THE WAY HOME
Quality Canadian fiction for readers seven to ten by an award-winning children’s author!
My family has experienced three devastating fire seasons at our ranch in the interior of British Columbia. Three times we have packed up and evacuated. Fortunately our ranch was always spared and we were able to return home. Our hearts go out to the people who did not have the same ending as us.
THE WAY HOME grew out of my experiences living surrounded by a forest during these times of climate change, accelerating temperatures and forest fires.
A young girl, a beloved pony and a forest fire . . .
A pony called Lucky and a foster girl named Tory are both searching for a place called Home.
Tory has been bumped from foster home to foster home for most of her nine years. Living with yet another new family, this time on a horse ranch for the summer, she falls in love with Lucky, the friendly pony she is allowed to ride.
A nearby forest fire forces the family to evacuate, and Tory is devastated when Lucky has to be left behind. With no choice but to stay in town until it’s safe to go back to the ranch, Tory feels as out of place as ever, and her worry for Lucky’s safety makes matters worse.
Like Tory, Lucky is a survivor. He escapes from the fire into the woods, where he faces hardship and danger, from lack of water to a brush with a pack of hungry wolves. Will pony and girl find each other again? Kindred spirits, neither of them will stop until they find a way home, wherever that may be.
This huge mushroom of smoke appeared suddenly in the view from our horse corral. Like Tory’s foster family in The Way Home, we had a barn full of horses to evacuate to safety. Frightened by the smoke and the sense of urgency, our pony Dylan refused to go into the horse trailer. Dylan was the inspiration for Tory’s pony, Lucky.
An image of the McLure fire of 2003 that threatened our ranch. The fire resulted in the loss of 72 houses, 9 businesses and 180 jobs in the area. The final size of the fire was 65,300 acres.
Meet the Author!
I’m a retired teacher, an avid reader and I’m passionate about writing books for all ages. I divide my life between two homes, our ranch in Bridge Lake in the interior of British Columbia and a small island called Saltspring on the West Coast.
Where do my ideas come from? Our ranch has been a huge inspiration. Our house is beside a small lake. All kinds of wildlife visit us; bears, foxes, rabbits, marmots, pone martins and weasels. We hear wolves howling and coyotes singing. Many of my books have a ranch or wilderness setting, including Sam’s Ride, Whiteout, Missing, After The Fire, Never To Be Told, The Way Home, Rachel Bird and Like A Bird.
Of course, all the kids I taught pop up frequently in my books! They have shared with me over the years so many funny, amazing and surprising stories. It was for my students that I wrote my first two books, My Homework is in the Mail and School Campout!
My love for historical fiction led me to my Upper Canada series, the Ellie and Max books, beloved by many readers, to Murder at the St Alice, a rollicking mystery in an historic hotel, and to Finding Grace. It’s been fun to dabble in fantasy as well with the Enchanted Theater series and The Griffin of Darkwood.
I always have a new book on the go. I love the initial stages of writing when everything is new and exciting and full of promise. In between writing, I spend my time outdoors, hiking, biking, kayaking, hanging out with horses and swimming!
The best part of all? My readers! I love hearing from you, meeting you and spending time with you inside my stories!
Study Questions and Activities
- How does Tory feel about her foster family?
- What are the signs in the story that a forest fire is coming?
- Describe Tory’s relationship with Lucky.
- Tory can be quick tempered. What sorts of things set her off?
- List all the obstacles that Lucky faces as he tries to escape the forest fire.
- Describe how Tory is proactive and helps look for Lucky?
- Why didn’t Patrick talk when he came to live with Summer and Jonah? How did that change for him? Why?
- Why did Tory change her mind about leaving Lucky with Patrick? What does that tell you about Tory as a person? Have you ever had to make a really hard decision like that? How did it make you feel?
- Do you think Daphne would have been a good fit for Tory? Why or why not?
- Draw a map showing Lucky’s route from the horse farm to Rainbow Ranch. Mark all the places where Lucky was in danger.
- Cathy told Tory that she had a bad habit of listening to other people’s conversations. Find two examples of this in the story. How did it make Tory feel?
- How is Summer and Jonah’s home different from Kathy and Patrick’s? Describe what you think is a perfect home.
- Design an amazing bedroom!
- Make a list of all the ways you look after your pet (or help a friend with their pet). What is the funniest thing your pet has ever done?
- Tory sometimes has conflicts with other kids. Think about a time when you and a friend were fighting. How did it make you feel? How did you resolve the problem?
- Draw or paint a colourful fun picture of an old hippie bus.
