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Searching for Shona
During the evacuation of children from Edinburgh in the early days of World War II, shy, weathy Marjorie on her way to relatives in Canada trades places and identities with the orphaned Shona bound for the Scottish countryside.
159 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
January 27, 2012
I loved this book as a kid; it always stuck with me, and I wanted to read it again. I ordered a copy on Amazon, paying 1 cent for it. So, my used copy arrives (a paperback). It's signed by the author! She autographed it and dated it for 1991, and signed it: "For Stephanie." What a great coincidence!!!
I really enjoyred rereading this book.
I really enjoyred rereading this book.
January 10, 2009
This is the story of two adolescent girls who are evacuated from Edinburgh at the beginning of World War II. The protagonist, Marjorie, is a painfully shy, wealthy orphan who lives with her inattentive uncle. Brash, confident Shona is a poor orphan who lives at the nearby orphanage and doesn't know her own lineage. Marjorie is supposed to be going to Canada to stay with relatives that she has never met and Shona is being shipped off to the country. However, Marjorie is terrified of boats due to the fact that her parents died in a boat accident. She also doesn't want to live with relatives she doesn't know. Shona, on the other hand, has always been envious of Marjorie's life and doesn't want to go to the country. So the two girls end up switching identities in the train station. Shona goes to Canada and Marjorie goes to the country where she ends up using Shona's few possessions to solve the mystery of Shona's heritage.
The book ends years later after the war has ended, and an 18-year-old Marjorie returns to Edinburgh to find Shona, tell her the truth of her parentage, and switch back as they agreed as children. Shona, however, flatly refuses to acknowledge that the switch occurred and declares that she is Marjorie Malcolm-Scott and there's nothing Marjorie can do about it. The final lines of the book feature Marjorie comforting herself by reflecting that Shona can keep her family, her wealth, and her name because in the course of living Shona's life she has become bold and confident and as such "found herself."
This book scarred me as a child. Though I couldn't articulate it then, outside of the overwhelming Do Not Want inherent in the injustice of Shona stealing Marjorie's life, the biggest problem with this book is that Marjorie's finding herself is accomplished only through imitating someone else. She never becomes a stronger, better Marjorie, she just becomes a watered down Shona. It would have been more empowering if she faced her fears and moved to Canada and then grown from that experience, rather than running away from the root of her problems and losing herself in someone else's identity.
Overall, this book is deeply unsatisfying, more than a little distressing, and botches its intended moral.
The book ends years later after the war has ended, and an 18-year-old Marjorie returns to Edinburgh to find Shona, tell her the truth of her parentage, and switch back as they agreed as children. Shona, however, flatly refuses to acknowledge that the switch occurred and declares that she is Marjorie Malcolm-Scott and there's nothing Marjorie can do about it. The final lines of the book feature Marjorie comforting herself by reflecting that Shona can keep her family, her wealth, and her name because in the course of living Shona's life she has become bold and confident and as such "found herself."
This book scarred me as a child. Though I couldn't articulate it then, outside of the overwhelming Do Not Want inherent in the injustice of Shona stealing Marjorie's life, the biggest problem with this book is that Marjorie's finding herself is accomplished only through imitating someone else. She never becomes a stronger, better Marjorie, she just becomes a watered down Shona. It would have been more empowering if she faced her fears and moved to Canada and then grown from that experience, rather than running away from the root of her problems and losing herself in someone else's identity.
Overall, this book is deeply unsatisfying, more than a little distressing, and botches its intended moral.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2020
This is a book my fourth grade teacher, Miss Coralie Shull, read aloud to our class sometime in 1979-1980. I'm not going to claim that this is wonderful literature, but something about it has stuck in my head for 36 years, bits and pieces that were wonderful to explore again. It's a strange little book, sort of unbelievable, and some things I at age 10 probably accepted at face value I puzzled over at age 40something. I also think that if this were written today, we'd probably get a sequel or two (or three or four...), but way back in the dark ages of children's literature, you had to use your imagination to come up with "the rest of the story." I don't know if kids today would even like a book like this. I do know that the power of reading aloud to impressible fourth graders must be pretty strong, as I remembered this (and several others).
8.17.20 I found a copy on AbeBooks.com, and re-read this over the weekend. I think maybe sitting in reading in the middle of a dangerous crisis in a world turned upside down, about another dangerous crisis in a world turned upside down over 80 years ago, but the danger is tempered with ice skating and tea and elderly Scottish spinsters, and a mystery of sorts, made the book more than merely a nostalgic experience. The end feels rushed (there were definitely more chapters to be written here), but also: that end (which I won't spoil) is still a surprising shocker. This is a good book.
8.17.20 I found a copy on AbeBooks.com, and re-read this over the weekend. I think maybe sitting in reading in the middle of a dangerous crisis in a world turned upside down, about another dangerous crisis in a world turned upside down over 80 years ago, but the danger is tempered with ice skating and tea and elderly Scottish spinsters, and a mystery of sorts, made the book more than merely a nostalgic experience. The end feels rushed (there were definitely more chapters to be written here), but also: that end (which I won't spoil) is still a surprising shocker. This is a good book.
September 10, 2010
OK. So, I read this in Reading last year, for the holocaust unit. It was OK, but I didn't really think it had anything to do with the holocaust. Whatever :) Still, it was interesting, but kind of stupid. The ending.... I just can't imagine someone actually just saying, "Oh, yeah, you won't give me my life back? That's cool. Awesome!" It seemed like the author was just searching for a way to end the story, and that was the best she could come up with. I was truly irritated. I, at least, would be very curious about my past, if someone had found the house my mother had lived in, something I had been trying to do FOREVER. And discovering who painted the painting of the house? How could you not care? That's what irked me.
All in all, it's a decent book, but just come up with your own ending, alright?
All in all, it's a decent book, but just come up with your own ending, alright?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2019
This was a short and sweet read. Shona is an orphan living in an orphanage in Edinburgh. Marjorie is also an orphan, but lives with her wealthy uncle and the housekeeper in a large house near the orphanage. WW2 has just started and children are being sent to places of safety. Marjorie is afraid of taking a boat to Canada as she's been directed to do, and impulsively changes places with Shona, who is going to the countryside. Marjorie and her new charge, Anna, end up living in a small town with two spinster ladies. Marjorie begins to enjoy her life more than she did before, making friends and learning to skate. Marjorie and Anna sneak into a mansion house on the edge of town and explore, finding toys and books in a tower room. Marjorie thinks this is the house Shona has a painting of and tries to learn why. Quite quickly, five years have gone by and with an abrupt ending, Marjorie knows for sure who she is.
September 21, 2013
I recently stumbled across this book that I loved as a kid. Happily, it held up under my weighty expectations.
Marjorie and Shona, both orphans, became friends at their local park in Edinburgh. Marjorie is a rich orphan in the care of her uncle who's never there--she's looked after by a disinterested housekeeper. Shona is a poor orphan who lives in an orphanage. When the children of Edinburgh have to be evacuated during WWII, Marjorie finds out that she's to be sent to live with relatives in Canada--and she's terrified. Her parents died in a sailboat accident, and Marjorie has avoided the water ever since.
By chance, Marjorie and Shona meet in the train station as Marjorie is on her way to the port and Shona is being evacuated to the country. They make a split-second decision to trade places (after all, the war will only last for a few months, right?). The ramifications will change many lives forever.
This was a children's story of triumph during wartime, reflecting the attitudes of the adults during that time. Without complaining or dwelling on her deprivations, Marjorie planted a victory garden, knitted scarves for soldiers, and followed the strict blackout rules. Yet in the meantime she and her friends were children: going to school, ice skating, wondering about the abandoned house down the street, etc. Lovely story.
Marjorie and Shona, both orphans, became friends at their local park in Edinburgh. Marjorie is a rich orphan in the care of her uncle who's never there--she's looked after by a disinterested housekeeper. Shona is a poor orphan who lives in an orphanage. When the children of Edinburgh have to be evacuated during WWII, Marjorie finds out that she's to be sent to live with relatives in Canada--and she's terrified. Her parents died in a sailboat accident, and Marjorie has avoided the water ever since.
By chance, Marjorie and Shona meet in the train station as Marjorie is on her way to the port and Shona is being evacuated to the country. They make a split-second decision to trade places (after all, the war will only last for a few months, right?). The ramifications will change many lives forever.
This was a children's story of triumph during wartime, reflecting the attitudes of the adults during that time. Without complaining or dwelling on her deprivations, Marjorie planted a victory garden, knitted scarves for soldiers, and followed the strict blackout rules. Yet in the meantime she and her friends were children: going to school, ice skating, wondering about the abandoned house down the street, etc. Lovely story.
September 15, 2015
A WWII evacuee story with a twist. Two girls, both orphans (one from an orphanage and one under the care of a wealthy but emotionally distant and mostly absent uncle) impulsively switch places in the chaos of mass evacuation at a railway station at the start of the war. It's a very quick read -- I could have read it in one sitting if circumstances had allowed. It's a reminder of how much shorter a typical children's chapter book was in the days before Harry Potter (this one was published in 1978) and also of the truism that less is sometimes more. Still, however agreeably lean and taut the story was, the finish was rather jolting in its suddenness, ending immediately after something rather unexpected, and to a degree, chilling, happens (I'd love to compare opinions with someone else who's read it -- is it a happy ending?). One can easily imagine that other authors might have made the book's ending its real starting point. That would have meant following the girls' lives into adulthood though, and this is too thoroughly a middle grade book for that.
April 12, 2023
Can’t believe I bumped into my very first ‘real’ book I remember reading as a kid. Crazy how I read this yeaaars ago and still feel how good it was (or maybe I’m just emotionally attached to the memory of it?). Anyways, the story starts with two 12yo girls, complete strangers, switching identities during their escape for WWII, each to the other side of the world to some kind of host family. They actually took this decision on a whim but they were bound by one rule: after the war, they would do everything to find each other back in order to reclaim their identities. Important to mention that they belonged to opposite social classes. So the poor girl had to be treated as a rich girl for the first time in her life and vice versa, which was presented in a dual pov. The way they tried to survive war in complete different conditions, not really understanding what exactly was going on and for how long this situation would persist, really stuck with me forever. It also has a powerful ending reflecting a solid critique on the classist society we live in.
January 7, 2019
4.5 stars.
An excellent book and a new favourite. It's beautiful, heartfelt and deep but also unsettling, painful and dark. It reminds me a bit of When Marnie Was There and the Anne of Green Gables series. Searching for Shona tells the story of two young girls who swap places during the war, one goes to the Scottish countryside and the other to Canada. I have mixed feelings about the painfully abrupt ending and wish the book were longer but other than those minor qualms all I can say is I wish I'd read it as a kid because it's one of those books that would have impacted me and my reading habits. Thankfully like most classic and modern classic children's books, it's a timeless and great read that can be enjoyed by anyone of any age.
An excellent book and a new favourite. It's beautiful, heartfelt and deep but also unsettling, painful and dark. It reminds me a bit of When Marnie Was There and the Anne of Green Gables series. Searching for Shona tells the story of two young girls who swap places during the war, one goes to the Scottish countryside and the other to Canada. I have mixed feelings about the painfully abrupt ending and wish the book were longer but other than those minor qualms all I can say is I wish I'd read it as a kid because it's one of those books that would have impacted me and my reading habits. Thankfully like most classic and modern classic children's books, it's a timeless and great read that can be enjoyed by anyone of any age.
December 6, 2010
The premise is unusual and appealing, and I remember being haunted by it as a child. (Two orphans being evacuated from England during the war decide to switch places.) Re-reading it as an adult, I wish the book had done a lot more to show us how Marjorie felt about her fake identity as Shona, and how these feelings changed over time. After the book jumps forward five years, Marjorie's thoughts don't seem to have changed at all.
November 9, 2018
You never know what it takes to make a reader. This is the first book I remember wanting from the scholastic order form in 4th grade..because it had my name In it, and with such an unusual name I had to have it! My parents indulged me. I remember holing myself up
In My bedroom to read it. My first historical fiction book. Quite likely the book that changed my life by making me a reader!
World War 2, Evacuation, two girls,very different backgrounds, Evacuating to distant family decide to trade places while in the train platform and their ensuing stories.
Unexpected ending.
I still have this book....I still read it! Love it to this day!
In My bedroom to read it. My first historical fiction book. Quite likely the book that changed my life by making me a reader!
World War 2, Evacuation, two girls,very different backgrounds, Evacuating to distant family decide to trade places while in the train platform and their ensuing stories.
Unexpected ending.
I still have this book....I still read it! Love it to this day!
February 10, 2022
Wow wow wow wow wow. The ending was a shock!
March 16, 2019
I read this book I am guessing in junior high or maybe even earlier than that, in fact yeah for some reason I want to say it was earlier because I have some weird memory of standing on the playground of my Catholic school, which I went to through 5th grade, thinking about the characters Shona and Margaret and what they were going through and wishing I could be like them in some way having adventure or just be liked in anyway, the way they seemed or at least 'Shona' seemed to manage to be. But I could be wrong about exactly when I read it, so I'ma just guestimate. Also,e when I think about it, it's kind of silly but kind of telling that I would have yearned for lives like their's considering the tragedies they were going through, I found my existence so mundane and so detestable at times that I think I was often doing that as a child, fantasizing and romanticizing other existences or lifestyles any that were different from my own. Any that took me away even if it meant being a poor orphan in a war-torn country. Pretty cray. So, I just remember that I was really touched by this book, these girls who against all odds managed to have fun, forge deep and meaningful bonds and enjoy themselves, or at least one of them did, but I also remember being really, really shocked and angry at the end. Anyway I won't spoil it, suffice it to say it is a heart reeling beautiful story of friendship betrayal and acceptance and compassion. I should probably read it again to see if I'm right about that.
October 18, 2021
We can trade places!
I read this book for the first time when I was about 11, same age as Marjorie-turned-Shona is. At the time I was reading everything and anything, regardless of genre or setting and the idea that two relative strangers would switch places at the beginning of World War 2 caught my attention.
And then the story itself caught me.
This is firmly middle grade, a coming of age story built around a slight mystery with a backdrop of the war. Anderson doesn't treat it lightly nor does she make it grim. There are hardships, but children have enduring spirits after all, and they're given room to just be kids.
I do wonder at Shona-turned-Marjorie. Its not very surprising why she made the choice she did, especially after Marjorie-turned-Shona learned about her mother (which must have been the source of her memories about Clairmont House that Shona passed onto to Anna), but I always wondered if it worked out for her. The charade worked out for Marjorie; she found a family, friends and a sense of who she wanted to be. Did Shona as well?
I read this book for the first time when I was about 11, same age as Marjorie-turned-Shona is. At the time I was reading everything and anything, regardless of genre or setting and the idea that two relative strangers would switch places at the beginning of World War 2 caught my attention.
And then the story itself caught me.
This is firmly middle grade, a coming of age story built around a slight mystery with a backdrop of the war. Anderson doesn't treat it lightly nor does she make it grim. There are hardships, but children have enduring spirits after all, and they're given room to just be kids.
I do wonder at Shona-turned-Marjorie. Its not very surprising why she made the choice she did, especially after Marjorie-turned-Shona learned about her mother (which must have been the source of her memories about Clairmont House that Shona passed onto to Anna), but I always wondered if it worked out for her. The charade worked out for Marjorie; she found a family, friends and a sense of who she wanted to be. Did Shona as well?
July 11, 2014
What an unusual book.
Its 1939 and 2 friends are about to be evacuated...one to unknown relatives in Canada and the other to the country. They change clothes and places....
Neither of them realise the War will last 6 years not a few months, so both their lives change dramatically. Marjorie (now known as Shona) is evacuated to the country with Anna, (another orphanage girl) and they stay with the Misses Campbell. What Marjorie looses in material things she gains in family and friendship. I cant help feeling Marjorie gained more from the switch than Shona. I wont spoil the ending...but I didnt guess it. Very good book.
Its 1939 and 2 friends are about to be evacuated...one to unknown relatives in Canada and the other to the country. They change clothes and places....
Neither of them realise the War will last 6 years not a few months, so both their lives change dramatically. Marjorie (now known as Shona) is evacuated to the country with Anna, (another orphanage girl) and they stay with the Misses Campbell. What Marjorie looses in material things she gains in family and friendship. I cant help feeling Marjorie gained more from the switch than Shona. I wont spoil the ending...but I didnt guess it. Very good book.
December 24, 2015
I really wish that I had read this novel as a young person. It is a great story but as an adult I just wanted to smack these two girls for pulling off such a scheme. Of course, it all worked out in the end and everyone got just what they wanted and deserved. I picked up this one because it is another of those on a lot of youth lists and it is about WWII, only the war plays a real back seat in the story. I did enjoy it and came to love the characters a great deal.
January 11, 2012
I appreciate that although this is a book geared towards middle school age children, the author still put forth the effort to write this story in a professional and elevated manner. I find many books geared towards kids tend to write down to that level instead of lifting the kids up with literary prose. This books was sweetly written and a touching story.
May 15, 2015
A rich lonely young orphan girl decides to switch with her new found poor friend, whom looks surrounded by (Other struggling orphans in her orphanage.) friends. When they both are move from their current homes, they plan to switch places, and to switch back after the war. It works, only too well, as far as we know they never switch back. They each fill the other's spot better than their own.
May 14, 2022
An interesting book set in the Second World War. Evacuees, swapping identities etc. The endong was a bit rushed but also suprising. I didn't see it coming. Apparently 1st printed in the 70's my copy was a new reprint by Amazon! I'd like to read more by this author - a bit different to the usual WW2 evacuee type stories. Recommend!
January 12, 2010
I am relieved to find that this book actually exists. It always kind of freaked me out when I was a kid and I was beginning to think it was just a strange recurring nightmare. Most disturbing, perhaps, is the strange way "Shona" is spelled.
October 9, 2012
A fun story about a rich orphan and a poor orphan who switch places during the war with the intention of finding each other when it is over in order to return to their own lives. The mystery behind Shona's past makes the book even better!
August 24, 2017
During the second World War, two Scottish girls switch places when they are evacuated from Edinburgh. A fun glimpse into what it is like to switch places with someone whose life you envy. Will they switch back at the end of the war??? Read it to find out!
July 28, 2021
Even though aimed at children I did enjoy this book as touched on the complexes of war and children having to evacuate. Good story line and at the end it made me hope that Shona (Marjorie) found out sole heir to the abandoned hall that Marjorie (Shona) thought she was from.
January 30, 2016
I detested this book as a child.
June 8, 2022
One of my favorite books from childhood. So glad to re read it today
September 25, 2015
In Edinburgh in 1939, eleven-year-old Marjorie Malcolm-Scott lives a lonely existence. Orphaned in a boating accident three years earlier, she is under the care of her uncle Fergus, who spends most of his time traveling abroad, so that Marjorie is cared for by Mrs. Kilpatrick, the housekeeper, who has no particular interest in or affection for her. Marjorie has every comfort her uncle's money can provide, but she has no friends and is largely ignored by the adults who should be closest to her.
One day in September, Marjorie is killing time in the park when she strikes up a friendship with Shona, a girl her own age who lives in a nearby orphanage. The two girls spend every day of one week playing together, before Marjorie's posh school is to start. (Shona's public school has already started, but she's been playing hooky.)
Before Marjorie's school opens, she receives a letter from her uncle's secretary informing her that Uncle Fergus, concerned about the intensifying war, has arranged for Marjorie to travel alone to Canada and live with some relatives whom she has never met. Marjorie is terrified of having to stay with unknown relatives, and even more terrified of the transatlantic crossing; she is prone to seasickness and has never gotten over the trauma of losing her parents at sea. She begs to be allowed to stay in Edinburgh, but the subject is not open for discussion.
On the fateful day, Mrs. Kilpatrick says good-bye to Marjorie at the train station, not even staying to make sure she gets on the right train to go to the dock. It's at the station that Marjorie sees a crowd of children from the orphanage, waiting to board a different train that will evacuate them to the countryside. And there is Shona, who is sympathetic to Marjorie's situation, and none too pleased with her own. Impulsively, Marjorie and Shona, who bear a slight resemblance to each other, decide to switch identities: Shona will go to Canada under Marjorie's name and stay with her relatives, who won't know the difference, never having met the real Marjorie, and Marjorie will pose as Shona and be placed in a safe home in the country.
And so the deed is accomplished. The girls switch clothing, luggage and documents, and Marjorie even hacks off her own long pigtails in imitation of Shona's short orphanage haircut. And then they part ways, promising to meet in the park once the war is over and switch back again. They have no idea how their lives will change or how long the war will last.
Shona had been instructed to look after a younger girl from the orphanage, Anna, on the journey to the country. marjorie is afraid that Anna will reveal the deception, but the rather slow, trusting Anna accepts the replacement Shona and doesn't ask for details. The other children are so excited by their evacuation that they pay no mind to the impostor in their midst.
Eventually, Marjorie and Anna are placed in the care of the identical Campbell twins, Miss Morag and Miss Agnes, in a small village. And gradually, Marjorie settles in, both in her new home and in her new identity.
A fairly healthy dose of suspended disbelief is required here, because not only does Anna never slip up and reveal that Marjorie is not really Shona, the other orphanage kids don't either. One boy does figure it out right away and tells everybody at the new school, but he is not believed and is punished for teasing "Shona." And that seems to put the matter to rest.
Among the real Shona's possessions, which she traded to Marjorie at the train station, there is a painting of a grand but dilapidated house that was all Shona has as a clue to her origins. She knows the name of the village she came from, but not who her parents are. By a coincidence, the village Marjorie and Anna wind up in is that very village, and eventually Marjorie finds the house in the painting, now abandoned. Gradually, from listening to and questioning people in town, she begins to piece together the story of the house, the family who lived there, and the story of Shona's parents.
The war drags on longer than anyone expected, and during that time, Marjorie comes to feel she belongs. The Misses Campbells, at first fussy and distant, reveal themselves as kind and caring ladies who genuinely love the girls placed in their charge. Marjorie does well at school, and with the encouragement of the local doctor, decides to become a doctor herself, and to that end she applies for and receives a government grant to attend the University of Edinburgh.
But something is worrying Marjorie. All this time, she has been accepted as Shona McInnis, but what will happen if her deception is uncovered? If she's revealed to be Marjorie Malcolm-Scott, a young woman of considerable means, will she lose her grant money? Unable to bear the worry, she confides in her mentor, Dr. Knight, who assures her that there is nothing for her to fear; the "real" Shona McInnis is now Marjorie, and Marjorie's family money belongs to her.
And so Marjorie arrives in Edinburgh to start her classes, but she wants to see Shona and tell her the truth of her origins, and to give her the chance to switch back if she wants to.
After a few unsuccessful attempts, Marjorie finally meets Shona at Uncle Fergus's house. Neither Uncle Fergus nor Mrs. Kilpatrick recognize her, and Shona herself refuses to acknowledge that she recognizes Marjorie. She defiantly insists that she is now Marjorie Malcolm-Scott, and that there is nothing anyone can do to change that.
The story ends with Marjorie comforting herself that Shona now has the life she had always wanted, and that she herself, as Shona, has a future she likely wouldn't have had if she'd stuck with the original plan and gone to Canada.
The ending was a bit unsatisfying; Marjorie accepts Shona's refusal to acknowledge their switch very easily, and Shona herself didn't strike me as the type who could so thoroughly abandon her old identity and personality. But the story itself was very well-written, thought-provoking and intriguing.
One day in September, Marjorie is killing time in the park when she strikes up a friendship with Shona, a girl her own age who lives in a nearby orphanage. The two girls spend every day of one week playing together, before Marjorie's posh school is to start. (Shona's public school has already started, but she's been playing hooky.)
Before Marjorie's school opens, she receives a letter from her uncle's secretary informing her that Uncle Fergus, concerned about the intensifying war, has arranged for Marjorie to travel alone to Canada and live with some relatives whom she has never met. Marjorie is terrified of having to stay with unknown relatives, and even more terrified of the transatlantic crossing; she is prone to seasickness and has never gotten over the trauma of losing her parents at sea. She begs to be allowed to stay in Edinburgh, but the subject is not open for discussion.
On the fateful day, Mrs. Kilpatrick says good-bye to Marjorie at the train station, not even staying to make sure she gets on the right train to go to the dock. It's at the station that Marjorie sees a crowd of children from the orphanage, waiting to board a different train that will evacuate them to the countryside. And there is Shona, who is sympathetic to Marjorie's situation, and none too pleased with her own. Impulsively, Marjorie and Shona, who bear a slight resemblance to each other, decide to switch identities: Shona will go to Canada under Marjorie's name and stay with her relatives, who won't know the difference, never having met the real Marjorie, and Marjorie will pose as Shona and be placed in a safe home in the country.
And so the deed is accomplished. The girls switch clothing, luggage and documents, and Marjorie even hacks off her own long pigtails in imitation of Shona's short orphanage haircut. And then they part ways, promising to meet in the park once the war is over and switch back again. They have no idea how their lives will change or how long the war will last.
Shona had been instructed to look after a younger girl from the orphanage, Anna, on the journey to the country. marjorie is afraid that Anna will reveal the deception, but the rather slow, trusting Anna accepts the replacement Shona and doesn't ask for details. The other children are so excited by their evacuation that they pay no mind to the impostor in their midst.
Eventually, Marjorie and Anna are placed in the care of the identical Campbell twins, Miss Morag and Miss Agnes, in a small village. And gradually, Marjorie settles in, both in her new home and in her new identity.
A fairly healthy dose of suspended disbelief is required here, because not only does Anna never slip up and reveal that Marjorie is not really Shona, the other orphanage kids don't either. One boy does figure it out right away and tells everybody at the new school, but he is not believed and is punished for teasing "Shona." And that seems to put the matter to rest.
Among the real Shona's possessions, which she traded to Marjorie at the train station, there is a painting of a grand but dilapidated house that was all Shona has as a clue to her origins. She knows the name of the village she came from, but not who her parents are. By a coincidence, the village Marjorie and Anna wind up in is that very village, and eventually Marjorie finds the house in the painting, now abandoned. Gradually, from listening to and questioning people in town, she begins to piece together the story of the house, the family who lived there, and the story of Shona's parents.
The war drags on longer than anyone expected, and during that time, Marjorie comes to feel she belongs. The Misses Campbells, at first fussy and distant, reveal themselves as kind and caring ladies who genuinely love the girls placed in their charge. Marjorie does well at school, and with the encouragement of the local doctor, decides to become a doctor herself, and to that end she applies for and receives a government grant to attend the University of Edinburgh.
But something is worrying Marjorie. All this time, she has been accepted as Shona McInnis, but what will happen if her deception is uncovered? If she's revealed to be Marjorie Malcolm-Scott, a young woman of considerable means, will she lose her grant money? Unable to bear the worry, she confides in her mentor, Dr. Knight, who assures her that there is nothing for her to fear; the "real" Shona McInnis is now Marjorie, and Marjorie's family money belongs to her.
And so Marjorie arrives in Edinburgh to start her classes, but she wants to see Shona and tell her the truth of her origins, and to give her the chance to switch back if she wants to.
After a few unsuccessful attempts, Marjorie finally meets Shona at Uncle Fergus's house. Neither Uncle Fergus nor Mrs. Kilpatrick recognize her, and Shona herself refuses to acknowledge that she recognizes Marjorie. She defiantly insists that she is now Marjorie Malcolm-Scott, and that there is nothing anyone can do to change that.
The story ends with Marjorie comforting herself that Shona now has the life she had always wanted, and that she herself, as Shona, has a future she likely wouldn't have had if she'd stuck with the original plan and gone to Canada.
The ending was a bit unsatisfying; Marjorie accepts Shona's refusal to acknowledge their switch very easily, and Shona herself didn't strike me as the type who could so thoroughly abandon her old identity and personality. But the story itself was very well-written, thought-provoking and intriguing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2018
In 1939, kids are evacuated from Edinborough to avoid bombings--rich orphan Marjorie was meant to sail to Canada to live with relatives she never met, and poor orphan Shona was set to go with her orphanage to the countryside, but they switch places instead. It's a very odd book. It's generally Marjorie's POV, except when it switches for a few random lines to someone else. The focus is on finding out Shona's parentage so she can share it when they switch back, but the second to last chapter is set 5 years later and scoots through another year or two, at which point Marjorie reflects on how she hadn't thought about that in so many years and she'd been so young (11) and it meant nothing anymore. The end wasn't totally surprising, but I wish Marjorie had articulated better her thoughts and stood up for herself a little. And the Anna storyline was more than a little odd. I liked her quirky guardians, the Miss Campbells, though.
August 21, 2023
I belong to Friends of the Chalet School and with the magazine comes a small extra called Ripping Reads. Someone recommended this book. Curious, I found a secondhand copy on the internet. As I had a fibromyalgia flare up which meant I had to stay in bed, I read it. I really enjoyed it. The ending was interesting too! I'm going to read her other books as this was her 3rd one. It's set in WWII, chiefly in Canonbie, just north of the English border, into Scotland.
February 27, 2022
This was my favorite book in 6th grade, before I got my grubby little mitts on Flowers in the Attic. Rereading it as an adult, the main things that came to mind were that they must not have had social security #s in 1940s Scotland, and also that I would like to read this story from Shona's point of view. It could be called Not Searching for Marjorie.
May 25, 2019
Très mignon. Une belle histoire d'enfance et de découverte de soi
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