Red River Rose by Carole Lindstrom is a historical fiction and an adventure story set in the 1885. Rose and her family are part of the indigenous Metis community living along the Saskatchewan River in Canada. When the Canadian government wants to push the Metis off of their land to sell to settlers, Rose joins the Resistance and sets out to defend her home.
I love the history of this story, but unfortunately the writing didn’t live up to my expectations, and I was left a little disappointed. I would have loved more detail about what Rose’s daily life was like and about the Metis community in general. The storyline jumped a little bit, and I often wondered if I had missed something. The focus was more on the action part of Rose’s resistance efforts, but I was yearning for a little more depth to the characters, the setting, and the culture.
But with that said, even though this isn’t a “perfect” book, I think it is a fascinating and important topic and Carol Lindstrom’s voice is an important one to champion.
I recommend this book to all 8-12 year old readers, especially those who enjoyed Little House on the Prairie.
WHAT I LIKED
- The setting of the Northwest Resistance of 1885
- The centering of the Metis people
Have you read Red River Rose? What did you think?
Birdie's Bookshelf 