• Age: 10 to 15
• Grade: 6,7,8
• Reading age: 10 to 15

Set in a 1920s coal-mining town, Trapper Boy is the story of 13-year-old JW Donaldson, a good student with a bright future. As school ended for the year in 1926, JW was looking forward to summer. Sure, he would have chores – feeding the horse and milking the goat, tending the garden, that kind of thing – but he would also have lots of time for fishing, building his cabin and reading. Lots of reading. But there is something worrying his parents. His father works in the mine, and there is a lot of talk around town about the mines. JW doesn’t know the details – Adults had a lot to worry about, and he was in no hurry to become one. Slowly, JW’s parents reveal the truth: his father’s hours at the mine have been reduced and they face difficult decisions to try to make ends meet. One such decision will have a previously unimagined impact on the young man’s life.

Hugh R. MacDonald is a writer of fiction and enjoys the company of other writers. He has been fortunate to belong to a local writing group for years and attends workshops that include renowned Cape Breton and Canadian authors. Hugh has been a member of the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia for many years. His work has been published online and in two anthologies Hugh is a graduate of Cape Breton University and works in the human service field. He resides in Cape Breton with his wife, Joanne. At the time of printing, he is busy on his next project, a mainstream novel set in Cape Breton. Trapper Boy is his first published novel.

Hugh R. MacDonald's profile page