The Glass Castle

Our Canadian Girl Series
By Sharon E. McKay
Penguin Books, 2002
Ages 8-12
2.5/5

After the Halifax Explosion, Penny Reid's father sends her to live with her rich grandmother in Montreal. Unfortunately, Grandmother dislikes Penny's father and forbids the mention of his name. Homesick and lonely, Penny must learn to adapt to her new life and find a way to become friends with her grandmother.

Although The Glass Castle is filled with information about Halifax and Montreal during World War I, including discrimination against the Irish and the conflict between French and English Canadians over participation in a British war, the story's plot is weak and uninteresting. There is minimal character development: Penny is headstrong, Aunt Colleen is kind, and Grandmother is stern. In addition, the writing is poor; several chapters end with cliff-hangers that are not resolved, or even mentioned, in the next chapter.

While I like the idea of the Our Canadian Girl series, The Glass Castle is not a great book.