• Age: 10 to 14
• Grade: 5 to 9
• Reading age: 6 to 12

A Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice Favourites selection for 2005

Set in the Niagara Peninsula and based on actual events during the War of 1812, Robert Sutherland's Son of the Hounds is a fast-paced adventure story that examines two very different faces of freedom at a turbulent time in the history of Canada and the United States

It is the story of the Cameron family, and the freedom they enjoy while carving out a new life and future in the Canadian wilderness

In the aftermath of the battles at Queenston Heights, Lundy's Lane, Stoney Creek and Chrysler's Farm, it is the story of Yankee soldiers from across the border, fired with their own independence, and intent on freeing their Canadian neighbours from British rule

Finally, it is the story of one young man's bravery in the face of danger, his capture by invading soldiers, his dramatic escape, and his realization that the fight for freedom is based not on his skills with a gun but in not losing faith in his beliefs

Born in Priceville, Ontario, in 1925, Robert Sutherland lived briefly in Cape Breton and then Scotland before returning to Canada where he attended Flesherton High School. During World War II, he joined the Royal Canadian Navy and served from 1943 to 1946 as an anti-aircraft gunner on a Loch Class frigate (HMCS Loch Morlich). When his ship was in dry dock in London for repairs, he experienced doodlebug bombing. While in the navy he met Charlotte Cameron of Glasgow, and they married in Toronto in 1948. They have three children, seven grandchildren and one great grandson. Robert’s first success with fiction was a full length novel in the Toronto Star Weekly in 1960. He used the proceeds to set up a hobby of selling Scottish regalia and gifts from his home, a hobby he still pursues. On two of his many rejection slips for other novels, the editor had written “Suggest you try writing for teens.” When he returned to writing in the 1980s he decided to follow this advice. He rewrote the story that had been published in the Star, cutting down on the descriptions and making his protagonist a teen who accidentally stumbled into espionage. Mystery at Black Rock Island, published by Scholastic, was an immediate success, and the first of five successful books about teenagers David and Sandy. He has now had fourteen novels published, which have received numerous nominations and prizes. His novels have been translated into French, Norwegian, Swedish, German and Korean. Robert now lives in Westport, Ontario.

Robert Sutherland's profile page