Frost, Helen. The braid.

FROST, Helen. The braid. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Frances Foster Books, 112p. c2006.0-37430962-0. $16.00. JS

Helen Frost's novel in poetry form shares the lives of fictional sisters living in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland in 1850, when people were evicted from the islands and sent to live in Scotland, in Canada and in the United States. Sisters Sarah and Jeannie braid their hair together and then cut off the braid so that each may take a braid to remind them of the other. Jeannie leaves with her mother, father and younger siblings as they immigrate to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. It is a tragic journey and once in Canada, she and her family have no one on whom to rely. Jeannie finds her own strength and identity as she works for food and shelter. Sarah remains with her elderly grandmother, leaving one island for another, rocky one in the Hebrides chain. There she cares for her grandmother and falls in love with rough Murdo Campbell, who is their main source of supplies and news as he ferries his boat between the islands. They exchange their vow to marry and share one night together before he is evicted and physically forced to sail to Canada. Left with a child, Sarah continues to make a life for herself, hoping that one day she will rejoin her family and Murdo. The novel is written in an intertwining style, which Frost explains in her notes to the reader. While reminiscent of Longfellow's "Evangeline," the historical context will not be familiar to American students, but nonetheless gives voice to the tragic circumstances that populated Nova Scotia, Canada. Janis Flint-Ferguson, Assoc. Prof., English, Gordon College, Wenham, MA

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.

S--Recommended for senior high school students.