Perilous Passage

by B.J. Bayle

After a shipwreck in 1809, Peter finds himself the victim of amnesia. The sea captain who finds the teenager gives him the only name he knows, while others derisively dub him Peter No-Name. Eventually, Peter finds employment in a Montreal tavern where he meets a French voyageur called Boulard who changes his life irrevocably.

Boulard works for fur trader David Thompson, soon to become one of the world's most famous explorers and mapmakers. Thompson is impressed with the teenager and enlists him in his obsessive quest to establish an overland "northwest" passage to the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River.

With Thompson, Peter embarks on an amazing series of adventures that brings him face to face with hostile Natives and exposes him to the hardships and life-threatening challenges of formidable mountains and primeval forests as the intrepid outdoorsmen canoe, ride, and sled across a continent still largely untouched by European civilization.

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

B.J. Bayle's first children's novel, Mystery at Meander Lake, made Canadian Living's Recommended Reading List. Her second book, Trail of Fire, was shortlisted for the Alberta Writing for Children Competition. Perilous Passage, her novel about explorer David Thompson, is also available from Dundurn. She lives in Cochrane, Alberta, near Calgary.

Reviews

[Ava. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read about a quarter into the book and didn't like it!! It's not the subject rather than it was the writing and how it was written. It also might not be the writing that is bad. It just didn't appeal to me right away. I am the type of person who likes a time line. So for readers like me who are still trying to find their perfect genre and who like books that happen right away this book is not for you.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

A map would’ve made the journey in this book easier to follow. A brief historical note before or after would add to the reader’s understanding and enjoyment of the content. I enjoyed learning about life in the time period and how hard it was to survive.