4 .Peter meets the famous writer Mark Twain in this chapter. Do some research to learn more about Mark Twain.
5 .After Samson helps Peter find the West Hotel, he strides away. When Mr. Twain gets out of the elevator, he ambles down the hallway. Can you stride across a room and then turn around and amble back?
Chapter 16
1 .Peter receives a letter from the railroad vice-president. Imagine Peter writes a letter back thanking him for the hotel room and telling him about the adventures he has had. Can you write the letter for Peter? Remember, a letter has a date, a greeting, several paragraphs of content, a closing, and a signature.
2 .One of the books Mr. Twain has written is called The Prince and the Pauper. Just from the title what do you think it might be about?
3 .Mark Twain’s story, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, has been retold in graphic novels, picture books, cartoons, video games, manga comics, theatre productions, television series, ballets, operas, more than a dozen films, and in a song by Canadian rock band Rush. Which format do you think would be the best way to retell the story and why?
4 .Mr. Twain writes an inscription in Peter’s copy of Tom Sawyer. He says the last lines in the book aren’t just about Tom, they are about Peter too. How do you think those lines might apply to Peter?
5 .Words to think about: carpetbag, flyleaf, steward, surmise, condolences, succumbed, spittoon, goodly, whittle.
Chapter 17
1 .Grain elevators were used to store grain until it could be shipped across the country by train. There aren’t many grain elevators left on the prairies. You can draw a grain elevator using a few simple shapes. Check out the one on the cover of this book or find others online and try to sketch one.
2 .Peter wonders if his family will treat him differently now. He thinks his adventures have changed him. Do you think they have? How?
3 .Personification is when a writer gives something that isn’t human the ability to do something a human could. In this chapter, the author uses personification to refer to Peter’s heart. Find the passage. Write some of your own examples of personification.
4.Terms to think about: sweet nothings, sashaying, valise, dungarees, full of beans, cotton to him, stow, chaperone.
Chapter 18
1 .Peter is worried his father may not let him return to school. In 1907 only about half the children in North America went to school, and those who did often stopped attending after Grade Six. Why do you think that happened?
2 .Annie and Peter play Toboggans and Stairs which is another name for Snakes and Ladders. Can you try playing Snakes and Ladders?
3 .The letters on Peter’s toiletries kit are CPR. Can you find out what those letters stand for?
4 .Peter visits the train station in Winnipeg. It was built in 1906. The building is still standing and is open to the public, but it is no longer a train station. Using photos you find online, compare and contrast how the building looked in 1906 with how it looks now.
5 .Peter’s family lives in a sod house. Look for photos and information to learn more about them.
Things to Do After Reading Lost on the Prairie
1 .Peter often refers to the novel Captains Courageous. After reading a retelling of the Rudyard Kipling novel or watching a film version, use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast Peter’s story with that of Harvey, the hero of Captains Courageous.
2 .Draw an outline map of North America showing the provinces and states. Locate and mark Newton, Kansas; Omaha, Nebraska; Enemy Swim Lake and Sisseton, South Dakota; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Humboldt and Drake, Saskatchewan. Try connecting those points by drawing railroad tracks that follow Peter’s journey.
3 .On the author’s website, read about Jacqui Thomas, who designed the cover of Lost on the Prairie. Can you create your own cover for the book?
4 .Lost on the Prairie tells the story of one family’s immigration to a new country. Find out if your family has an immigration story. Peter is helped by an Indigenous family whose ancestors have been living in North America for thousands of years. Find out about Indigenous roots or connections your family might have.
5 .Peter is separated from his family on his immigration journey. Read some news reports about children today who are separated from their families during immigration. How do their stories compare to Peter’s?
6 .Pick a favourite paragraph from the book. Practise reading it aloud using a steady pace, clear diction, an interesting voice, and an expressive face. Share your passage with your friends.
7 .A hero is someone who, when faced with a difficult challenge, shows courage, strength, and intelligence. Is Peter a hero? Why or why not?
Acknowledgements
I AM SO GRATEFUL TO the members of my writers’ group, The Anitas, who listened to every chapter of this book more than once and offered their wise advice and endless encouragement. Larry Verstraete, Jodi Carmichael, Deborah Froese, Pat Trottier, Mindi Marshall, Melanie Matheson, Suzanne Goulden, Gabriele Goldstone, Christina Jantz, and Candice Sareen—This book would not have been published without you. Many thanks as well to McNally Robinson Booksellers in Winnipeg, who for years has graciously offered free space for our writers’ group to meet.
I want to thank my husband Dave, who planned every detail of our trip to Sisseton, South Dakota, where I spent many days doing research for this book. He also organized and accompanied me on a trip to Toronto so I could attend the annual conference of the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers (CANSCAIP). I met many writers there who provided stimulus for my work on Lost on the Prairie. I am grateful, as well, to the Saskatchewan CANSCAIP chapter for the professional development opportunities they sponsored, which encouraged me to push forward with my manuscript.
I have dedicated this book to my mother Dorothy Marie Schmidt Peters, but I also want to thank my father, Dr. Paul Peters. The work ethic he modelled and instilled in his children served me well as I faced the challenges of writing a novel.
My brother Ken Peters and my sister Kaaren Neufeld were early readers of my manuscript and offered affirmation and support. Deborah Froese was my first editor, and her excellent suggestions helped improve my story in ways both big and small.
I am grateful as well for the love and support of my children, Joel Driedger and Karen Leis, Bucky Driedger and Alisa Wiebe, and my grandchildren, Henri, Leo, Clementine, and Nora Dot.
Finally, thank you to Heritage House for seeing the potential in my manuscript and making its publication possible.
In 1991, our family visited Walden Pond. We were invited to write a wish on one of the rocks in a pile near the spot where writer Henry David Thoreau’s cabin once stood. Our guide said rain would wash our wish into the pond and eventually it would come true. Now, thirty years later, mine has.
MARYLOU DRIEDGER'S curiosity and love of learning have taken her to some fifty destinations across the globe. As an educator, she has taught in three different countries and is the recipient of a Manitoba Teacher of the Year award. She is a columnist for the regional newspaper The Carillon as well as the Winnipeg Free Press. Her freelance work has been published in numerous periodicals, anthologies, travel guides, institutional histories, and curriculums. You can read about MaryLou’s adventures and find out more about Lost on the Prairie on her website, maryloudreidger.com.
Copyright © 2021 MaryLou Driedger
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, audio recording, or otherwise—without the written permission of the publisher or a licence from Access Copyright, Toronto, Canada.
Wandering Fox Books, an imprint of Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd. heritagehouse.ca
Cataloguing information available from Library and Archives Canada
ISBN 978-1-77203-368-7 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-77203-369-4 (ebook)
Cover and interior book design by Jacqui Thom
as
Heritage House gratefully acknowledges that the land on which we live and work is within the traditional territories of the Lkwungen (Esquimalt and Songhees), Malahat, Pacheedaht, Scia'new, T'Sou-ke, and WSÁNEĆ (Pauquachin, Tsartlip, Tsawout, Tseycum) Peoples.
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.
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