• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7

A riveting story of a pivotal battle in the Seven Years’ War that changed Canadian history forever.

Seventeen-year-old Sébastien de L’Espérance and his friend Guillaume have fought to keep the British from getting a foothold in Île Royale (now Cape Breton Island) ever since the young men came from France two years ago. Britain has blockaded Louisbourg, and supplies for the 4000 inhabitants are running short. Despite Louisbourg’s massive defences, if cut off from supplies provided by France, it cannot survive.

Both young men are members of the Compagnies Franches de la Marine. They are sent out on scouting missions that provide valuable information about the British troops — troops which outnumber the French three to one. When British warships arrive in force, Sébastien vows to defend the town, his friend Guillaume, and the woman he loves.

DON AKER’S most recent novel is The Fifth Rule, a finalist for the White Pine Award. His acclaimed backlist also includes The Space Between, winner of the Canadian Library Association’s Young Adult Honour Book Award and also shortlisted for the White Pine Award; One On One, winner of the Canadian Authors Association Lilla Stirling Award and nominated for the Hackmatack Award and the Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award; and The First Stone, winner of the Ann Connor Brimer Award and the White Pine Award. A former high school teacher, Don lives by the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia.

WEB: donaker.com

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Praise for Don Aker:

“His sure and swift style drive the story with vigour.” —Quill and Quire (for The Fifth Rule)