Book description
After his "wonderful airship" crashes near St. Francis of
Assisi's Home for Foundlings in Quebec City, Ben Franklin is thrown
slightly off course in his carefully laid plan to coax Canada into
joining the Americans in their fight against England's rule.
A motley crew of orphans hides the famous inventor from the British
Redcoats during the American War of Independence. One of these
orphans, 16-year-old Michael Flynn, is deaf and was abandoned by his
parents, who were convinced that his problem was caused by demons who
"seized his tongue and prevented him from speaking." Michael
leads his best friends, White Rat and Briony, through the dangerous
spy portals of underground Montreal carrying secret messages to ensure
Franklin eludes the gallows. When Michael's sign language inspires the
great scientist to create a top-secret spy code, Michael and his
friends are flung headlong into an adventure they'll never forget.
Stephen Eaton Hume teaches creative writing at the University of
Victoria. He has published three picture books: Midnight on the Farm,
Rainbow Bay, and Red Moon Follows Truck. His children's novel A Miracle
for Maggie, available from Dundurn,was nominated for the Canadian
Library Association's Children's Book of the Year. He has also published
the biography Frederick Banting: Hero, Healer, Artist for young people.
