Hold Fast » (Reprint)

: Michael turned 14 in May. By June, both his parents have died, victims of a car crash. And for Michael, who has lived all his life in small Newfoundland outport community, this means being suddenly uprooted and sent to live with relatives in St. Albert, hundreds of miles away. Hold Fast is the story of Michael's struggle in his new environment. In vivid prose, it depicts his fight against an array of enemies - loud-mouthed schoolmate Kenston, who ridicules his speech, and his uncle, who tries to rule his home life with an iron hand. It is also the story of the friendship that develops between Michael and Curtis, his cousin, and of his uncertain new feelings for Brenda. Author Kevin Major says the book was written "out of love for a way of life and a people." A panel of readers and critics named Hold Fast Canada's second-best children's book of all time, second only to Anne of Green Gables. On the 25th anniversary of its initial publication, this School Library Journal Best Book is now available for a new audience.

Barbara Troisi - Children's Literature

Michael stubbornly attempts to holdfast to his dreams in the face of displacement, rejection, loneliness, and ridicule that he experiences after the unexpected death of his parents. In this story set in Newfoundland, the adolescent protagonist is banished to little-known relatives in a distant city, away from his younger brother, beloved grandfather, admired family and friends and away from the traditional culture of the village where hunting, fishing, swimming, and riding skidoos are daily ritual. The story, told from Michael's point of view, exposes to readers to a multitude of themes dealing with issues that cause him to rebel and literally plow through in his own way. There are tender times as Michael develops new relationships with his cousin Curtis and classmate Brenda. The humorous tone keeps the tempo upbeat in spite of the trials and tribulations that plague his coming-of-age. Author Kevin Major originally wrote the book in 1978; Ironically, the issues addressed are still prominent among teens twenty-five years later. Profanity and sexual content may make the book inappropriate for less mature readers. 2003 (orig. 1978), Groundwood Book, Ages 13 to 18.