Dear Reader
I have always been drawn to history, in particular the history of our country. It could be easy to think that your own backyard is a boring place; that the grass is greener in another continent or hemisphere. That would be a serious mistake, though, just as the Dear Canada series has proven. Each book has let us see the growth of our country through the eyes of a different girl: the Acadians, the Loyalists, those who waited home as friends and brothers marched off to war, those who crossed a continent or an ocean looking for a better life. We have been able to read about the cruel hardships and difficult sacrifices that people were willing to endure as each passing day added another page to the tale that is Canada. In my case, I penned the diary of Hélène St. Onge, an adventurous fille de roi who arrived in New France in 1666, and that of Geneviève Aubuchon, an Abenaki girl who experienced the siege of Québec in 1759. Both are stories of what was, of the past; stories of girls with whom you share something very important. You see, Canadian history is happening right now, even as you are reading this letter. And your own lives, no matter where you live in our country, are adding yet more chapters to that amazing account. Enjoy the diaries, as I know you will, Dear Readers, and remember that the history of Canada is about you.
- Maxine Trottier
