Maud & Addie Visit maureenbjones.com
Published May 6, 2021 Order Here
In 1910, two sisters, 11 and 12 year-old Maud and Addie, are eagerly anticipating their Summer social in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. However, the event does not go according to plan, and the two girls are swept out to sea as they are rowing home at the day’s end. they find themselves adrift in the unforgiving North Atlantic with only the contents of a picnic hamper to sustain them and a carriage blanket to keep them warm. Finding their way through stormy seas, the girls finally make landfall on a deserted island. The girls create a world for themselves among the island dunes, keeping company with sea birds and other sea creatures. their adventures test their wits and, in the process, forge a bond. Maud & Addie is a castaway tale in which two girls show their courage, inventiveness and resilience no matter what they encounter.
A portion of proceeds from this book have been donated to the Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre to honor the original and continuing storytellers of the Mi’maq Nation and support the survivors of the Shubenacadie Residential School.
Virtual Readings:
May 13, 2021 Broadside Bookshop, Northampton MA
June 10, 2021 8:00 p.m. AST Writers Federation of Nova Scotia, Halifax
Reviews
BookTrib Review: Reading Maud & Addie is like stepping back in time — or more accurately, into the pages of a classic children’s book like Anne of Green Gables or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. There is a charming, old-fashioned feel to the story, though its themes of sisterhood and personal growth are universal across time. The girls’ relationship with each other is by turns funny and touching with a depth, complexity and evolution well rendered in both the characters and their actions. The girls may be lost on an island, but it is there that they truly find themselves and each other.
Strong characters and an engaging plot are often enough to propel a story forward. But the real star of the show is Jones’s use of language. Her descriptions of the flora and fauna of the island, the water and the sky, the sand and the stones are as poetic as they are vivid. With its well-crafted, fluid sentences, this is prose to be lingered over, not skimmed through. You can taste the salt in the air, feel the grit of the sand, smell the seaweed drying in the sun. You’ll never want to leave Maud and Addie’s island. Or, for that matter, the company of these two believable and endearing characters. Buy this book! by Cynthia Conrad Full Review: BookTrib Review
AvalinahsBooks: What an amazing read – I couldn’t even decide whether this was to be considered middle grade, or if it’s for adults – I think this book is perfect for both children and adults. It talks about very real and important things, maturing in our relationships and becoming less selfish, seeing the bigger picture. Also, it’s just an incredible story of survival and healing. It’s definitely a must-read! Read full review.
Forward Reviews: Filled with adventure, discovery, and a splash of sibling rivalry, Maureen Buchanan Jones’s historical novel Maud & Addie includes sweet messages about the importance of family. […] Sure to enchant, Maud & Addie is a touching novel complete with old skeletons, new friends, and the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood. Vivian Turnbull Full Review: Foreward Reviews
Kirkus Reviews: An absorbing tale of two young sisters from Halifax, Nova Scotia, who are swept out to sea and their trails and risk-taking as castaways. […] With confident pacing that rises and falls like the waves, the book charts the girls’ progress as they enter survival mode, growing more resilient and resourceful with each test. Full Review: Kirkus Reviews.
