Also in the time-honoured tradition of the 'orphan novel', parentless Sarah and her cousin Maude leave Britain with hopes of becoming Canadian brides in The Brideship (Stoddart $5.99) by Kamloops creative writing instructor Joan Weir.
When Sarah discovers her prospective groom is a Gold Rush fortune seeker and she's likely to be forced into the role of a traditional wife, she plots her escape.
Weir, who grew up in Calgary, used to hope she'd win the Children's Day door prize of a pinto pony at every Stampede. She loves horses and often includes them in her books.
Weir's horse Raj makes an appearance in The Witcher (Polestar $8.95), her story of 12-year-old Lion (short for Lionel) who is drawn into a mystery involving a young witcher-yet another orphan-who has an uncanny talent to find buried gold. Brideship 0-7736-74748; Witcher 1-896095-44-5

[BCBW WINTER 1998]