Overland To Cariboo

Our Canadian Girl: Lisa #1

by Priscilla Galloway

It's the spring of 1862, and an expedition of 150 men is making the perilous journey overland from Quebec and Ontario to the west coast of Canada, where gold has been discovered. At Fort Garry (now Winnipeg), 10-year-old Lisa, her aunt, uncle and their three young children join the group. As Lisa and her family battle their way across the prairies and over the mountains to the goldfields of Cariboo, they encounter terrible hardships—and learn how important they are to one another. Based on a true story, Overland to Cariboo is an exciting tale of danger, courage and loyalty amid the Canadian wilderness.

Genres: Historical Fiction

112 pages, Paperback

Published January 14, 2003

About the author

Priscilla Galloway is an award-winning Canadian children's literature author and former English teacher. She received a PhD from the University of Toronto in 1977 with her dissertation titled "Sexism and the senior English literature curriculum in Ontario secondary schools."

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's really interesting to me that the Lisa story is the highest rated overall of the Our Canadian Girl books, because I think I would consider it nearer the bottom of my list. I mean, it was fine. I don't have to like all historical novels. But also, I was really excited about this one. Anyway, I didn't like that she changed her name from Liesl to Lisa to fit in more. You'd think if your German parents had died you'd want to keep one of the only things they have ever given you. Also, the treatment of Indigenous people is appalling. True, the actual treatment of them during this period was awful. But the racist undertones in the writing is ridiculous. The one thing that sets this series apart from the other girls (that I've read so far) is that it was actually based upon a real family and their journey west. Because of that though, it reads very factual with not a lot of room for connection with the reader. Anyway, I'll still read the rest, but yeah, just a bit disappointed.

[Sam - Spines in a Line · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still own this series and loved to read them! I remember using this one for a class project, where we had to draw up a storyboard

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof ooof ooooooooof ooof oof ooof. Oooof ooof oof!
(Sorry that was my oof language.)