Claire By Moonlight

Claire’s future should be simple and predictable and include all the normal expectations of a young Acadian woman. But her life is far from straightforward. Her mother’s mental illness is a blot on the family name and Claire feels the brunt of it keenly. Her father, long sickened by his wife’s behavior, barely finds the energy to fend for his ever-growing family. Claire’s brother, Jacques, is increasingly angry and suspicious of the British soldiers who seem to take an unnatural interest in the family’s daily routine. Grandmere, well she is Grandmere – always hard to please, never capable of a single word of praise, no matter how hard Claire works to provide for all of them.

And then there is Sam Douglass, handsome in his red coat and always paying attention to her. What danger does she court just by talking to him? Somehow Claire must make sense of it all before her home in Grand-Pre is changed forever. There are traitors about but who are they? Is Sam one? Is Jacques? Most terrifying of all, is she?

Lynne Kositsky paints a vivid portrait of the land, the Acadians, and a tragic chapter in history. Claire by Moonlight traces the journey of one girl, facing insurmountable odds, who will forever remain haunted by the ghosts of those she loved.

Lynne Kositsky is an award-winning Canadian poet and author who lives in Toronto with her husband, son, and two shelties. A teacher most of her life, Lynne has taught at the middle, secondary, and university levels, but resigned six years ago to pursue writing children’s and young adult novels full time. She has been awarded the E. J. Pratt Medal in poetry as well as an international White Raven Award, given by the International Youth Library in Munich to books that “contribute to an international understanding of a culture and people.” Claire by Moonlight is Lynne Kositsky’s ninth novel.