Lost on the Prairie

by MaryLou Driedger

Set between Kansas and Saskatchewan in 1907, this middle-grade novel follows a young boy who gets separated from his family en route to Canada and must find his way alone across the immense prairie landscape. Following the sudden death of his eldest brother, twelve-year-old Peter is chosen by his father to travel by train from Kansas to Saskatchewan to help set up the new family homestead. But when Peter's boxcar becomes uncoupled from the rest of the train somewhere in South Dakota, he finds himself lost and alone on the vast prairie. For a sheltered boy who has only read about adventures in books, Peter is both thrilled and terrified by the journey ahead. Along the way, he faces real dangers, from poisonous snakes to barn fires; meets people from all walks of life, including famous author Mark Twain; and grows more resourceful, courageous, and self-reliant as he makes his way across the Midwest to the Canadian border, eventually reaching his new home in Drake, Saskatchewan. The journey expands Peter's view of the world and shows him that the bonds of family and community, regardless of background, are universal and filled with love. Packed with excitement and adventure, this coming-of-age novel features a strong and likeable young protagonist and paints a realistic portrait of prairie life in the early twentieth century.

Genres: Middle Grade

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2021

About the author

MaryLou Driedger is the author of two novels Lost on the Prairie and Sixties Girl. Lost on the Prairie was nominated for both a Manitoba Book Award and a Manitoba Young Readers Choice Award. Sixties Girl was named one of the top five books for middle-grade readers by Canadian Literature for the Classroom.
MaryLou is a world traveller and freelance journalist with hundreds of pieces published in magazines, newspapers, anthologies, books, journals, institutional histories, curriculums, meditation guides and on travel websites. She has been a columnist for a regional Manitoba newspaper for four decades and is a former writer for the Winnipeg Free Press.
MaryLou maintains a daily blog called What Next. You can learn more about her on her author website.

Reviews

[Larry Verstraete · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Lost on the Prairie by MaryLou Driedger, readers follow young Peter Schmidt on his quest to reunite with his family after he becomes separated from them while moving from Kansas to Saskatchewan in the early 1900s. There is much to enjoy in this book - intriguing story twists, well developed characters, a full throttle pace, layers of historical detail, and language and clever phrases reflective of the period that often brought a chuckle to my lips. This is high adventure seen through the lens of history, and a book middle years kids and their parents will no doubt enjoy.

[Gabriele Goldstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great adventure story for middle grade boys. Historical fiction about family always interests me. In this book the protagonist gets lost during an immigration journey from Kansas to Saskatchewan. Inspired by a true story!

The author seems to have researched the South Dakota Indigenous Peoples with great care and detail. In general, the book appears well researched.

I loved the writing . . . the strong verbs, the visual details, the clever connection to 1907 reading material and Peter's connection to animals. Kids will love it.

[Colleen Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an adventure! It starts off with a bang and the action doesn't let up. I know lots of students in my grade 8 class who will enjoy this book. The back matter is equally fun to read because I got to learn about the author's connection to the story and which parts were based on fact. The main character grows and changes through his adventures. Honestly, I read this book in a day because it was such fun and so hard to put down. It will be a welcome addition in any grade 4-8 classroom.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This coming of age story is about Peter, a Kansas farm boy, whose family is moving to Saskatchewan. While making the trek, Peter is separated and lost on the way. The journey to find his way to his new home and to his family is filled with adventures where Peter quickly 'grows up' on his adventures. It really feels like a story that is a mix of Hatchet, Hercules, Huck Finn/Tom Sawyer, lost in the barrens.

My initial draw to this book was the title. Being from the prairie, I was interested in the story, however, I didn't feel it was all that relatable to the region. The mentioning of Winnipeg and Manitoba was a nice touch, and I think I was hoping that the family would have settled in Manitoba, rather than Saskatchewan. The Author's nod to her own family history is fantastic. I think this story is a great launching point to write realistic fiction about our own family tales.

[Kirsten Kroeker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tall tale based on a pieced-together story from real history; this was a good read for those of us on the prairies as the locations are interesting and not far from home. Most of it is delightful, if not fantastical, but there's a dark story about a haunted woods and spirits that may be frightening to younger children.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as part of the MYRCA list, it is not the type of book I would read otherwise.

Positive : The story was quick and action-packed.

Negative: There was very little character growth, and was surprisingly American rather than Canadian.

[Margaret Fast · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story. Generally well written. For me, the Huckleberry Finn English did not ring true.

[Keitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast-paced first person historical fiction.

[Jess Vargas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read-aloud. Non-stop adventure, but appropriate for all ages :)

[Maegan Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So wholesome.

[Lori Emilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A middle grade adventure that many kids will enjoy. Would pair well with studies of immigration and early 20th century Canadian history, although from a settler’s perspective only.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great adventure story that middle grade students will appreciate (as may their parents)! The writing is superb and it would be an excellent read aloud.