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Dear Canada
A Rebel's Daughter: The 1837 Rebellion Diary of Arabella Stevenson
After her father is jailed for taking part in the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion in Toronto, Arabella’s upper-class mother is unable to cope. It is up to twelve-year-old Arabella to take care of herself and to pray for her father’s safe return.
201 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2006
7 people are currently reading
783 people want to read
About the author
Janet Lunn
30 books35 followersJanet was born Janet Louise Swoboda on December 28, 1928 in Dallas, Texas, U.S.A, moved to Vermont when she was two and lived there until she was ten when the family moved to the outskirts of New York City. She came to Canada in 1946 to go to Notre Dame College in Ottawa and then to Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. There she met and married Richard Lunn, a fellow student. She has lived in Canada ever since. Janet has five children, ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Her husband died in 1987.
"Those," she says, "are the bare bones of my life story. The part that's interesting to readers has to do with reading, writing and daydreaming which are all, in my case, one and the same." She calls herself a dedicated daydreamer and says she has been that, "almost from the moment I was born. Even before I could read I was dreaming up stories. The sound of the wind in the ancient pine tree outside my window in our old farmhouse accompanied all my childhood imaginings. When I was in my teens and living far from that beloved home, I began writing stories with the sound of that tree still singing in my head."
Years later, in Canada, when her children were in their school years, the Lunn family went to live in an old farmhouse at the edge of a bay on the north shore of Lake Ontario. "I loved that house, too, she says, "and I began writing stories about it and the people who might once have lived in it. The stories I made up about the Vermont house have long since vanished but the ones I wrote about the Ontario-house families are The Root Cellar, Shadow in Hawthorn Bay and The Hollow Tree."
Janet lives in Ottawa now in a small city house but, chances are, her stories will still reflect her love of the countryside and those old farmhouses.
"Those," she says, "are the bare bones of my life story. The part that's interesting to readers has to do with reading, writing and daydreaming which are all, in my case, one and the same." She calls herself a dedicated daydreamer and says she has been that, "almost from the moment I was born. Even before I could read I was dreaming up stories. The sound of the wind in the ancient pine tree outside my window in our old farmhouse accompanied all my childhood imaginings. When I was in my teens and living far from that beloved home, I began writing stories with the sound of that tree still singing in my head."
Years later, in Canada, when her children were in their school years, the Lunn family went to live in an old farmhouse at the edge of a bay on the north shore of Lake Ontario. "I loved that house, too, she says, "and I began writing stories about it and the people who might once have lived in it. The stories I made up about the Vermont house have long since vanished but the ones I wrote about the Ontario-house families are The Root Cellar, Shadow in Hawthorn Bay and The Hollow Tree."
Janet lives in Ottawa now in a small city house but, chances are, her stories will still reflect her love of the countryside and those old farmhouses.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
May 28, 2021
Now truth be told, I do feel more than a bit conflicted with regard to how Janet Lunn has presented young Arabella's journal in A Rebel's Daughter: The 1837 Rebellion Diary of Arabella Stevenson (published in 2006 as part of the Dear Canada series of fictional diaries). For yes, while I certainly have found how Janet Lunn manages to balance Arabella's diary descriptions of her (and yes pretty horrible and often painful) lifestyle changes, from a rather pampered and used to luxury teenaged daughter of privilege to a basic and often picked on by her superiors scullery maid after her lawyer father has been arrested for being part of the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion with specific political and historical facts about the reasons for the rebellion both successful and very much engagingly rendered (and of course, there is also considerably more such information included in the supplemental details section of A Rebel's Daughter: The 1837 Rebellion Diary of Arabella Stevenson) and have indeed also quite enjoyed Arabella's journal voice, I also have found some of the more negative characters encountered in A Rebel's Daughter: The 1837 Rebellion Diary of Arabella Stevenson a bit too overly exaggeratedly nasty and vile for my reading tastes, with in particular Arabella's mother being depicted by Janet Lunn (and of course therefore also by her fictional diarist Arabella Stevenson) as so totally monstrous and stereotypically horrid that I really do tend to consider Arabella's mother not all that realistic but in fact rather like a typical fairy or folk tale nasty (with no nuances at all, with just arrogance, total self centredness and an almost psychotic need to cast blame and more blame on and at everyone but herself).
And combined with the fact that both the cook and Sukey remind me (at least for most of A Rebel's Daughter: The 1837 Rebellion Diary of Arabella Stevenson) rather too much of the villainous Miss Minchin in Frances Hogdson Brunett's A Little Princess, while I have certainly and generally quite enjoyed Arabella's diary entries and have found her in many ways also a so-called kindred spirit, the one-sided nastiness and lack of nuance and character development in some if not most of the main encountered villains, this has certainly lessened my sense of historical reality with regard to A Rebel's Daughter: The 1837 Rebellion Diary of Arabella Stevenson (as well as my reading pleasure) and has thus also made me consider only two and a half stars as a general ranking (but yes, rounded up to a low three stars, as the rather stereotypical one-sidedness of the main antagonists and nasties notwithstanding, Arabella's story is still quite engaging and her fictional diaries both descriptive and delightfully lively).
And combined with the fact that both the cook and Sukey remind me (at least for most of A Rebel's Daughter: The 1837 Rebellion Diary of Arabella Stevenson) rather too much of the villainous Miss Minchin in Frances Hogdson Brunett's A Little Princess, while I have certainly and generally quite enjoyed Arabella's diary entries and have found her in many ways also a so-called kindred spirit, the one-sided nastiness and lack of nuance and character development in some if not most of the main encountered villains, this has certainly lessened my sense of historical reality with regard to A Rebel's Daughter: The 1837 Rebellion Diary of Arabella Stevenson (as well as my reading pleasure) and has thus also made me consider only two and a half stars as a general ranking (but yes, rounded up to a low three stars, as the rather stereotypical one-sidedness of the main antagonists and nasties notwithstanding, Arabella's story is still quite engaging and her fictional diaries both descriptive and delightfully lively).
September 8, 2016
Before William Lyon Mackenzie and the rebellion, Arabella Stevenson was an ordinary, upper middle-class Canadian girl. Now Papa is in jail, Arabella's older brother Charlie has disappeared and Mama refuses to acknowledge the situation. Papa is not a traitor! He was supporting reform and doing what he felt was right. That doesn't stop Arabella from hating the rebellion and WLM. Her whole life changed in one night.
My only complaint with this novel is that Arabella took too long to explain the rebellion. Not being Canadian, I had to start with the Historical Note to learn all about the rebellion. It still doesn't make much sense to me but knowing a bit about British government at the start of the Victorian era, it does make sense. I absolutely could not put this novel down. I had to find out what happened to Arabella and her Papa. The story does resemble A Little Princess and I think a little bit of suspension of disbelief is required but I really liked it. I learned a lot too.
Arabella is a great heroine. She isn't plucky and resourceful in an unbelievable manner. She's strong and brave when she needs to be. She is tough and resilient. I would not have done as well going through what she went through. Most of the secondary characters are stock characters but some surprised me. I won't say who because that would spoil the story but for a middle grades book, this one has some surprisingly complex characters and deals with a dark and difficult time in Canadian history. It is one of the better entries in the series but not my very favorite.
My only complaint with this novel is that Arabella took too long to explain the rebellion. Not being Canadian, I had to start with the Historical Note to learn all about the rebellion. It still doesn't make much sense to me but knowing a bit about British government at the start of the Victorian era, it does make sense. I absolutely could not put this novel down. I had to find out what happened to Arabella and her Papa. The story does resemble A Little Princess and I think a little bit of suspension of disbelief is required but I really liked it. I learned a lot too.
Arabella is a great heroine. She isn't plucky and resourceful in an unbelievable manner. She's strong and brave when she needs to be. She is tough and resilient. I would not have done as well going through what she went through. Most of the secondary characters are stock characters but some surprised me. I won't say who because that would spoil the story but for a middle grades book, this one has some surprisingly complex characters and deals with a dark and difficult time in Canadian history. It is one of the better entries in the series but not my very favorite.
August 4, 2013
The second Juvenile book I have read in the Dear Canada series. I chose this book because I wanted to learn more about the 1837 Rebellion in Eastern Canada. Arabella Stevenson is a 12 year old girl, the daughter of a Barrister. At the beginning of the book, the rebellion has just started. Arabella's father has been arrested and sent to jail for his part in the confrontation. Her 15 year old brother is missing. Arabella's mother cannot cope and remains in her bedroom. Through diary entries, we learn how life could have been for the families of those men involved in the rebellion. At the back of the book, we learn more about the actual history of the Rebellion and the author's difficulty obtaining the background information for the story.
December 27, 2016
It was okay. I didn't know about this event before I read this book and didn't feel very well informed afterwards. I feel for her though because of her treatment by her mother who I had no sympathy for.
August 10, 2009
i loved this book, it taught me sooooooo much about the rebellion. I would recommend this book to anyone.
January 20, 2012
Not the best of the series, but not the worst either. It really, really excelled at explaining the life of a scullary maid, though the actual rebellion not so much.
June 8, 2013
Great contribution to the series! I thought that Arabella was a strong protagonist, and I'll be reading it again soon... once I haul all of my childhood books out of storage!
April 2, 2016
giant buzzkill
December 15, 2018
vindicATIOOOOON
February 20, 2020
Did I read the same book as everyone else?
Okay, I'm going to be completely honest and confess that I found large chunks of this book completely boring. I mean, put down the book and complain to the air that my book is boring type boring. As this is a historical fiction for children, I find that concerning.
In theory this book should be really interesting, but it's not. It actually takes place after the rebellion and deals mostly with the fall out of choices the men in the rebellion made on their families. Because Arabella's father is already locked up and her useless mother is continuing to be useless and insist she needs a maid at any cost, including her child. Arabella decides to take a job to get away from her mother, who already gave her bed to the maid, and becomes a scullery maid at a former friend's house.
So the first bit of the book are these long winding entries, first complaining about the state of things, then realizing that she and her mother are in serious trouble, and THEN it back tracks to give you a long winded 3rd or 4th hand version of events that already happened that got her father locked up. The actual moving out, auction of possessions and move to the new tiny apartments is pretty glossed over considering it's a major even in Arabella's life. Then we are back to some long winded entries complaining about her new life scrubbing and peeling everything. Honestly...
This book is suppose to teach you about an interesting event in history in a fun, non-boring way. Unfortunately, for me personally, it failed in both places. I am not any better informed, nor was I entertained. The Historical Notes were my favorite part of the book because they actually said something pertinent to what this book is supposed to be about.
Now if you wanted to know the ins and outs of being a scullery maid, you've come to the right place! If you want to know more about the rebellion, keep looking or just flip to the back few pages and read those as a starting point.
Okay, I'm going to be completely honest and confess that I found large chunks of this book completely boring. I mean, put down the book and complain to the air that my book is boring type boring. As this is a historical fiction for children, I find that concerning.
In theory this book should be really interesting, but it's not. It actually takes place after the rebellion and deals mostly with the fall out of choices the men in the rebellion made on their families. Because Arabella's father is already locked up and her useless mother is continuing to be useless and insist she needs a maid at any cost, including her child. Arabella decides to take a job to get away from her mother, who already gave her bed to the maid, and becomes a scullery maid at a former friend's house.
So the first bit of the book are these long winding entries, first complaining about the state of things, then realizing that she and her mother are in serious trouble, and THEN it back tracks to give you a long winded 3rd or 4th hand version of events that already happened that got her father locked up. The actual moving out, auction of possessions and move to the new tiny apartments is pretty glossed over considering it's a major even in Arabella's life. Then we are back to some long winded entries complaining about her new life scrubbing and peeling everything. Honestly...
This book is suppose to teach you about an interesting event in history in a fun, non-boring way. Unfortunately, for me personally, it failed in both places. I am not any better informed, nor was I entertained. The Historical Notes were my favorite part of the book because they actually said something pertinent to what this book is supposed to be about.
Now if you wanted to know the ins and outs of being a scullery maid, you've come to the right place! If you want to know more about the rebellion, keep looking or just flip to the back few pages and read those as a starting point.
February 20, 2015
Young Arabella Stevenson has lived a comfortable upper class life in the growing city of Toronto, Upper Canada. But lately her barrister (lawyer) father has been talking with "suspicious" characters who want to reform the colony's heavily English-immigrant influenced government. Finally, there unrest explodes in open rebellion and Arabella and her mother are left penniless after their father is jailed and after their son/brother runs away. Mrs. Stevenson does not believe that they have no money and leaves Arabella to fend for herself. Arabella is forced to flee. Although her father's former lawyer, Mr. Dewhurst and his wife provide a roof over her head it is evident that she (Arabella) must find employment as a maid to get her and her mother out of poverty. Unfortunately, her new employers are former family friends, the Harvard family. Life is difficult. Arabella has hardly done any work in her life and the other servants are rude to her because of her background. Will Arabella ever adjust to her new life and will a family member take her under her wing?
This is one of my favourite books in the series. It was a new perspective on the rebellion, being set in Upper Canada (Ontario) rather than in Lower Canada (Quebec). It also takes place in an urban area unlike many stories in Canada that take place in the wilderness at the time. Arabella is a very well developed character and her family members and friends have very distinct personalities. I did find Arabella's tendency to shorten peoples names (ex. "It was my day off so I was invited over to Mr. D's house and had a lovely afternoon with A. and J. ") which can be confusing to the reader as some characters share names/ surnames that begin with the same letter. But this is overshadowed by the book's promising plot and characters. 5 Stars!
This is one of my favourite books in the series. It was a new perspective on the rebellion, being set in Upper Canada (Ontario) rather than in Lower Canada (Quebec). It also takes place in an urban area unlike many stories in Canada that take place in the wilderness at the time. Arabella is a very well developed character and her family members and friends have very distinct personalities. I did find Arabella's tendency to shorten peoples names (ex. "It was my day off so I was invited over to Mr. D's house and had a lovely afternoon with A. and J. ") which can be confusing to the reader as some characters share names/ surnames that begin with the same letter. But this is overshadowed by the book's promising plot and characters. 5 Stars!
December 29, 2014
Arabella Stevenson attends a private school and has servants, but her upper-class lifestyle is turned on its head when her barrister father is jailed for his part in the Rebellion of 1837. Her brother has disappeared, her mother sits and sulks, and Arabella is forced to support herself by working as a scullery maid in the home of a former classmate. Worse yet, she is forced to endure the agony of not knowing whether she will ever see her beloved father again.
Told in the form of a diary, this Canadian historical fiction stays true to a young girl's voice as she is forced to make decisions about her life and her future. The story contains fascinating details about Toronto and the class attitudes prevalent in Upper Canada at that time. This book would appeal to students from grade 5-8 and corresponds to topics in the Grade 8 history curriculum in Ontario.
Told in the form of a diary, this Canadian historical fiction stays true to a young girl's voice as she is forced to make decisions about her life and her future. The story contains fascinating details about Toronto and the class attitudes prevalent in Upper Canada at that time. This book would appeal to students from grade 5-8 and corresponds to topics in the Grade 8 history curriculum in Ontario.
December 13, 2015
This is difficult to rate. On the one hand it took me 40 pages to get into it (and for such a small book that's a lot), but once I did I became enthralled with her story and grew to really admire the main character, Arabella. Then I got to the epilogue and it kind of ruined everything; it felt like the author was just trying to fill space with useless information and shouldn't have been the one to write this story in the first place. It felt rushed and sloppy at times.
July 24, 2017
The plot might echo A Little Princess in a lot of places (and a lot of ways), but this wonderfully-spun tale is interesting enough to stand on its own. A great depiction of upper-class Toronto in the 1830s, with a frisson of darkness at how terrible Arabella's mother is to her throughout.
For my full review including spoilers, check out Young Adult Historical Vault https://yahistoricalvault.com/2017/07...
For my full review including spoilers, check out Young Adult Historical Vault https://yahistoricalvault.com/2017/07...
March 6, 2016
In this book, arabella's father gets put in the gaol and can't earn money, so her family goes poor. They move to a small apartment, and Arabella's brother Charlie runs away. Then arabella's mother sends Arabella away and she has to work as a scullery maid. I learned that bad things can turn good. Auryn 12 yeasr old, 2016
February 22, 2019
I think this is the first Dear Canada book I have not rated 5 stars. I don't know why, but this book was just so dry. I had a really hard time connecting to the character and being interested in her story. I read it, even though I couldn't get invested. But hey, out of all the ones I have read so far this is the only one that made me feel this way. So I am going to keep reading them.
March 19, 2013
My first Dear Canada ever and it got me hooked. It was well written and believable. It didn't feel like I was learning but I was. It was really sad and I wanted to just hug Arabella and comfort her. It was interesting and fun to read with a few twists.
January 15, 2019
Wished the story talked more about the actual rebellion so readers would known what it was about before the historical note. The story was very good and I could sympathize for Arabella with all the changes in her situation, though the writing was quite hyper.
Want to read
May 6, 2008Another book I have to read!
April 22, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Arabella is a great heroine--a little bit Jane Eyre, a little bit Burnett's Little Princess--who is genuinely likable.
May 22, 2015
Canadian historical fiction for ages 8 +
May 13, 2012
Didn't really enjoy this one
November 27, 2020
What do I know about Canadian history? \not much as this book shoed me.
April 23, 2025
Set in Toronto during the aftermath of the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion led by William Lyon Mackenzie, Arabella's father is imprisoned and their family is divided and loses their home. With a mother akin to a Dickensian villain, Arabella is forced into service, working as a housemaid in the home of former classmates.
Arabella works and visits her father in prison when she can. You really empathize with Arabella, there's misfortune at every turn. Her fifteen year old brother is missing and her mother is abusive, her coworkers and employers are cruel, with the exception of the grandmother of the house, who recognizes Arabella's abilities and takes her under her wing.
The Rebellion itself was not well explained. There was way more detail in Arabella's work as a scullery maid. Only reading the author's historical notes will give you an account of what the Rebellion was actually about. The story would have been better set in the lead up and Rebellion itself, rather than in the aftermath.
A pretty dry, uncompelling read.
Arabella works and visits her father in prison when she can. You really empathize with Arabella, there's misfortune at every turn. Her fifteen year old brother is missing and her mother is abusive, her coworkers and employers are cruel, with the exception of the grandmother of the house, who recognizes Arabella's abilities and takes her under her wing.
The Rebellion itself was not well explained. There was way more detail in Arabella's work as a scullery maid. Only reading the author's historical notes will give you an account of what the Rebellion was actually about. The story would have been better set in the lead up and Rebellion itself, rather than in the aftermath.
A pretty dry, uncompelling read.
May 18, 2020
This is a part of Canadian history I was completely unfamiliar with, and will have to research more of. I really like the perspective of a diarist going from higher class living to surviving as a servant, it’s quite unique for the Dear Canada series.
April 30, 2025
AMAZING read for 9-12 year olds. Written well with a diary writing style
Janet Lunn's "Dear Canada: Arabella Stevenson, a Rebel's Daughter" paints a vivid historical portrait. The novel explores themes of loyalty and family amidst Canadian turmoil
Janet Lunn's "Dear Canada: Arabella Stevenson, a Rebel's Daughter" paints a vivid historical portrait. The novel explores themes of loyalty and family amidst Canadian turmoil
May 11, 2019
Tagging this NPD because Arabella's mom was a complete witch.
Read
January 29, 2024this book also changed me
March 3, 2024
She had to make sacrifices to reach the top
April 16, 2025
When I first read this book, I didn't really like it much. But when I recently reread it, I had enjoyed it so much that it became one of my favourite books in the collection.
Arabella is an interesting protagonist that readers can sympathize with easily. Why you may ask? Because her struggles feel kind of realistic which makes readers feel seen, like me. Arabella felt lonely because she lost her friends, her dad and everyone treated her badly for being a rebel's daughter (her only friend was her diary, so please get this girl some ACTUAL friends). I can relate to being treated differently for something you can't control. In Arabella's case, it's being a rebel's daughter, while in my case, it was being an immigrant. Overall, Arabella is a sweet protagonist that didn't deserve to go through all that suffering.
While the book doesn't focus much on the rebellion itself, we can see how it affected others. Arabella and her mother lose everything because her dad's a rebel, Arabella is treated poorly because of it and we also see that some men are put in death row for being rebels. I think that's interesting enough, because the rebellion isn't shoved in your face, but rather written in a way that's more like the day-to-day life of people during the rebellion. Also, seeing Arabella working as a scullery maid was interesting because we got to see how she adapted from being rich to struggling to survive. It's nice and it's done in a much better way than "Flames and Ashes".
Do I recommend this book? HECK YEAH!!! Arabella is a loving protagonist and the story is interesting as well. So yeah, go ahead and give this book a go!
Arabella is an interesting protagonist that readers can sympathize with easily. Why you may ask? Because her struggles feel kind of realistic which makes readers feel seen, like me. Arabella felt lonely because she lost her friends, her dad and everyone treated her badly for being a rebel's daughter (her only friend was her diary, so please get this girl some ACTUAL friends). I can relate to being treated differently for something you can't control. In Arabella's case, it's being a rebel's daughter, while in my case, it was being an immigrant. Overall, Arabella is a sweet protagonist that didn't deserve to go through all that suffering.
While the book doesn't focus much on the rebellion itself, we can see how it affected others. Arabella and her mother lose everything because her dad's a rebel, Arabella is treated poorly because of it and we also see that some men are put in death row for being rebels. I think that's interesting enough, because the rebellion isn't shoved in your face, but rather written in a way that's more like the day-to-day life of people during the rebellion. Also, seeing Arabella working as a scullery maid was interesting because we got to see how she adapted from being rich to struggling to survive. It's nice and it's done in a much better way than "Flames and Ashes".
Do I recommend this book? HECK YEAH!!! Arabella is a loving protagonist and the story is interesting as well. So yeah, go ahead and give this book a go!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews