• Age: 8 to 12
• Grade: 3 to 7

If Shakespeare's Cordelia met Andy Jones's Jack, the resulting offspring might be The Birchy Maid, a saucy, sensible, self-reliant heroine for the modern age. When a merchant prince sails into her life, she sets some very unusual conditions for marriage. This is a fairy tale for all ages, full of humour and wisdom.

Robin McGrath is the author or editor of fifteen books, including Trouble and Desire (1995), Escaped Domestics (1998), Hoist Your Sails and Run (1999), Donovan's Station (2002),Covenant of Salt (2005), and Livyers World(2007).  She has published over two hundred pieces in magazines such as Beaver, Inuit Art Quarterly, Parchment, TickleAce, Fiddlehead and Room of One's Own. 

She is an occasional contributer to CBC Radio, has written and narrated three video scripts, had her first play staged in 2002, and is currently the non-fiction columnist for the St. John's newspaper The Telegram.

Robin was born in Newfoundland and lives in Labrador with her husband, provincial court judge, John Joy.  She is a member of The Writers Union of Canada and the Letterset Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Robin McGrath's profile page

Rochelle Baker's profile page

"The illustrations accompany the text beautifully, supporting and enhancing the tale." - Joan Sullivan, The Telegram

Resource links reviewer, Laura Reilly says, "Rochelle Baker's illustrations surrounded in colourful flowery frames evoke an era of a time long ago. The depiction of the Birchy Maid, her family, her old and new homes and the people who live there complements the text very well."

Reviewer Laura Reilly from Resource Links has this to say about The Birchy Maid, "This theme of three daughters, with the youngest comparing her love to him as 'dear as salt' has been told and modified by generations of story tellers. Robin McGrath tells her interpretation with humour and finesse, with a touch of 'The Rock' (Newfoundland)."

Buried Truths is reviewed in Resource Links, reviewer Patricia Jermey had this to say, "This novel captures the casual intimacy of life in a small Newfoundland town, and includes many threads to interest teen readers: archaeology, adoption, romance, Shakespeare, and visual art."

The Birchy Maid is a highly engaging story with the ideal instance of comeuppance in the end. ..The illustrations are full of bright, saturated colours and complement the classic feel of the text. Especially charming are the ornately designed first letters on each page, at once unique and traditional.Amber Allen, CM Review