• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7

A young sailor is caught up in the naval siege of Quebec leading up to the battle on the Plains of Abraham.

Fourteen-year-old William Jenkins is working at a printing house when he comes to the attention of navigator and naval officer James Cook. William signs up to serve with Cook on the warship HMS Pembroke, part of Britain's fleet setting out to take the French stronghold of Quebec.

William soon learns that the world of a British sailor is a harsh one, especially when the ship lays siege to the fortress and is attacked by French fire ships — burning wrecks sent downstream to set the British warships on fire. On one raid, William is captured by the French allies, the Abenaki, and taken into Quebec itself, which is under constant bombardment from British cannons.

With the siege strangling Quebec's lifelines, William finds a way outside the fortress walls just in time to join the British soldiers landing their boats and preparing to face the French on the Plains of Abraham.

A dramatic story of the Seven Years' War, culminating in the siege and battle that claimed Canada for Britain.

Maxine Trottier is a prolific writer of books for young people. Born in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan on May 3, 1950, she moved to Windsor, Ontario in Canada with her family ten years later. In 1974 she became a Canadian citizen. She is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario.Maxine spent 31 years working as an educator in elementary classrooms, guiding children toward literacy. The students in her class, who of course thought of her only as their teacher, saw each step in the creation of a new work. They heard the unillustrated story, saw the roughs, and were the first to view the finished book.Maxine lives with her husband William and their two Yorkies, Ceilidh and Moon. They divide their year between Port Stanley, Ontario on Lake Erie, and Newman s Cove, Newfoundland, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Both are wonderful places to write.

Maxine Trottier's profile page

• Commended, Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre

Praise for the I Am Canada series:

"Make[s] history come alive through an expert mix of fact and fiction." —Quill & Quire

"The chief characters are eminently likeable and quietly heroic, and their tales utterly engrossing." —The Globe and Mail

"The writing is immaculate." —The National Post

Awards and nominations for books in this series:

Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books for Kids and Teens Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award IODE Violet Downey Book Award OLA Best Bets Resource Links, Year's Best Rocky Mountain (Alberta Children's Choice) Book AwardRuth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award