the book are quite heartwarming.
It is similar to "The Secret Garden" in some ways, which is another book I read for this class and really liked.
December 31, 2007
I think I only read this book once as a kid (and reread it again a couple of years ago) but I am still amazing at how many of the little details I remember. The storytelling is clear, the details so fascinating, that it stays with you long after you've read it. It does tend to drag a bit in the middle, but the magic of the end is simply charming.
December 7, 2008
An old favourite, originally I read it in primary school at about age 11. I think it's what instilled in me a fascination with all things American Civil War.
A beautiful story, I have wanted to read it again for many years but wasn't able to find a copy, until a lovely person in the US sent it to me via BookMooch. It was a delight to read it again.
A beautiful story, I have wanted to read it again for many years but wasn't able to find a copy, until a lovely person in the US sent it to me via BookMooch. It was a delight to read it again.
Read
January 17, 2011I was just slightly disappointed in this book because the whole time-travel aspect seemed almost beside the point until the end of the book. But it's a great depiction of what America must have been like immediately following the Civil War. And I loved the ending.
January 12, 2024
I really liked this book when I was a young(er) person.
Mostly because I loved it in books when female characters would disguise themselves as boys.
Drag drag drag omg.
Mostly because I loved it in books when female characters would disguise themselves as boys.
Drag drag drag omg.
December 4, 2014
Not what I was expecting but was pleasantly surprised.
March 13, 2015
This is one of my favorite books ever. Or was when I was 12. I just came across it by accident so decided to add it. My edition did not have pictures.
January 4, 2018
Loved this! Excellent character development and descriptive writing very effectively drew me into the scenes. Very engaging, and I will be seeking out more from this author!
May 12, 2020
I love time travel stories.
June 14, 2025
I waited 35 years to read this book, and I tried to think how 11 year old me would have felt about it. it's well written, although at times, I felt it dragged on a bit. it's the story of a lonely girl who discovers she can slip into the past through an old root cellar. it's a sweet story, with adventure and mischief and perseverance and family, and finding where you belong. All themes a young reader would relate to and enjoy. as an adult, I found the story had a few moments of problems being solved almost as if by magic, and narrow escapes not very realistically. however, I enjoyed the book and liked it had historical and geographical non-fiction pieces to the story. it's a sweet story and drew me into the feelings of the child who feels alone even while surrounded by so many. It's definitely worth a read, but I wouldn't list it as one of my favourites.
February 1, 2016
2.5 stars. This review is also available on my blog, Read Till Dawn.
I feel like I would have liked this one a lot better if I'd read it for the first time when I was younger.
It's not so much that it's geared for younger kids (in fact, it's kind of too gruesome for little children), but that the plot feels sort of . . . wobbly. On one hand it's a really cool concept, and it imparts a lot of history without being too painful, but on the other it relies on unrealistic characters and events to carry it on its way.
Rose is the worst offender when it comes to being an unrealistic character. She is, to put it in a single word, unpredictable. And not in the cool, the-author-did-this-on-purpose sort of way. No, she just up and completely changes halfway through the book for no reason other than "she went back in time, so she suddenly went from being an inhibited, emotionally-constrained doll-like girl to a headstrong, determined firecracker with a strong mind of her own." It's not that I dislike either side of her character, but I just don't like the way she so radically changes with no real impetus.
The other main thing I found confusing about the book was that it was set in Canada . . . but was about the American Civil War. And by the end, when I'd figured everything out, it was a really cool angle - I'd never known that Canadians came to fight in the war! - but it took me way too long to figure out the basic facts: that Rose is American, and that she's living with her relatives in Canada near the American-Canadian border. For a while, I honestly thought that Rose was Canadian and her relatives were the Americans. I think part of that confusion comes from the fact that Lunn grew up in America, but moved to Canada at eighteen and lived the rest of her life there: there's no real sense of an American identity for Rose to contrast against that of her relatives from Canada, because the author was a member of both countries and didn't herself differentiate between the two. That must be it, because that's the only reason I can think of for the rather muddled distinction between the two nationalities.
I did enjoy the book, though - it was a good feel-good read (except for the gruesome battle descriptions, of course). I can't see myself going out of my way to recommend it in the future, but I'm sure there are some readers out there who would be perfect for this odd little time-travel novel. When I meet one I will happily hand over my copy of the book, and probably forget entirely about it the next day.
I feel like I would have liked this one a lot better if I'd read it for the first time when I was younger.
It's not so much that it's geared for younger kids (in fact, it's kind of too gruesome for little children), but that the plot feels sort of . . . wobbly. On one hand it's a really cool concept, and it imparts a lot of history without being too painful, but on the other it relies on unrealistic characters and events to carry it on its way.
Rose is the worst offender when it comes to being an unrealistic character. She is, to put it in a single word, unpredictable. And not in the cool, the-author-did-this-on-purpose sort of way. No, she just up and completely changes halfway through the book for no reason other than "she went back in time, so she suddenly went from being an inhibited, emotionally-constrained doll-like girl to a headstrong, determined firecracker with a strong mind of her own." It's not that I dislike either side of her character, but I just don't like the way she so radically changes with no real impetus.
The other main thing I found confusing about the book was that it was set in Canada . . . but was about the American Civil War. And by the end, when I'd figured everything out, it was a really cool angle - I'd never known that Canadians came to fight in the war! - but it took me way too long to figure out the basic facts: that Rose is American, and that she's living with her relatives in Canada near the American-Canadian border. For a while, I honestly thought that Rose was Canadian and her relatives were the Americans. I think part of that confusion comes from the fact that Lunn grew up in America, but moved to Canada at eighteen and lived the rest of her life there: there's no real sense of an American identity for Rose to contrast against that of her relatives from Canada, because the author was a member of both countries and didn't herself differentiate between the two. That must be it, because that's the only reason I can think of for the rather muddled distinction between the two nationalities.
I did enjoy the book, though - it was a good feel-good read (except for the gruesome battle descriptions, of course). I can't see myself going out of my way to recommend it in the future, but I'm sure there are some readers out there who would be perfect for this odd little time-travel novel. When I meet one I will happily hand over my copy of the book, and probably forget entirely about it the next day.
March 4, 2021
Easily my favorite YA historical fic!
Reread three times since the end of last year. I absolutely love this book.
Reread three times since the end of last year. I absolutely love this book.
January 12, 2023
One of the best novels ever written. The depth and breadth of how the story delves into the lives of the characters, into the role of friendship, into the horrors of war, and into our sense of family is truly astounding. Very readable, engrossing and wonderful. This story is every bit as good as Joan Bauer's "Hope was Here". Its a completely different setting and told in a different way but powerful and compelling none the less.
The story is about a 12 year old orphan girl named Rose. Rose lived most of her life with her grandmother in New York after the death of her parents when Rose was very young. But when Rose's grandmother also dies, Rose is sent to live with her father's sister in Canada. Though Rose's aunt and uncle and her cousins are all family, she has never really known them and having grown up in a big city, she finds it difficult to connect with people who live on a rural farm setting.
Feeling alone and unsure of herself, Rose discovers an old root cellar on the farm, which she explores. When she emerges from the cellar, she finds herself on the same farm but in the 1860's. During several trips back and forth in time via the root cellar, Rose befriends kids who lived on or near the farm in their time.
Janet Lunn has written a stellar story here that will remain one of my all time favorites.
The story is about a 12 year old orphan girl named Rose. Rose lived most of her life with her grandmother in New York after the death of her parents when Rose was very young. But when Rose's grandmother also dies, Rose is sent to live with her father's sister in Canada. Though Rose's aunt and uncle and her cousins are all family, she has never really known them and having grown up in a big city, she finds it difficult to connect with people who live on a rural farm setting.
Feeling alone and unsure of herself, Rose discovers an old root cellar on the farm, which she explores. When she emerges from the cellar, she finds herself on the same farm but in the 1860's. During several trips back and forth in time via the root cellar, Rose befriends kids who lived on or near the farm in their time.
Janet Lunn has written a stellar story here that will remain one of my all time favorites.
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