• Age: 10 to 18
• Grade: 6

Quebec, 1703. In this rough town, Indian slaves are routinely mistreated. As C?cile Chesne watches the branding iron burn into young Lesharo's flesh, she knows she must act. Defying convention, the headstrong girl buys the slave's freedom and treats him as an equal. Lesharo is Pawnee -- the People of the Wolf. Sworn to protect C?cile, he accompanies her and her father, a coureur de bois, as they leave Quebec for a perilous journey to the new fort at D?troit. Fort society, however, makes C?cile and Lesharo miserable. Torn between two worlds, they can only be free in the wild. But freedom will not come easily. One terrible night, C?cile is forced to make a dreadful choice “

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

• Short-listed, Red Maple Award, Ontario Library Association
• Winner, YA Top Ten Fiction, Pennsylvania School Librarians Association

The story draws us in quickly, the narrative unfolds smoothly, and period details are accurate without being intrusive. ... While there’s plenty to hold the interest in good younger readers, the issues raised should engage older, more sophisticated readers as well.

Several historical people and events are woven into the story, but more memorable are the fictional characters at the forefront, their trials, and their relationships. Trottier, a Canadian writer whose ancestral tree includes branches at Fort Detroit, tells a memorable story without the sentimentality that often results when romance meets historical fiction.

Engrossing historical adventure featuring a memorable feminist heroine.

Sister to the Wolf

This is beautifully written historical novel based on actual events of the author’s ancestors. When Cecile, a strong-willed French Canadian girl, buys an indien pani (slave) to give him his freedom, her act of generosity changes her life. Lesharo feels he owes her his life, and though he wishes to return to his people, he accompanies Cecile and her father when they set out to Fort Detroit. Through many adventures, their friendship deepens. A mysterious wolf causes Lesharo to make a heart-wrenching decision. The ensuing dramatic events lead to the satisfying conclusion.

Trottier is a prolific children’s author of Métis descent. She has made an enormous contribution to the writing of Canadian historical fiction in the form of picture books, novels, and non-fiction books and has won and been nominated for countless awards.